ABU DHABI, 28th September, 2023 (WAM) -- The UAE Cybersecurity Council will organise the Regional Cybersecurity Week 2023 from 8th to 12th October, in cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Arab Regional Cybersecurity Center (ARCC). The event will be held at the Rixos Saadiyat Hotel in Abu Dhabi, under the title "Cybersecurity Innovation and Industry Development."

The Regional Cybersecurity Week 2023 is the largest cyber event in the Arab and Islamic countries, sponsored by the United Arab Emirates.

Over 100 experts and speakers from 70 countries, including the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as 10 international organisations, will attend the week to discuss the best international strategies and experiences in the field of cybersecurity.

In addition to traditional cyber attack simulation exercises, this year's week will also feature a new virtual infrastructure model of the state, which will allow participants to experience the impact of cyber attacks in a realistic way.

The week includes about 50 events that cover a wide range of cybersecurity topics, including the latest trends and developments in cybersecurity, challenges and threats facing cybersecurity, strategies and best practices for cybersecurity
incident response and recovery, and cybersecurity education and awareness.

The week will be preceded by a meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Cybersecurity Centers of the OIC on 8th October, 2023 to discuss and identify common priorities and initiatives.

The events also include the 11th Regional Cyber Security Conference "Innovation in Cybersecurity," the 11th Regional Cyber Security Exercise, the FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams) workshop, the 15th Annual Conference of the Cybersecurity Centers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC-CERT), and the Arab Meeting of Heads and Representatives of the National Cybersecurity Centers in the Arab Region.

Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity of the UAE Government, stressed the importance of the conference, as it contributes to creating a cybersecurity culture, contributes to reading challenges and putting forward solutions, and exchanging visions to face any emergency.

He said that this week, with its attendance of 70 countries, 50 events, and 100 specialised experts from different countries, is a valuable opportunity to unify visions and collective cooperation to face risks. He added that cybersecurity has become an integral part of the foundations of countries and their economies, noting that the size of the global digital economy is growing and expanding, and is expected to reach around US$20 trillion in 2025, and that the size of cybercrime is increasing, leading to global economic losses estimated at around 40% of the size of the digital economy and is expected to increase.