UK Government Joins Global Initiative for Cyber Resilience

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 25 January 2013 – William J. Hague, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, today signed the World Economic Forum’s Partnering for Cyber Resilience initiative. In signing the initiative, the United Kingdom joins over 70 companies and government bodies across 15 sectors and 25 countries in committing to a set of principles designed to ensure secure and resilient digital global networks.

Partnering for Cyber Resilience aims to raise awareness and understanding of cyber issues among leaders across all industries and policy domains, and to encourage organizations to practice good “cyber hygiene” – simple steps which can immediately reduce the risks to their organizations and customers.

The importance of cyber resilience is growing, as governments in both developed and emerging economies look to innovation in the digital economy as a means of delivering much needed growth. The initiative creates an environment for companies and governments to come together in a safe, trusted and neutral space to tackle issues of common concern, such as protecting national infrastructure or individuals’ personal information across shared networks or physical borders.

On signing the Cyber Resilience Principles, Hague said: “We hope that signing the World Economic Forum Principles on Cyber Resilience will encourage business leaders all over the world to lead the way in creating shared principles for a resilient and thriving Internet. The Internet has a critical role to play as an engine and facilitator of economic growth. Cyberspace must be secure and reliable so that it is trusted as a medium for doing business but at the same time free and open to evolve and innovate naturally. Governments should support the key role of the private sector in creating a trusted and open place to do business both at home and abroad. The WEF principles will help us all – individuals, companies and governments – in our shared aim to promote a safe and secure digital environment to do business.”

Alan Marcus, Senior Director for Information and Communication Technology Industries, World Economic Forum, welcomed the move: “The UK government has been a leading voice in the cyber debate in recent years. It recognizes that Cyber resilience is a shared challenge for all parts of society. In 2013, we will work with the UK and our other signatories to continue to drive leadership awareness and understanding, and support multistakeholder collaboration across the globe.”

The 43rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is taking place from 23 to 27 January under the theme Resilient Dynamism. More than 2,500 participants from over 100 countries are taking part in the Meeting. Participants include nearly 50 heads of state or government and more than 1,500 business leaders from the Forum’s 1,000 Member companies, as well as Social Entrepreneurs, Global Shapers, Young Global Leaders and representatives from civil society, media, academia and the arts.

The co-chairs of Annual Meeting 2013 are: Frederico Curado, President and Chief Executive Officer, EMBRAER, Brazil; Muhtar A. Kent, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company, USA; Huguette Labelle, Chair, Transparency International, Germany; Global Agenda Council on Responsible Mineral Resources Management; Andrew N. Liveris, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Dow Chemical Company, USA; Atsutoshi Nishida, Chairman of the Board, Toshiba Corporation, Japan; and Axel A. Weber, Chairman of the Board of Directors, UBS, Switzerland.