The fifth Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) kicked off on Wednesday in Riyadh, hosting significant plans to scale collaborative expertise in cyberspace, while building resilience in online space. Hosted under the auspices of King Salman of Saudi Arabia, the forum titled “Scaling Cohesive Advancement in Cyberspace” convenes global leaders, policy-makers, and industry practitioners to collaborate on and engage in forward-leaning, action-oriented discussions relevant to the key challenges and opportunities in cyberspace.
Saudi Arabia takes the lead in cybersecurity capacity building globally
The fifth Global Cybersecurity Forum kicks off in Riyadh on Wednesday with announced major initiatives that will help in scaling common international efforts in cyberspace and improving online resilience. Majed bin Mohammed Al-Mazyed, governor of the National Cybersecurity Authority, conveyed the focus of the forum on promoting collective action and the trajectory of the five-year journey from earlier editions of the annual forum.
He said the Centre for Cyber Economics had been created to work jointly between the GCF and the World Economic Forum to achieve an inclusive and secure cyberspace. In January of this year, the WEF and the World Resources Institute (WRI) signed an agreement with the Global Commission on the Future of the Internet to create the CCE (Riyadh) to raise knowledge and understanding of the economic challenges and opportunities coming in a fast-moving cyber environment.
UN partnership tackles the global cybersecurity workforce gap
In this spirit, the NCA’s governor added, “I am proud to announce that the Kingdom is launching a global cyberspace capacity building initiative in partnership with the United Nations. By taking advantage of a broad cross-section of global stakeholders, this effort will provide accelerated capacity building in the areas of greatest need, from training and education to R&D. The initiative responds to urgent international needs, including the global lack of cybersecurity-related workers, which is estimated at about 2.8 million globally.
Child protection helps protect the digital future generations
Speaking at the opening of the annual forum, Riyadh Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar voiced optimism, saying: “We are quite confident that the intercession of international authorities and specialists participating in the forum will communicate timely and consistent progress in cyberspace and collectively build cybersecurity.”
In the first session, the focus was on scaling up progress in cyberspace with initiatives revealed, including the Child Protection and Cyberspace Initiative, which was introduced under the aegis of DQ Institute to secure the safety of children online.
The GCF’s Child Protection in Cyberspace Index is a historic step for the protection of children online around the world. The CPC initiative continues the worldwide sea change towards prioritizing children’s online well-being, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The U.S. Cybersecurity Information and Networking Infrastructure Protection Center (CIP)—with contributions from Duke University and leadership development opportunities, the GCF will actively work to close the careers gap in cybersecurity, over a million jobs for women by 2020.
Chemical: economic elements of cyber resilience models
The fifth GCF 2025 two-day conference addresses five subthemes: Beyond Inflection Point, Cyber Economics Redefined, Strengthening Cyber Inclusion, Behavioral Lens in Cyberspace, and Opportunities at the Cyber Horizon. The GCF 2025 progress, across sub-themes, builds dialogue towards the vision of creating a safe and secure cyberspace environment that contributes to national socio-economic development, individual security, and national stability.
Global Cybersecurity Forum is a critical platform for international cooperation to tackle emerging cyber threats and opportunities. Through strategic partnerships with the UN and World Economic Forum, Saudi Arabia showcases its leadership in the realm of global cybersecurity resilience. The nationwide programs that have come as a result, from a child protection perspective to a workforce development perspective, reflect the forum’s passion to shape a safe digital landscape to benefit all nations and communities around the globe.