Mainstreaming Cybersecurity in International Development: How Do We Need to Adapt?

Cyberspace and the digital economy are rapidly shifting around the world, both in engineering and in terms of policies. Many countries are rushing to adopt or implement new cyber strategies and laws to address the increasingly complex threat landscape, as well as greater demands from citizens for privacy protections. These changes are quickly creating new requirements for businesses, NGOs, and government agencies. Many experts have issued new calls to action for the international development community to mainstream cybersecurity, by incorporating it into their normal operations and joining forces with the cybersecurity capacity-building community.

CIPE’s Tim Ridout and Morgan Frost will lead a roundtable discussion about new challenges and how organizations need to adapt. Featured speakers include New America’s Senior Policy Analyst Robert Morgus, who will give a strategic overview and share his recently published recommendations. Capacity-building will be the focus of remarks by Belisario Contreras, Cyber Security Program Manager at the Organization of American States’ Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism. The group will also address the difficult balancing act that comes with enhancing security and privacy, including potential impact on business models and human rights.

Attendees are encouraged to read Morgus’ article, think about how it applies to their work, and come with questions and ideas on how to address growing cybersecurity issues. This discussion will be held under Chatham House Rule in order to facilitate dialogue. Lunch will be provided.

Panelists:

• Robert Morgus, Sr. Policy Analyst, Cybersecurity Initiative and Deputy Director, FIU-New America C2B Partnership
• Gonzalo Garcia-Belenguer, Cyber Security Program Manager at the Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE), Organization of American States (OAS)
• Tim Ridout, CIPE Program Officer, Latin America & the Caribbean
• Morgan Frost, CIPE Assistant Program Officer, Global Programs

Speaker Bios:

• Robert Morgus is a senior policy analyst with New America’s Cybersecurity Initiative and International Security program and the deputy director of the FIU-New America C2B Partnership. His current research focuses on mechanisms to counter the spread of offensive cyber capability, cybersecurity and international governance, and Russian internet doctrine. In the past, he has authored reports on international cybersecurity norms, internet governance, cybersecurity insurance, amongst others. Morgus has spoken about cybersecurity at a number of international forums including NATO’s CyCon, the Global Conference on Cyberspace at The Hague, and Cy Fy 2015 in New Delhi, India.
• Gonzalo Garcia-Belenguer
• Tim Ridout is a Program Officer for Latin America & the Caribbean at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), focusing on projects in South American countries. Prior to joining CIPE, he was a fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States where he concentrated on cyber strategy and Internet governance, in addition to political and economic issues in Brazil. He has worked at Institutional Shareholder Services as a corporate governance analyst and at the Brazil-U.S. Business Council at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He spent his early career working at law firms focused on litigation, health care, and corporate strategy. He received his master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 2011, with concentrations in international security studies and U.S. foreign policy. While at Fletcher, Ridout was managing editor of The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs and currently sits on the advisory board.
• Morgan Frost is the Assistant Program Officer of Global Programs at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Washington, D.C., where she focuses on cross-regional projects involving digital economy and development, internet freedom, and women’s economic empowerment. Prior to joining CIPE, she was a Program Assistant at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) focusing on internet freedom, technology in international development, and preventing violence against women in elections. She holds a Master’s degree from The Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and a Bachelor’s from Michigan State University.