On 29 June 2021, Tashkent will host the CIS International Expert Forum on Information Security.

The forum is held by the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the support of the Ministry for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the CIS Executive Committee.

The dialogue on information security, organized in a hybrid format with online connection of foreign participants, plans to bring together more than 50 leading experts from the Commonwealth countries. It will be attended by representatives of international organizations and leading analytical centers of the CIS countries, as well as heads of relevant ministries and departments.

The CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev, General Director of the Executive Committee of the CIS Regional Commonwealth in the field of communications Nurudin Mukhitdinov, Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Olimjon Umarov and Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Eldor Aripov will address the participants with a welcoming speech.

The representative composition of the participants will allow discussing the latest trends in the field of information security, agreeing on a balanced and coordinated approach in developing optimal methods of countering illegal phenomena in this area.

The initiative to hold this Forum was put forward by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the summits of the heads of state of the Commonwealth in 2019 and 2020.

The increased attention to this issue is primarily due to the ongoing large-scale digitalization of important sectors of the economy, systems of government and public life support, as well as the service sector.

The relevance and timeliness of the Forum is also confirmed by the global consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, which have greatly accelerated the pace of digitalization of society, state and business. The restrictive measures introduced in the world have significantly influenced the development of distance learning, telemedicine, Internet commerce and other areas.

At the same time, along with the rapid development of digital technologies, their penetration into all spheres of life, the risks of unauthorized access to information that can cause a disruption in the energy, defense, transport, telecommunications and healthcare sectors are increasing. As a result, there is a high probability of causing not only significant material damage, but also a threat to the safety of citizens' lives.

In these conditions, ensuring information security becomes one of the key factors in the economic and socio-political development of the state and society.

These tendencies, along with other topical issues, are reflected in conceptual documents defining the priority vectors of complex cooperation of the CIS countries in the medium term. Within the framework of the Commonwealth, a number of documents have been adopted aimed at consolidating efforts and increasing the effectiveness of cooperation between the CIS member states in the field of information security, the creation of secure information systems for various applications.

In particular, in 2020, during the presidency of the CIS in Uzbekistan, the heads of state signed the Concept for the Further Development of the CIS and the Strategy for the Economic Development of the CIS until 2030. Deepening cooperation in the development of the digital economy and digital skills are identified by these documents as one of the most requested areas of interaction. In this regard, an important place is given to ensuring information security and combating crimes using ICT.

In this regard, the first expert Forum organized by Uzbekistan is intended to become an important platform for exchanging views on the latest trends and achievements in the field of digitalization. The event will make it possible to share advanced national experience in countering current threats in the information space.

Based on this, the main goals and objectives of the Forum are formulated in accordance with the key directions of the Concept for the further development of the CIS. The agenda of the event includes discussion of such important issues as international cooperation in the field of information security in the context of the development of the digital economy; combating crimes using information and communication technologies; technical protection of information infrastructure facilities and investigation of cybercrimes; protection of human rights and freedoms in the information environment.

Based on the results of the discussions, it is envisaged to adopt the Final Document of the CIS International Expert Forum on Information Security, containing practical recommendations for improving the legal framework and institutional mechanisms of cooperation in the field of information security within the framework of the Commonwealth.

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