Y.A.B. DATO’ SRI NAJIB BIN TUN HAJI ABDUL RAZAK,
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA
HIS EXCELLENCY DR. HAMADOUN TOURÉ
SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION (I.T.U.)
CABINET MINISTERS DAN DEPUTY MINISTERS
ENCIK MOHD NOOR AMIN
CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF IMPACT
MEMBERS OF THE IMPACT MANAGEMENT BOARD
EXCELLENCIES
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
1. IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU TODAY TO WITNESS AND CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF THE GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL MULTILATERAL PARTNERSHIP AGAINST CYBER-THREATS, BETTER KNOWN AS IMPACT.
2. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ESPECIALLY WELCOME HIS EXCELLENCY DR HAMADOUN TOURE, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION (I.T.U.) AND MEMBER OF IMPACT’S INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD. I UNDERSTAND HIS EXCELLENCY HAS FLOWN IN FROM GENEVA ESPECIALLY FOR THIS EVENT AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK HIM AND THE I.T.U. FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT.
3. CYBER-SECURITY IS, AND MUST NECESSARILY BE, AN AREA OF CONCERN FOR US ALL. WE NOW LIVE IN A HIGHLY CONNECTED DIGITAL WORLD WHERE EVERY ASPECT OF OUR DAILY LIVES, FROM COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLIC UTILITIES, FINANCIAL NETWORKS AND NATIONAL DEFENCE, ARE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (I.C.T.) TO FUNCTION.
4. WHILE WE RECOGNISE AND WELCOME I.C.T.’S INFLUENCE IN ENABLING AND EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES, THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE WORLD IS NOW CONNECTED POSES UNPRECEDENTED VULNERABILITIES. JUST AS THERE ARE MALICIOUS INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS BENT ON CAUSING HARM TO COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS IN THE REAL WORLD, GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD MUST ALSO PREPARE TO DEAL WITH SIMILAR THREATS IN CYBER-SPACE.
5. OFFENCES COMMITTED IN CYBER-SPACE THROUGH NETWORKS OF INTERCONNECTED COMPUTERS, WILL CAUSE SEVERE REAL LIFE CONSEQUENCES. TODAY, A NEW GENERATION OF CRIMINALS CAN CAUSE SEVERE ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL DAMAGE ON A LARGE SCALE. FOR INSTANCE, A CYBER DISRUPTION THAT CAUSES A NATION-WIDE BLACKOUT OR THE COLLAPSE OF FINANCIAL TRADING SYSTEMS CAN UNDERMINE EVEN THE STRONGEST ECONOMIES.
6. SINCE THE INTERNET KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES, NO COUNTRY ACTING ALONE CAN ADEQUATELY PROTECT ITSELF FROM CYBER-THREATS. EFFECTIVELY OVERCOMING THIS GLOBAL THREAT REQUIRES COLLABORATION, DETERMINATION AND THE STRENGTH OF UNITY BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS AT RISK, BE IT IN THE PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SECTOR. IMPACT IS THE DIRECT RESULT OF THIS NEED FOR A DIVERSE RANGE OF STAKEHOLDERS TO COME TOGETHER TO TAKE ON THIS CHALLENGE.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
7. MALAYSIA IS PROUD TO BE THE HOME OF IMPACT, THE FIRST AND ONLY GLOBAL MULTI-STAKEHOLDER ALLIANCE OF GOVERNMENTS, INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA DEDICATED TOWARDS PROTECTING, PROMOTING AND PRESERVING A SAFE AND SECURE CYBERSPACE FOR ALL.
8. INDEED, WHEN I FIRST ANNOUNCED MALAYSIA’S INTENTION TO ESTABLISH IMPACT AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE 2006 ‘WORLD CONGRESS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (W.C.I.T.) IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, WE HAD ALREADY ENVISIONED IMPACT AS A PARTNERSHIP — NOT ONLY BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD, BUT ALSO BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL AS ACADEMIA. FROM ITS INCEPTION, IMPACT WAS MEANT TO BE A PLATFORM FOR ALL PARTNERS TO SHARE INFORMATION, EXPERIENCE AND BEST PRACTICES ON CYBER-SECURITY POLICIES, LEADING THE WAY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ALL FORMS OF CYBER-THREATS.
