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6:57 AM 24th June 2022
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UK Cyber Support Will Help The Commonwealth Stand Up Malign Regimes

 

The UK is providing a £15m package of support to Commonwealth countries over the next three years in the face of the growing threat from cyber-attacks.

The Foreign Secretary hopes to boost Commonwealth nations’ resilience to rising threats in cyberspace, empowering the bloc to defend themselves.

Cyber is among the top security challenges that Commonwealth countries face today, with 87% of organisations having experienced an attempt to exploit their existing vulnerabilities in cyberspace.

The Foreign Secretary will tell Foreign Ministers during a meeting today at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda that an expanded Commonwealth, united behind its shared values is a vital counterweight to the growing threat of malign activity.

She will say that alongside other networks like the G7 and NATO, the Commonwealth can and should play a vital role in challenging autocratic regimes and advancing freedoms around the world.

The UK’s renewed package of cyber support for the Commonwealth will involve sharing cyber deterrence expertise, building insights into understanding threats, assessing capability and governing effectively to enable agile responses.

And it will support the voices of smaller countries to ensure that we are, collectively, able to stand up as a powerful voice behind our shared values of sovereignty, democracy and good governance in cyber space.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said:
"In an increasingly geopolitical world the Commonwealth is a vital and expanding alliance united behind values of democracy, human rights and sovereignty.

"The Commonwealth are collectively taking action to bolster our resilience and security, including in cyberspace, to stand up against autocratic regimes that challenge our freedoms.

"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a stark warning to us all that our sovereignty and security is increasingly under threat around the world and in cyberspace."

The new UK funding will maximise the influence of every Commonwealth member state in vital international negotiations on cyber governance. It will support the voices of smaller countries to ensure that we are, collectively, able to stand up as a powerful voice behind our shared values of sovereignty, democracy and good governance in cyber space.

Tailored projects with Commonwealth countries will work to empower smaller states and a Commonwealth Cyber Governance network will bring together experts from across the organisation, in addition to increasing in-country cyber attaches and UN Women-in-Cyber Fellows.

Collectively, it will make it harder for malign states to meddle in domestic cyber space across the Commonwealth.

The last CHOGM was held in the UK in 2018, with the UK now handing over the chairing role to Rwanda.