COMMONWEALTH CYBER ASSOCIATION

 

COMMONWEALTH CYBER ORGANISATION

  • Introduction

It is proposed to set up the Commonwealth Cyber Association. The Commonwealth Cyber Association would aim to collate the relevant stakeholders in the cyber ecosystem of the Commonwealth nations so that these stakeholders can exchange knowledge, best practices and thought processes to benefit the growth of cyber ecosystem in the Commonwealth as a whole.

The Commonwealth represents one-third population of the world. More than 50 nations of the world are already a part of the Commonwealth. There is a huge disparity amongst nations under the Commonwealth umbrella and hence there is a need for coming up with a collaborative knowledge sharing organisation which can help and facilitate in the sharing of best practices, experiences and perspectives on cyberspace, internet, world wide web and emerging technologies as also cybercrimes, cybersecurity, Cyberlaw and other issues impacting cyberspace at large.

The said association is being proposed on the lines and attribution of various other Commonwealth based associations – https://thecommonwealth.org/organisations

All the aforesaid associations are contributing towards addressing the needs of the relevant and specific sectors. Since cyberspace has become so important and crucial and given the fact that there is no holistic organisation based on information and practices sharing concerning cyberspace in the Commonwealth, it is proposed that the Commonwealth Cyber Association must be setup in lieu of the aforesaid organizations dealing with many relevant and specific sectors in the Commonwealth.

 

  • Objectives

The objectives of the Commonwealth Cyber Association shall be as under:-

  1. To facilitate sharing of information, knowledge and perspectives concerning cyberspace, internet, world wide web and emerging technologies amongst various stakeholders in the Commonwealth countries;
  2. To help in sharing knowledge and best practices on the legal, policy and regulatory issues of cyberspace, internet, world wide web and emerging technologies;
  3. To provide a platform for exchange of information and dissemination of knowledge on different aspects pertaining to cybercrimes, cybersecurity and the cyber ecosystem as a whole which are impacting the domestic laws of different Commonwealth countries;
  4. To provide the cyberecosystem stakeholders of the Commonwealth countries with an ability/opportunity to leap-frog in their knowledge by learning from the experiences of other stakeholders in the Commonwealth group and thereafter adopting the same in their own national approaches
  5. To provide a platform for detection, analysis, discussion about emerging trends in cyberspace and how the said trends can benefit Commonwealth stakeholders as a whole;
  6. To provide appropriate collation of knowledge and inputs on how cyberspace is constantly evolving and how the advent of newly emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) and Quantum Computing is impacting cyber stakeholders generally and cyber stakeholders in the Commonwealth ecosystem in particular;
  7. To also look at other emerging technological developments and associated best practices and how they impact the Commonwealth cyber ecosystem as a whole;
  8. To take appropriate steps in enhancing capacity building and knowledge enhancement amongst cyber ecosystem in the Commonwealth;
  9. To help contribute in the evolving thought leadership of the Commonwealth on cyber issues.

 

  • Secretariat

The Secretariat of the Commonwealth Cyber Association is based in Delhi at S-307, Lower Ground Floor, Greater Kailash-1, New Delhi and is headed by its Secretary General Dr. Pavan Duggal.

The Commonwealth Cyber Association will also have an Advisory Board which will consist of important stakeholders in the cyber ecosystem in the Commonwealth so that their thought processes and perspectives can be used to enhance the necessity of the organisation and its relevance for the Commonwealth countries at large.

The secretarial services for the Commonwealth Cyber Association is provided by Pavan Duggal Associates, Advocates, being India’s niche technology law firm working on the intersection of law and technology.

 

  • Proposed Activities

The proposed activities of the Commonwealth Cyber Association are as under:-

  • To facilitate discussions amongst various stakeholders in the Commonwealth ecosystem on various issues impacting cyberspace, internet, world wide web and other emerging technologies;
  • To organise workshops, conferences, discussions and author white-papers on emerging issues impacting cyber issues of the Commonwealth;
  • To provide a platform for dissemination of opinions, perspectives and views on different issues of cyberspace for the Commonwealth cyber ecosystem stakeholders;
  • To sensitize the Commonwealth Secretariat about emerging trends in cyberspace and how they are likely to impact the Commonwealth;
  • To provide strategic and visionary policy, legal and regulatory inputs to the Commonwealth ecosystem stakeholders on emerging aspects concerning cyberspace, internet, world wide web and emerging technologies;
  • To provide inputs to the Commonwealth Secretariat on emerging issues pertaining to cyberspace, internet, world wide web and emerging technologies;
  • To provide perspectives on emerging cyberspace trends to the Commonwealth cyber stakeholders so as to enable them to be better prepared in dealing with emerging issues and aspects;
  • To contribute in the vision and thought leadership of the Commonwealth on cyber issues and to contribute in making the Commonwealth a substantial force so that better work on cyber aspects and nuances of the world can be carried out by the Commonwealth countries;
  • To help in creating bridges of networks amongst the Commonwealth ecosystem stakeholders on issues pertaining to the internet, world wide web, cyberspace and emerging technologies and any other cyberlegal issue not specifically listed;
  • To interact with and work with other international organisations on cyber-legal issues, learn from their experiences and help in sharing those experiences and bringing them to the attention of the cyberspace ecosystem stakeholders located in the Commonwealth.