9. I AM PLEASED TO SAY THAT THREE YEARS ON, OUR VISION HAS BEEN ADOPTED BY MANY GOVERNMENTS, INDUSTRY GROUPS AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE WORLD. THE SUPPORT THAT IMPACT HAS RECEIVED HAS INDEED BEEN OVERWHELMING. I VIEW THIS AS AN AFFIRMATION OF THE NEED FOR SUCH AN ORGANISATION DEDICATED TOWARDS COMBATING CYBER-THREATS AT A GLOBAL LEVEL, AS WELL AS SUPPORT FOR MALAYSIA’S VISION IN HELPING TO FILL SUCH A VOID.
10. AS YOU MAY RECALL, IMPACT WAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED HERE IN KUALA LUMPUR IN MAY 2008. AT THAT POINT, IMPACT HAD ALREADY ACQUIRED 27 MEMBER COUNTRIES AND THE SUPPORT OF SOME OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST AND MOST RESPECTED CYBER-SECURITY COMPANIES. INDUSTRY GIANTS SUCH AS “F-SECURE”, “SYMANTEC” “KASPERSKY LABS”, “SANS INSTITUTE” AND “EPOK INC”, CAN NOW BE COUNTED AMONG IMPACT’S MANY GLOBAL INDUSTRY PARTNERS.
11. TODAY, IMPACT IS ALSO EXTREMELY PROUD TO HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE I.T.U., ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ORGANS OF THE UNITED NATIONS. COOPERATION BETWEEN IMPACT AND THE I.T.U. WAS FORMALLY ESTABLISHED LAST YEAR THROUGH AN AGREEMENT WHEREBY IMPACT WAS NAMED AS ONE OF THE PHYSICAL HOMES OF THE I.T.U.’S “GLOBAL CYBERSECURITY AGENDA” (G.C.A.), A FRAMEWORK OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AIMED AT ENHANCING CONFIDENCE AND SECURITY IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY.
12. WE VIEW THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE I.T.U. AS AN CRITICAL COMPONENT IN ENABLING IMPACT TO FULFIL ITS OBJECTIVES AND MISSION AS IT ALLOWS IMPACT TO ASSIST AND SUPPORT THE I.T.U.’S 191 MEMBER COUNTRIES, AND THUS BECOME A TRULY GLOBAL MULTI-LATERAL ORGANISATION. I WOULD ONCE AGAIN LIKE TO THANK HIS EXCELLENCY DR. HAMADOUN TOURE AND THE I.T.U. FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND WILLINGNESS TO EXPLORE THIS COLLABORATION WITH IMPACT.
13. MR. SECRETARY-GENERAL, ON BEHALF OF IMPACT I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME THE G.C.A. TO ITS NEW HOME. BE ASSURED THAT IMPACT IS READY AND FULLY COMMITTED TO BE A KEY PARTNER IN ITS SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION.
14. ON THAT NOTE, I AM ALSO PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF MALAYSIA HAS AGREED TO FORMALLY RECOGNISE IMPACT AS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION AND BE ACCORDED THE ASSOCIATED BENEFITS AND PRIVILEGES. FURTHERMORE, IN HONOUR OF THIS PARTNERSHIP, THE LOCAL AUTHORITY HAS RENAMED THE ROAD LEADING TO THE IMPACT GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS AS “JALAN IMPACT” OR IMPACT WAY. IT IS OUR HOPE THAT SUCH A RECOGNITION WILL HELP IMPACT NOT ONLY TO GROW, BUT TO FLOURISH, SO THAT OUR VISION FOR IMPACT — TO HELP CREATE A MORE SECURE CYBER-SPACE — WILL COME TO FULL FRUITION.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
15. TODAY, IMPACT HAS ACHIEVED ANOTHER MILESTONE – THE LAUNCH OF IMPACT’S GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS IN CYBERJAYA. THIS PURPOSE-BUILT FACILITY, ERECTED WITH THE AID OF A 43 MILLION RINGGIT START-UP GRANT BY THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT, WILL BE THE HUB FOR IMPACT’S INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES. IT WILL ALSO HOUSE IMPACT’S GLOBAL RESPONSE CENTRE, TRAINING LABS, SECURITY ASSURANCE & RESEARCH CENTRE AS WELL AS ITS CENTRE FOR POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION.
