Fiji made a significant contribution at the prestigious global RSA Conference 2025 which convened over 40,000 cybersecurity and tech participants in San Francisco and joined a strong delegation of Pacific nations including Australia, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Vanuatu.
Notably, Ms Tupou Baravilala, Director-General Digital Government Transformation, Cybersecurity and Communications participated in a high-level panel session, "The Great Cybersecurity Divide," on April 30, 2025 at RSAC 2025. This timely discussion addressed the widening gap in cybersecurity capabilities between developed and developing nations, particularly highlighting the vulnerabilities faced by countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The panel, moderated by Australia’s Ambassador for Cybersecurity and Critical Technologies, Brendan Dowling, brought together diverse perspectives from Director-General Tupou Baravilala, Deputy Commissioner Kuan Seah of the Singapore Cybersecurity Agency and Steven Matainaho, Permanent Secretary of PNG's Department of ICT. The panellists underscored the frequent lack of secure digital infrastructure, basic cybersecurity practices, and the persistent challenge of brain drain hindering the development of local cybersecurity expertise.
This leaves governments, individuals, and businesses in these regions acutely vulnerable to cyber threats, resulting in significant financial losses, disruption of essential services, and social instability. The panel called for the commercial cybersecurity market to develop solutions tailored to the unique constraints of developing nations, including limited ICT budgets, lower levels of cyber literacy, workforce shortages, cultural and linguistic diversity, and geographic remoteness.
Director-General Tupou Baravilala articulated Fiji’s ICT and telecommunications landscape, emphasising the nation's proactive efforts to bridge the digital divide through a comprehensive, whole-of-nation approach. She highlighted key initiatives such as the recently launched National Digital Strategy, the completed Cybersecurity Maturity Model Assessment for States, the ongoing development of a robust National Cybersecurity Strategy and operationalising the National CERT coupled with regional and global efforts.
"Fiji is committed to harnessing the power of digital technologies for the benefit of all our citizens," stated Director General Baravilala.
"However, we recognise that true digital transformation cannot be achieved without a strong foundation of cybersecurity. There needs to be a shift to cybersecurity embedded- technologies as a default and not as an add-on service, climate-resilient ICT technologies, building the technical capacities of our people and inculcating the culture of cybersecurity amongst our people.
Our participation at RSAC 2025 alongside our Pacific neighbours underscores the urgent need for strategic partnerships and tailored solutions to address the unique cybersecurity challenges we face. We must work collectively to realise the Sustainable Development Goals and build an accessible, secure and resilient digital ecosystem," stated Director-General Baravilala.
Along the margins of RSAC, the Pacific delegation engaged with other governments, leading technology companies and cybersecurity experts, advocating for the needs of the Pacific region in the global digital landscape.