Excellencies, Ministers,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to chair this last session of the first day of the High Level Segment.

From its origins as a dedicated defence research network, the Internet has transformed modern lifestyles with its promise of open, real-time communications and limitless information.

We have come to rely on the smooth and secure operation of networks in our online activities at work, at home and as consumers.

And yet, at the same time, the rapid growth of ICT networks has also opened up new opportunities for criminals to exploit online vulnerabilities and attack countries' critical infrastructure.

Confidence and security in using ICTs are vital for building an inclusive, secure and global Information Society. But increasingly sophisticated, well organized cybercriminals are seriously undermining the future growth and potential of the online environment.

Cybercrime is a persistent international evil that transcends national boundaries in a manner that renders this form of organized crime a global concern.

Spam and malware have evolved to perpetrate online financial fraud, identity or trade-secret theft, among other risks. Taking into account newer threats to critical infrastructure in the financial, health, energy, transportation, telecommunication, defence and other sectors, the impact of cyberthreats is becoming ever greater.

As the risks constantly evolve in line with technologies, cybercriminals are already exploiting vulnerabilities and loopholes in national and regional legislation. With the spread of criminal and organized networks over different countries, criminals can launch cyberattacks, often using a decentralized model, which make it difficult for any single national or regional legal framework to deal adequately with this problem.

ITU is working hard to address the emerging challenges associated with the information society. For example, ITU's standardization work directly addresses security vulnerabilities in networks and transmission capabilities.
Pioneering work in public key encryption technology underpins the identity authentication systems essential to the online exchange of privileged data. By specifying standard formats for public key certificates, along with a robust certification path validation algorithm, Recommendation ITU-T X.509 has become the default industry benchmark for PKI certificates. Building on this, in 2007 ITU-T's Focus Group on Identity Management launched a Global Standards Initiative designed to develop a global IdM framework assuring global interoperability.

Cybercrime is global. Countries cannot easily close their borders to incoming cyberthreats. Time and geography, as well as the location of victims, are no longer barriers to where and when these attacks are launched. Legal and technical measures at an international level are necessary to address these global threats.

Let me now start by introducing the four distinguished speakers of this session:

1. H.E. Mr. David A. Gross, Ambassador, Department of State, United States of America

2. H.E. Mr. Muhammad Nuh, Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Republic of Indonesia

3. H.E. Mr. Samuel Lesuron Poghisio, MP, Minister of Information and Communications, Republic of Kenya

4. Dr. Marianne Treschow, Director General, Swedish Post and Telecom Agency, Sweden