Acting Permanent Secretary for Communications, Tupou'tuah Baravilala, participated in two sessions of the 15th Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Policy and Regulatory Forum in Port Vila, Vanuatu which is being attended by over 100 participants from governments, regulators, technical experts, and the private sector.
Ms Baravilala shared Fiji’s efforts in continuing to realise our vision under the Fijian National Development Plan in ‘Transforming Fiji’ towards an even more progressive, vibrant, and inclusive society.
“Meaningful connectivity continues to remain a priority for the Ministry. The world is now in a different place where digital technology has permeated every aspect of our lives, and there are emerging and evolving threats which are transboundary in nature,” said Ms Baravilala.
Ms Baravilala stressed that to make the most of our digitalisation efforts and to ensure that we continue to harness digital technologies in a more sustainable way, we need to be mindful that we cannot talk about connectivity without talking about cybersecurity and cyber hygiene practices.
“With these significant investments in ICTs, it has become even more critical to protect our digital infrastructure from the threat of cybercrime. Digital technologies are evolving as we speak, bringing new challenges, which is why collective effort will require even closer multi-stakeholder collaboration, said Ms Baravilala.
She also shared about Fiji’s digital transformation efforts and how we have utilised digital technology to navigate the COVID-19 health crisis and to future proof our efforts.
The Fijian delegation comprised Tupoutuah Baravilala, the Acting Permanent Secretary for Communications, Mr Vijendra Singh – Acting Chairperson, Telecommunications Authority of Fiji, Mr Vivek Anand, Principal Engineer – Department of Communications, Mr Tevita Navila – Manager Technical, Telecommunications Authority of Fiji and Ms Tajeshwari Devi, Senior Executive - Online Safety Commission.