The GFCE meets the Pacific – excerpt from the Global Cyber Expertise Magazine vol. 7

(Special Edition)

Written by: Cherie Lagakali, Board Secretary, PICISOC (Pacific Island Chapter of the Internet Society); and Klee Aiken, GFCE Advisory Board member.

In February 2020, the GFCE held its inaugural regional Pacific event in Melbourne, in the margins of the OCSC-GCSCC 2020 Global Cybersecurity Capacity Building Conference. During the event, donors, project implementers and Pacific partners discussed a common goal of identifying and addressing opportunities and challenges for cyber capacity in the region. This article aims to give insight on the three core themes that emerged from these collaborative discussions: coordination, contextualization and commitment; and opportunities for further engagement with the Pacific communities.

In the third week of February, the Asia-Pacific Internet community descended on Melbourne for a number of events including APRICOT 2020, APNIC 49, APTLD 77, the OCSC Global Cybersecurity Capacity Building Conference and a FIRST Technical Colloquium. In such a crowded field, the GFCE managed to stand out with a lively, solution-oriented Pacific Regional Forum. The event was bolstered by the gracious support of OCSC, Global Partners Digital, and the World Bank; Forum partners and members who helped with logistics and the travel costs for Pacific delegates. For anyone working on cyber capacity building through the GFCE or in the Pacific, the room was full of familiar faces, however for most, the inaugural GFCE Pacific event was the first introduction between the different communities. With a bit of boldness in the agenda, the group was able to draw out frank insights to address a common goal of identifying and addressing opportunities and challenges for cyber capacity building in the region.

From these discussions three core themes emerged: Coordination; Contextualization, and Commitment. While these themes are hardly unique to the Pacific, in collaboratively unpacking them in Melbourne, the group was able to gain a richer understanding of each. This resulted in a better appreciation for the different perspectives of donors, implementers, and Pacific partners, as well as, the opportunity to begin exploring pragmatic solutions to improve the way we work.

Click to continue reading (on page 42) as originally published in the Global Cyber Expertise Magazine vol. 7 – special edition