UAE – Mubasher: The UAE was placed in the fifth position on the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020, issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN specialised agency for information and communication technologies, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The index has assessed the commitment of 193 countries to cybersecurity, based on five categories comprising legal, technical, organizational measures, capacity building, and cooperation.

The UAE has advanced 33 places in 2020, compared to the previous ranking.

The Head of Cybersecurity at the UAE Government, Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, referred that the UAE’s leading position in the index is supported by the UAE's digitisation strategies and policies and the smart operational ecosystem across all sectors.

Meanwhile, the UAE has a track record in cybersecurity, including the establishment of the UAE Cybersecurity Council, Electronic Federal Network (FEDNet), and the UAE Smart Cloud and the launch of several e-safety initiatives, digital citizenship certificates, and cybersecurity strategies.