The United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has ranked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) fifth in its latest Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020.
The country took a massive leap of 33 places when compared to the last year’s list which tabulates 193 countries as part of the exercise. The UAE’s significant improvement in the list underscores its advanced awareness of the vitality of cybersecurity.
Conceived with the goal to raise awareness of the importance and different dimensions of cybersecurity, the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) remains a trusted reference that measures the commitment of countries to cybersecurity at a global level.
Each country’s level of development is evaluated on five categories; Legal Measures, Technical Measures, Organisational Measures, Capacity Building and Cooperation.
Sharing his view on the improved position on the index, Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity at the UAE Government, remarked that higher global ranking is the outcome of the directives and vision of the UAE’s leadership to build an advanced digital infrastructure, as part of the country’s preparations for the next 50 years.
The UAE’s leading position in the index is the direct result of the UAE’s digitisation strategies and policies, and the integrated and smart operational ecosystem, which helped bolster performance across all sectors, Dr. Al Kuwaiti added.
The UAE’s Head of Cybersecurity pointed out that this accomplishment would not have materialized without the cooperation of local entities, the coordination between public and private entities, and the high level of efficiency achieved by national cadres.
This success is an important addition to the UAE’s impressive track record in cybersecurity, which includes establishing the UAE Cybersecurity Council, as well as Electronic Federal Network (FEDNet) and the UAE Smart Cloud, supported by several e-safety initiatives, digital citizenship certificates and cybersecurity strategies.
