The Latin America and Caribbean Cyber Competence Centre (LAC4) officially opened on 26 May 2022 with an inaugural conference at the Centro Indotel in Santo Domingo.
The LAC4 inauguration week is the result of a joint effort by the European Union and the Dominican government, namely the EU CyberNet project implemented by Estonian Information System Authority, the Ministry of the Presidency and the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications, and the EU Delegation to the Dominican Republic. The effort integrates entities of the government of Estonia (the Estonian Information System Authority), the Ministry of the Presidency of the Dominican Republic (Minpre), the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) and the EU Delegation in the Dominican Republic.
The Conference and LAC4 Competence Centre was opened by a video message from the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, followed by a keynote speech from the Ambassador of the EU in the Dominican Republic Katja Afheldt. The opening also featured video greetings from the Estonian President Alar Karis and the Minister of the Presidency Lisandro Macarrulla.
LAC4 is a project lead by EU CyberNet and funded by the European Union that seeks to contribute to educate in cybersecurity, enhancing interoperability skills, cyberspace capabilities, research and development and creating national cybersecurity standards in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Liina Areng is the director of LAC4 and has led the creation of the Latin America and Caribbean Cyber Competence Centre (LAC4).
The National Cybersecurity Center (CNCS) and its CSIRT-RD Cybersecurity Operations Center (SOC) are sharing space with the Latin American and Caribbean Cyber-Capacities Center (LAC4).
“Global digitalization is gearing up and gaining more and more momentum. Societies are benefiting from the digital revolution. That also means that we are more dependent on technologies and have to mitigate risks. Digitalization and cyber security have to develop and evolve hand in hand, otherwise our growth could be affected by cybercriminals. It’s great that we all see this as a challenge and are working together to alleviate it. LAC4 is another great example of that. LAC4 will be an important avenue to channel the EU’s cyber capacity-building efforts in the LAC region,” said Afheldt speaking at the event.
She added that cybersecurity is a challenge for all nations around the world. “To succeed in defending people and businesses, we have to work together. The European Union can learn from Latin American and Caribbean countries and vice versa. I am grateful that projects like LAC4 are thinking ahead and helping to build bridges to share cyber knowledge.”
The inaugural conference that began this week is an opportunity for policymakers, diplomats and the technical community from the Latin America and Caribbean region to examine challenges in cybersecurity, identify gaps in training to find corresponding solutions and also, examine opportunities for cross-border collaboration to support equity, security and sustainable digital transformation in the region.
LAC4 became operational in October 2021 and its mission is to enhance cyber competence in the LAC region through specialized training and consultations. The center will strengthen practical collaboration in the region and with the European Union (EU).
LAC4 will also provide training and expertise using the capabilities available in the EU CyberNet expert group, in collaboration with other EU projects and initiatives, regional organizations, global donors and implementers.
Estonia is well-known as the phenomenon of digitalization. On the official website of the European Commission, Estonia is mentioned as probably the only country in the world where 99% of the public services are available online 24/7.
30 May 2022