REMARKS BY DEPUTY PM HON. MANOA KAMIKAMICA AT THE RECEPTION FOR THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE AUSTRALIA-FIJI MOU ON CYBER SECURITY COOPERATION

Honourable Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad Fellow Ministers and Assistant Ministers
Australia’s High Commissioner to Fiji His Excellency Peter Roberts Ambassador for CyberAffairs and Critical Technology Mr. Brendan Dowling Deputy National Cyber Security Coordinator Mr. Tony Chapman
First Assistant Secretary Critical Infrastructure Partnerships and Programs Ms. Sally Pfieffer
Members of the Diplomatic Corp Invited Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Bula vinaka and warm greetings to everyone gathered here today.

Thank you to the Australian High Commissioner for hosting us to mark the one-year anniversary of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cyber Security Cooperation. And vinaka vakalevu to Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology for visiting Fiji to commemorate this occasion.

It is fantastic to be gathered to celebrate our cybersecurity partnership and achievements. As Vuvale partners, we share a strong and deep relationship with economic, security and people-to-people links. One of the core pillars of our partnership is enhancing our securitycooperation to meet common challenges and maintain a peaceful, prosperous and resilient region.
 
Fiji’s Cybersecurity Challenge
Ladies and Gentlemen
Fiji’s economic growth, development, national security and community depend on cyber-safe, secure and resilient digital infrastructure. Technology has made connecting people easier than ever before and opens new opportunities to access the digital economy and trade.

For example, we are progressing our rollout of ultra-fast 5G connectivity; we have partnered with Starlink to enable connectivity for remote and maritime islands; and, Google has brought multiple subsea cables to Fiji and is constructing a data centre and state-of-the-art ICT facility in Natadola.

Our growing reliance on connectivity and digital infrastructure networks for government services, telecommunications, commerce, healthcare, electricity, and transport means cybersecurity has never been more important for Fiji, our economy and citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
As the Minister that oversees cyber matters, I have a bird’s eye view of how the cyber ecosystem works together from:
Ensuring an enabling telecommunications and ICT environment;
Providing equitable access to connectivity;
Putting in place digital public infrastructure to drive digital transformation efforts; and
Creating a cyber-resilient environment to combat cybercrime and attacks.

I also know that reaching these goals requires strong partners. I appreciate that Australia shares Fiji’s vision for a cyber-safe, secure and resilient region that leads to economic development and peace.
 
Implementation of the MOU on Cyber Security Cooperation
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A highlight of our Vuvale partnership is our cooperation on cybersecurity. Since the signing of the MOU on Cyber Security Cooperation with Australia, our relationship has soared to new heights.

I last saw Ambassador Dowling at the Pacific Cyber Capacity Building and Coordination Conference in 2023. At that meeting I emphasized that Australia and others should not take a “one size fits all” approach to cyber capacity-building. And I also said support should be designed and developed in line with Pacific priorities. Australia and Fiji have designed a comprehensive workplan for the MOU that details what we are currently doing and opportunities for further collaboration.

On cybersecurity strategy and policy, we will release our National Cybersecurity Strategy that sets out Fiji’s vision for a cyber-safe, secure and resilient nation. It will detail our policies that will enable our nation to navigate cybersecurity in the digital age, now and into the future.

Fiji has been fortunate to learn from Australia about its experiences implementing its own 2023 Strategy. I thank Ambassador Dowling for embedding a member of your team into the Ministry of Communications to support us.

Fiji and Australia are partnering to establish our national cybersecurity incident response capability, the Fiji Computer Emergency Response Team. This function will be Fiji’s “digital first responders” in the case of nationally significant incidents – like the Australian Cyber Security Centre, Fiji’s critical sectors will be able to get help quickly when they experience a cyber-attack from Fiji CERT.
 
International Cooperation
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Fiji and Australia are strong champions of regional and international cooperation on cybersecurity. Australia and Fiji have contributed to the development of the Lagatoi Declaration Action Plan, to be endorsed at the next Pacific ICT Ministers Meeting and the PIF Leaders Meeting.

At the global level, we have partnered at the UN Open Ended Working Group (UN OEWG) on the security of and in the use of ICTs to shape international rules and norms on peace and security in cyberspace. Australia and Fiji developed a PIF statement delivered to the UN OEWG last year. This demonstrated regional solidarity that international law applies in the digital as well as the physical world. Fiji has now acceded to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, and we hope that we can partner with Australia to prevent and combat the scourge of cybercrime.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
These are just some of our many achievements under the MOU on Cyber Security Cooperation. In today’s interconnected world, cybersecurity must be a collective responsibility. Our partnership is enabling Fiji to harness opportunities provided by digital transformation and connectivity. I have no doubt we will continue the positive trajectory of our cybersecurity partnership.

I extend my thanks to all gathered here today that are helping turn our commitments into a reality.
 
Vinaka vakalevu.