Islamabad: A five-day Cyber Capacity Building and Policy Training Programme was inaugurated in Islamabad today. Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Amna Baloch, inaugurated the programme, which is coordinated by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The programme aims to strengthen national capacities to address evolving cyber threats and the challenges of governance in cyberspace.

According to Radio Pakistan, Ambassador Amna Baloch highlighted the growing importance of cyber security for national resilience, international peace and stability, and sustainable development. She underscored Pakistan's active engagement in multilateral processes on information and communications technology security, particularly in the context of the United Nations framework on responsible State behaviour in cyberspace, including international law, voluntary norms, confidence-building measures, and capacity-building initiatives. Ambassador Baloch emphasized that inclusive international cooperation remains essential to addressing shared cyber challenges.

Other speakers at the opening session included the Director of UNIDIR Robin Geiss, the High Commissioner of Canada to Pakistan Ambassador Tarik Ali Khan, and the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan Mohamed Yahya. They emphasized the importance of international cooperation and capacity-building in the cyber domain and highlighted the value of policy-oriented training and practical exercises in enhancing States' ability to respond to cyber threats, including those targeting critical infrastructure.

The programme brings together policymakers, technical experts, and academics from relevant national institutions and features expert-led sessions, scenario-based discussions, and table-top exercises covering cyber threats, emerging technologies, cybercrime, incident response, and international cooperation frameworks.