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OAS to Carry out Technical Assistance Mission on Cyber ​​Security in Colombia

The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) will send from March 31 to April 4, at the request of the President of the Republic of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, a “Technical Assistance Mission on Cyber ​​Security" to the South American country that will involve more than a dozen international experts.

The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, said that the hemispheric institution and its Cyber ​​Security Program "are very pleased to continue supporting the development of Colombia’s capabilities in this area, and in this regard and responding to the request by the Presidency of Colombia, contributing with this committee of international experts to strengthen the country’s cyber security and cyber defense, as well as providing ideas for the legislative and institutional framework of Colombia in the matter."

The Minister of Defense of Colombia, Juan Carlos Pinzón, asserted that "at the present time, any person or nation in the world is exposed to a cyber attack. For this reason, it is important for Colombia to learn from the experience in cyber security that ally countries such as Korea, Spain, Israel, and England have acquired, because only together can the world deal with this new and growing type of crimes." "In this job,” Minister Pinzón continued, “which today represents one of the main challenges of the Colombian Government, it is crucial to have the support of the OAS in order to achieve this international block that will enable us to provide security for all citizens when they are in the network," he added.

For his part, Diego Molano Vega, Minister of Information Technologies and Communications (MinTIC) of Colombia, said that "in Colombia we are living a true digital revolution to create jobs and reduce poverty, which has many positive aspects and opportunities for education, health and employment, but also must faces great challenges such as cybercrime." Similarly, Minister Molano noted that "the risks that the Internet carries go beyond countries’ borders; cybercrime is transnational and, therefore, the role of the OAS is crucial for international coordination in this matter." "We are delighted to have the support and leadership of the OAS for the holding of this great event, "he said.

Representatives of the governments of Canada, Spain, the United States, Estonia, South Korea, Israel, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay have been invited to join this international committee. The participation of international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Council of Europe, the Global Cyber ​​Security Center of the University of Oxford, the World Economic Forum, and the United Nations is also expected.

The OAS, through its Cyber ​​Security Program, has supported the efforts and initiatives of member states aimed at strengthening capacities to prevent, mitigate and respond to cyber incidents. At the request of the member states, the hemispheric organization is promoting cooperation between the public and private sectors, as well as academia to strengthen the safeguarding and protection of the critical information and communications infrastructure.

In the case of Colombia, in particular, the OAS has supported the development of the "National Cyber Security and Cyber ​​Defense Policy,” which established the creation of the Colombian Cyber Emergency Response Group (colCERT), the Cyber Police Center (CCP), and the Joint Cyber Command (CCOC by its Spanish acronym), among other initiatives on security and cyber defense. Similarly, the hemispheric institution has conducted exercises on Cyber Security Crisis Management, promoted activities for the protection of the computer systems of critical Colombian infrastructures, and provided training to a large number of Colombian officials, among others.
The OAS hopes that the international committee of experts is able to submit for the consideration of the President of the Republic a series of recommendations and actions to be taken on cyber security, and it will continue to support the efforts of the Colombian Government in the area of training, technical and professional support in this matter.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-119/14