UAE among the first countries to address cybercrime: Saqr Ghobash

VIENNA, 8th September, 2021 – Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), participated as a keynote speaker on the second day of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Vienna.
In his speech during the fourth panel discussion held today as part of a series of panel discussions, which was attended by over 100 parliamentary speakers, under the theme, “Parliamentary Openness and Transparency and Accessibility versus Security: How to Achieve the Balance,” Ghobash said the UAE was among the first countries in the Middle East to draft a law combatting cybercrime in 2006, noting that several amendments have been made, in light of the rapid international developments in information technology systems.
The UAE was also keen to ensure the amendments would not violate constitutional and legal principles guaranteeing rights and freedoms, he added, noting a related International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report ranked the UAE fifth globally in terms of cybersecurity in 2020.
“I would like to thank the organisers of this important panel discussion for inviting me to be a keynote speaker, to discuss one of the most important and influential issues affecting the work of parliaments, which is related to achieving a balance between parliamentary information transparency, openness to citizens and dealing with the security risks, whether in terms of the tangible security of parliamentary buildings or departments or cybercrime,” he said in conclusion.
Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Head of the FNC’s Parliamentary Division at the IPU and Member of the IPU’s Executive Committee, Sarah Falkinaz, Member of the Division at the IPU and Head of the Parliamentary Friendship Committee with European Parliaments, Mariam bin Thaniya, Head of the Parliamentary Division at the Mediterranean Parliamentary Association, and Afraa Rashid Al Busti, Assistant Secretary-General for Parliamentary Communication.