PRESS RELEASE
RIYADH, 18 March 2024 – Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) has announced the 2024 annual meeting of the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), which will be held in Riyadh, October 2-3, 2024.
Under the theme “Advancing Collective Action in Cyberspace”, the event will bring together thought leaders, decision makers and experts from the global cyberspace community to strengthen international cooperation, address shared challenges, enhance socioeconomic development and enable deeper dialogue for align international cybersecurity efforts and unlock opportunities in Cyberspace.
The 2024 GCF Annual Meeting represents the next phase of a multi-step iterative process: from rethinking, to charting, to advancing collective action in cyberspace. The year-over-year thematic progression of the GCF Annual Meeting reflects the evolution of GCF from a meeting point for the global cybersecurity community to a permanent platform for making a positive and lasting impact in cyberspace based on shared goals.
The theme of the 2023 GCF Annual Meeting was “Tracking Shared Priorities in Cyberspace,” which sought to guide strategic planning and build on the foundations laid by the 2022 GCF theme, “Rethinking the Global Cyber Order.” The 2024 Annual Meeting will advance substantive collective action on cyberspace, with roundtables focusing on five key subthemes.
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Beyond the cyber discord: Build trust in the context of geopolitical competition to ensure effective collaboration on key global issues and highlight areas to expand initiatives.
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Thriving cyber economy: Develop strong markets and build resilient cyber ecosystems, leveraging the cyber economy to stimulate growth and development.
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Cybersocial fabric: Strengthen development and inclusion in cyberspace to explore how cyberspace can bridge social and development gaps between communities, organizations and nations.
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Computer psychology: Decoding human behaviors in cyberspace to map the psychological aspects of cybersecurity and cybercrime, illuminating the impacts of behavior and decision-making in cyberspace.
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The new IT frontier: Integrate converging technologies into cyberspace to consider the implications of emerging technologies and how they can be leveraged to drive progress and innovation in cybersecurity.
The GCF’s journey began in 2020 with the inaugural edition of the Global Cybersecurity Forum organized by NCA during the Kingdom’s G20 Presidency.
In 2023, the GCF Institute was established as a global, independent non-profit organization based in Riyadh, with the aim of translating the Forum’s dialogue into impactful initiatives that bring security and prosperity to people around the world. The Institute will serve as a global platform committed to strengthening cyber resilience through shared priorities, focused dialogue and impactful initiatives.
About the NCA
The NCA is the primary national authority for cybersecurity issues in Saudi Arabia. It works to strengthen the Kingdom’s cyberspace, enabling it to protect national security and vital state interests. The Authority defends the Kingdom’s critical infrastructure, priority economic sectors, services and government activities from cyber threats. The NCA establishes the standards necessary to license the import, export and use of hardware and software in terms of cybersecurity, while ensuring compliance with these standards. NCA’s work contributes to the creation of a secure and thriving economy that ensures the prosperity of Saudi Arabia and its people.
About GCF
Launched in 2020, the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) is an action-oriented platform that brings together decision-makers, experts and innovators from around the world to promote shared priorities, focused dialogue and impactful initiatives for a safe and resilient cyberspace. Over the course of several successful editions, the GCF has evolved beyond an annual event, launching an action-oriented Institute, which provides a permanent space for the vital engagement and dialogue that takes place in the forum.
The GCF Institute was founded in 2023 as a global non-profit organization that seeks to strengthen global cyber resilience by serving as a platform where the world’s cybersecurity stakeholders can collaborate and take action for the benefit of people of all backgrounds and nations. By harnessing intellectual power and driving multi-stakeholder collaboration, the GCF Institute aims to contribute to a more prosperous and secure cyberspace for all. The Institute seeks to strengthen cybersecurity internationally, elevate international cooperation, enhance socio-economic development, and enable deeper dialogue to align international cybersecurity efforts.