A training and discussion event, ‘Beyond the national information security strategy – creating favourable cybersecurity posture in Serbia’, organised by the OSCE Mission to Serbia in partnership with DiploFoundation, the Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and Petnica Science Center, gathered the representatives from key public institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations to discuss the key strategic components of the cybersecurity framework in Serbia.
The event is the next step in the comprehensive approach towards building a platform for a multistakeholder dialogue on cybersecurity in Serbia, jointly initiated in 2015 by DiploFoundation, DCAF, OSCE Mission to Serbia and Petnica Science Center. After the initial gathering of a diverse group of representatives from several ministries, defence and security agencies, regulatory authority, Internet providers, domains and the ICT industry, universities and civil society organisations, followed by a public hearing at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, and a discussion event on shaping the strategic framework, ‘Beyond the national information security strategy – creating favourable cybersecurity posture in Serbia’ ensured that the initial group is extended with more actors, such as the operators of critical infrastructure and financial institutions.
The event combined addresses of key officials, such as the Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications and the Director of the Office of the National Security Council and Classified Information Protection, related to the current environment in Serbia, with lectures from eminent speakers such as Ms Melissa Hathaway from Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Mr Steven Feher, US Deputy Director for the PCSS programme at George Marshall Centre, and Mr Robert Cosla, Lt.Col. (Ret), Microsoft Central and Easter Europe Area Director, Public Safety and National Security and Defence. Using group-work techniques, such as the ‘foresight scenario planning’, the group discussed possible models for a public-private partnership in various areas of strategic importance, such as the protection of critical infrastructure, incident response, education or building cybersecurity competences. The conclusions were presented at the closing session, addressed by HE Ambassador Andrea Orizio, Head of OSCE Mission to Serbia, and Mr Kurt Donelly, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US to Serbia.
