President of the GFCE Foundation, Mr Chris Painter,

Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber and Critical Technologies, Mr Brendan Dowling,

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good evening to you all. I am delighted to participate in the Launch of the Pacific Hub of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise. It is pleasing to note that Fiji has been chosen to be the location of this launch – the digital hub of the Pacific.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Many of the international submarine fibre-optic cables have a substation here in Fiji, before they branch off to other Islands. SpaceX based its ground stations on Fiji to support Tonga when its cable was disconnected.

The Coalition Government continues with our ambitious Digital Fiji programme which involves the further digitisation of Government and its services. We have made great strides already.

But, I also have to say that digital connectivity and cybersecurity initiatives occur across Government agencies – through projects and activities, both small and large.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

One thing I know for sure, for a Government like ours it is even hard to keep track of everything and make sure everyone is informed and up-to-date.

And for that reason, any support in the coordination of international assistance activities is welcomed, and we support the GFCE’s role in this.

Fiji also takes responsibility for cyber issues regionally and internationally.

As hosts, we support the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, which has a key role in helping member states advance the Boe Declaration on Regional Security.

We also extend our compliments to our brothers in Papua New Guinea who managed to convene the Pacific ICT ministers recently. The meeting ended with a strong commitment to the importance of the Pacific elevating its voice in relevant ICT dialogues, helping to bridge the gaps for digital transformation and inclusion, foster innovation, and empower local communities.

The presence of USP here in Fiji and across other Islands is essential in proving our young people are ready for the digital future and the ICT workforce.

And finally, Fiji has been actively participating in important UN cyber forums such as the Open-ended Working Group on ICT security in the context of international security. We thank the GFCE, as well as Australia, New Zealand, the UK and others for their support, including through the Women in Cyber Fellowship.

We believe it is important that the world hears from the Pacific, and knows about our Region’s digital achievements as well as our remaining challenges. For us, the GFCE presence here is an important venue for us, to work domestically, in the region, and strategically globally.

And the latter is urgently needed, for instance now with the UN Secretary-General Global Digital Compact. It is a great initiative, but it will be hard work for us here to make our voices heard and make sure the UN system turns its attention to the SDG agenda in the Pacific and the potential ICTs and cybersecurity bring to our economies.

Thank you, once again for the opportunity to be part of this event, I wish the GFCE the best of success, and we look forward to a fruitful cooperation in the years to come.

Thank you and Vinaka Vakalevu.