“While technological advancements and enhanced communications have propelled economic growth and social development, vulnerabilities in our cyber and ICT systems, and their misuse, can threaten our safety and security, with severe implications for our citizens’ wellbeing.”
Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade and OSCE Chair-in-Office Ian Borg stressed the importance of cyber and ICT security when he was addressing representatives of the organisation’s participating states during the opening of the Annual OSCE Chairpersonship Conference on Cyber and ICT Security, in Mellieħa.
Referring to the theme of the conference ‘Strengthening National Cyber Resilience’, the Minister encouraged participating states of the OSCE to step up efforts towards achieving cyber resilience throughout the organisation’s region.
The two-day conference will deepen OSCE’s understanding of the impacts of the misuse of cyberspace on societies, governments, and critical infrastructure, and on international peace and security, as well as on the importance of increased collaborations between governments and other stakeholders to tackle these concerns.
“Targeted disinformation campaigns exploit societal tensions, undermine trust in democratic processes, and pave the way for democratic backsliding. In doing so, they erode our collective security. In the context of the rapid spread of disinformation and misinformation across the OSCE region, it is crucial to understand the linkage between information integrity and cyber security,” stated Minister Borg.
The Minister and OSCE Chair-in-Office explained that the 2024 Maltese OSCE Chairpersonship is focusing on the importance of information integrity and the risks emanating from disinformation. Through different actions, the OSCE and its participating states are addressing these challenges through cyber security measures, while safeguarding media freedom and freedom of expression.
“Artificial Intelligence and its associated technologies are offering opportunities and challenges for societies across the OSCE region and beyond. We need to ensure that its vulnerabilities are addressed and that its malicious use is avoided. We must also harness its potential to improve cyber security,” Minister Borg added.
He also reiterated his call for Russia to end its war of aggression in Ukraine. “The Russian Federation has engaged in a pattern of malicious cyberspace activity prior to and throughout its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. High value infrastructure, essential services, communications, and government servers are at risk, and lives are continually at stake,” Minister Borg added.
Malta began its 12-month Chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in January, under the theme ‘Strengthening Resilience, Enhancing Security’, after it was unanimously elected to head this organisation for the first time in its history, in November 2023.
