The international workshop on “Cybersecurity and New Technologies” held at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan brought attention to the fact that traditional law enforcement methods are not effective in combating cybercrime, as offenders do not need to be physically present at the crime scene or communicate with the victim. Over forty experts from multiple countries, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and representatives of the UN, OSCE, European Union, and INTERPOL attended the event to evaluate the dangers of cyber-terrorism.
The workshop was organized by the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) in collaboration with INTERPOL as part of their joint project CT TECH. Colonel Rustam Khatamov, head of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, pointed out that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is a major threat to global stability, and therefore, preventing it is a top priority for law enforcement agencies. According to statistics, global losses from cybercrime in 2021 totaled $8.5 trillion.
In October 2020, the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed an action plan, which included the organization of this workshop. Here, the attendees discussed the prospects of creating a virtual network to counter cyber-terrorism in Central Asia and familiarized themselves with successful practices of creating national counter-terrorism response measures. Moreover, they presented effective ways to combat the use of new technologies by terrorists.
The EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Ms. Charlotte Adriaen, noted that technology and computers can be used for good, but terrorists can also use them. Consequently, it is essential to exchange experience and adopt the best practical skills to combat criminal activity on the Internet. The workshop will last until September 26, 2023.