ISMI Deputy Director Bobur Usmanov on the timeliness and importance of the upcoming forum
A press conference dedicated to the upcoming scientific and expert forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on information security was held in Tashkent on 6 September.
Speaking at a press conference, Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan (ISMI) Bobur Usmanov spoke about the timeliness and importance of this forum.
According to him, the event is organized as part of the practical implementation of the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, put forward on 17 September 2021 at the Dushanbe summit of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States.
At the meeting, the President of Uzbekistan, emphasizing the key priorities of intensifying efforts to ensure peace and stability in the SCO space, noted the importance of ensuring regular discussion of the current situation, coordination of joint measures to counter challenges and threats, including in the information field.
“In this regard, the head of our state proposed to hold the SCO Expert Forum on information security. This would allow to develop coordinated measures to adequately address modern threats and challenges in cyberspace,” the expert stressed.
Speaking about the potential of the SCO member states in ensuring information security, Bobur Usmanov cited some facts. According to the Global Cybersecurity Index for 2021, Russia and India are in the top ten, and China and Kazakhstan are among 40 countries. The index takes into account legal, technical and organizational measures, as well as development potential and cooperation with other countries.
It was noted that today information security is becoming increasingly important in the overall system of national security of Uzbekistan and regional stability. At the same time, the cross-border nature of challenges and threats in this area requires the constant development of joint actions at the bilateral, regional and international levels.
The timeliness and importance of the event lies in the fact that, despite the efforts of countries, there is an aggravation of threats to information security, including growing extremist and terrorist activities in the virtual space. In 2018-2021, the SCO states restricted access to more than 500 thousand terrorist Internet resources.
In order to prevent the active recruitment of citizens of the SCO member states to the zones of terrorist activity, 6 channels of transportation, bank accounts of more than 5 thousand persons and 24 channels of terrorist financing have been blocked.
The organization of the expert forum will also contribute to the practical implementation of the SCO Plan for Cooperation in the Field of International Information Security and the Use of scientific potential in countering common threats and challenges in this direction.
Currently, preparations are being completed for this forum, which is organized by the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the support of the Ministry for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications of Uzbekistan, as well as the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.
The relevance of this topic is confirmed by the representative composition of the participants. SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming, Director of the SCO RATS Executive Committee Ruslan Mirzayev, as well as leading experts from relevant ministries and departments, scientific, academic and analytical circles of the organization’s member states are expected to participate in the forum.
Uzbekistan will be represented at the level of senior officials of the Presidential Administration, responsible departments of the ministries for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications, Foreign Affairs, as well as specialized agencies – the National Center for Human Rights, the State Inspectorate for Control in the Field of Informatization and Telecommunications, the Center for the Development of Information Technologies and Information Resources, Uzbektelecom, the Center for Cybersecurity.
The event envisages discussing a wide range of issues, including cooperation in combating threats in the information space, ensuring human rights in the fight against cyber threats, expanding the role of the SCO and strengthening cooperation between states in this area.
“The expert forum will allow us to take coordinated and complementary measures in the field of information security, which will significantly increase the effectiveness of the work carried out in this area within the SCO states,” concluded the Deputy Director of ISMI. ///Dunyo, 30 August 2022