16. I AM ENCOURAGED TO LEARN THAT IMPACT’S STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES AS WELL AS THE INTELLIGENCE IT GATHERS ON CYBER-THEATS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL IMPACT MEMBERS, ALLOWING FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE UPDATES AND INSTANT COORDINATION BETWEEN ALL MEMBERS AND PARTNERS IN THE EVENT OF A CYBER-THREAT. I BELIEVE THIS IS CRITICAL SO THAT IMPACT MAY LIVE UP TO ITS MISSION AND DELIVER REAL VALUE TO ITS MEMBERS AND TO SOCIETY AT LARGE.
17. MALAYSIA IS BOTH PROUD AND EXCITED THAT IMPACT HAS CHOSEN TO LOCATE ITS GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS IN CYBERJAYA. INDEED, AS THE HOME OF MALAYSIA’S MULTIMEDIA SUPER CORRIDOR (M.S.C.), CYBERJAYA HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED AS HAVING SOME OF THE BEST INFRASTRUCTURE AND INFOSTRUCTURE FOR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD AND IS FAST BECOMING A HUB FOR MALAYSIA’S TECHNOLOGY EXCELLENCE., . MALAYSIA WAS ALSO A PIONEER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CYBERLAWS AND THE GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT TO DEVELOP A KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY IS WELL DOCUMENTED.
18. IN THE AREA OF CYBER- SECURITY, MALAYSIA IS FAST BECOMING AN EMERGING force AND MOST OF MALAYSIA’S TOP TALENT IN THIS FIELD IS LOCATED IN CYBERJAYA. I AM THEREFORE CONFIDENT THAT IMPACT WILL BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE ON CYBERJAYA’S VARIOUS ADVANTAGES TO ITS BENEFIT. WE IN MALAYSIA ARE EQUALLY THRILLED THAT, THROUGH IMPACT, THE FOCUS OF THE CYBER SECURITY WORLD WILL NOW BE ON CYBERJAYA AND MALAYSIA, PAVING THE WAY FOR MALAYSIA TO BECOME A WORLD-LEADER IN THIS DOMAIN.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
19. ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY WHAT AN HONOUR AND PLEASURE IT HAS BEEN TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF IMPACT’S PIONEERING TEAM, IN PARTICULAR AS THE CHAIRMAN OF IMPACT’S INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD (I.A.B.). I ESPECIALLY ENJOYED CHAIRING LAST YEAR’S INAUGURAL I.A.B. MEETING WHERE THE FUTURE DIRECTION AND STRATEGIES FOR IMPACT WERE DISCUSSED.
20. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMPACT, FROM INCEPTION TO REALITY. MY CONGRATULATIONS ALSO TO IMPACT’S MANAGEMENT BOARD ON THE REALISATION OF IMPACT’S STATE-OF-THE-ART GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS. NOW THAT IMPACT IS FULLY-EQUIPPED AND FULLY-OPERATIONAL, I EXPECT IMPACT TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.
21. INDEED, I WOULD REMIND YOU THAT IMPACT — AS THE ONLY MULTI-STAKEHOLDER CYBER-SECURITY ORGANISATION IN THE WORLD — IS UNDERTAKING A ROLE WHICH HAS NEVER QUITE BEEN DONE BEFORE. IT IS MY FERVENT HOPE THAT EACH AND EVERYONE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPACT WILL HELP TO GUIDE AND SHAPE IT INTO AN ENTITY THAT IS RELEVENT TO THE NEEDS OF ITS MEMBERS AND FULLY-EQUIPPED TO RECOMMEND APPROPRIATE CYBER-SECURITY POLICIES AND RESPONSES TO CYBER-THREATS. I AM CONFIDENT THAT WITH EVERYONE’S SUPPORT AND EXPERTISE, OUR SHARED VISION OF A SAFER, MORE SECURE CYBER-SPACE WILL BE ACHIEVED, GOD-WILLING.
22. ON THAT NOTE, IT IS NOW MY GREAT PLEASURE TO DECLARE THE IMPACT GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS OFFICIALLY OPEN.
THANK YOU.
