26 February 2025 – Moscow – The Russian Federation, in collaboration with the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), organized an online workshop on raising awareness of ICT security among CICA Member States. The event aimed to highlight effective strategies for enhancing awareness of emerging cyber threats and fostering regional cooperation in this critical domain.It brought together top specialists and representatives from relevant agencies, academia and IT-companies across sixteen CICA Member States.
CICA Deputy Secretary General Zhang Ling delivered welcoming remarks during the opening ceremony, emphasizing the significance and cross-cutting nature of ICT security. She expressed appreciation to Russian Federation for continuing efforts as a coordinator-country in ICT security area in CICA and also reminded about the confidence building measures (CBMs) conducted in this priority area in the past few years, including those undertaken in collaboration with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Mrs. Zhang Ling further outlined key initiatives planned by Azerbaijan, Bangladesh and Russia for 2025, focusing on specialized training, regional cybersecurity and ICT crime prevention.
Mr. Artur Lyukmanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for international cooperation in the field of information security, Director of the Department on International Information Security (IIS) of the Russian Foreign Ministry, acknowledged the contribution of CICA towards IIS and collective multilateral efforts, primarily within the UN framework. He highlighted the recent adoption by the UN General Assembly of the UN Convention against Cybercrime that will be open for signature in Vietnam in mid-2025.
The workshop’s deliberations centered on several key topics, namely investigation of crimes committed in the ICT sphere, promotion of international cooperation to counter the use of ICTs for criminal purposes and relevant measures taken at the national level, international legal aspects of ICT security, exchange of information on best national strategies and legislation, countering computer incidents and response measures against them; approaches of CICA Member States to organizing events aimed at raising public digital literacy and hygiene. Speakers from Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and Thailand contributed to a lively discussion.
Ambassador Adel Adaileh, an expert in CICA’s New Challenges and Threats Dimension, delivered a presentation on "The Importance of Risk Assessment in Information Security". He highlighted the growing complexity and frequency of cyber threats and their profound impact on data security, political and economic stability, and organizational reputation. Ambassador Adaileh also emphasized CICA’s pivotal role as a platform for promoting dialogue and collaboration in ICT security, fostering a more resilient digital environment, and aligning global initiatives in this field.
Additionally, an expert from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a partner organization of CICA, presented a report on online scamming in Southeast Asia. The workshop concluded with insights from private sector representatives and academia from Russia and Kazakhstan, who shared their perspectives on enhancing cyber awareness and digital literacy across CICA Member States.
