Key Partnerships Established at the Inaugural Singapore International Cyber Week 2016

More than 5,000 attendees from close to 50 countries took part in the conferences, forums and exhibition

Organised by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), the inaugural Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) 2016 saw the successful launch of the Singapore’s Cybersecurity Strategy by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It hosted over 5,000 attendees from close to 50 countries and received the strong support of about 200 sponsors and participating organisations. This year also marks the 25^th edition of the GovernmentWare (GovWare), the region’s premier conference and exhibition on cybersecurity. 

Held from 10 to 12 October 2016, SICW 2016 featured five other inaugural events - the International Cyber Leaders’ Symposium, the Smart Nation IoT Security Conference, the ASEAN Mayors Executive Roundtable, and the ASEAN Cybercrime Prosecutors’ Roundtable Meeting. 

Notable guests included ASEAN Ministers and Senior Officials from all 10 ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Secretary-General H.E. Le Luong Minh, and leading international cybersecurity experts. One of the first speakers at SICW was Mr. Kim Won-soo, United Nations Under Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, who delivered a message from the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon. In his address, Mr Ban lauded the SICW event as a significant contribution to the international community’s efforts to build norms, rules and principles for the peaceful use of cyberspace. 

SICW saw more than 100 thought-leaders from governments, private sector, academia and non-governmental organisations sharing their cybersecurity expertise and exchanging ideas and insights with participants over the three-day event. Distinguished keynote speakers include H.E. Dr H. Wiranto, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Republic of Indonesia; YB Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia; Mr Christopher Painter, Coordinator for Cyber Issues, U.S. Department of State; Mr Conrad Prince, Cyber Ambassador, The United Kingdom; Zhao Zeliang, Director-General, Bureau of Cybersecurity Coordination, Cyberspace Administration of China, among others. Minister of Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security Dr Yaacob Ibrahim hosted a number of bilateral meetings with key ASEAN cybersecurity principals, at the side-lines of SICW 2016. 

Some of the announcements made at SICW include:

• The launch of Singapore’s Cybersecurity Strategy by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the opening of the inaugural SICW;

• ASEAN Member States and cybersecurity principals agree on the need to strengthen cybersecurity discussions at the inaugural ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity;

• The announcement of a $10 million ASEAN Cyber Capacity Programme which aims to build cyber capacity in ASEAN Member States, by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-Charge of Cyber Security;

• The sponsorship of USD900,000 by Singapore over three years to non-profit organisation CyberGreen; and

• Four agreements signed between CSA and BAE Systems, (ISC)², Microsoft and Palo Alto Networks to build capacity and collaborate on innovative solutions to foster a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem. 

Cybersecurity is a team sport. It is a common challenge that governments, organisations, academia, industry and individuals are dealing with around the world. At this inaugural SICW, we saw different international stakeholders come together discuss and identify ways to deal with these cybersecurity challenges. Importantly, it allowed many of us to forge new friendships and partnerships, to kick off conversations on dealing with cyber challenges. That is critical, as we continue in our collective global fight against cyber threats and attacks.

Mr David Koh
Chief Executive, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA)

SICW 2017 will be held next September. Singapore will also host a second edition of the ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity at next year’s SICW.

About the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) provides dedicated and centralised oversight of national cyber security functions, and works with sector leads to protect Singapore’s critical services. It also engages with various industries, and stakeholders to heighten cyber security awareness as well as to ensure the holistic development of Singapore’s cyber security landscape. The Agency was established under the Prime Minister’s Office and is managed by the Ministry of Communications and Information.