Interior Minister patronises Information Security Forum

Manama, Apr. 24 (BNA): Under the patronage of His Excellency Interior Minister, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Second Information Security Forum of the "Cyber Trust programme (Thiqaa)", kicked off today. Organised by the Information and eGovernment Authority, the event was held at the Public Security Officers Club. President of the Court of Cassation and Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, Minister of Education, Minister of Transportation and Communication, Interior Ministry Undersecretary, President of Customs and senior government officials and experts attended. HE the Interior Minister asserted that the protection of information security is a major challenge that should be seriously tackled, especially with the e-security threats. He highlighted the importance to work on the exchange of expertise and successful experiences in cyber-security and to adopt modern methods in fighting digital crimes. The minister said that the continuation of holding this forum and its programmes and workshops would reinforce cooperation and coordination between concerned organisations. He highlighted the need for ongoing specialised training to safeguard communication and information technology systems. He expressed thanks and appreciation to the Information and eGovernment Authority and Thiqaa team, wishing the best to all. The President of the Information and eGovernment Authority, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed expressed thanks and appreciation to HE the Interior Minister for patronising and attending the forum as part of his significant support to all the authority’s projects and initiatives to enhance information technology in the public sector and the security protection of the government systems. He said that the second edition of the forum represents the ongoing calls for joint efforts to fight cybercrimes, adding that the honouring of HE the Interior Minister aimed to acknowledge the efforts of all sectors and encourage competitiveness in information security between the employees of the public sector as part of the three competitiveness levels of the Thiqaa programme. Meanwhile, an international expert in the cyber-security, Mohammed Al Mulhim, from Saudi Arabia, highlighted the latest global trends in informational security and policies and systems adopted by countries and companies in this field. After that, HE the Interior Minister honoured 14 government organisations that were accredited as part of the Thiqaa programme for fulfilling its advanced, innovative and excellence levels. The General Directorate of the Ministry of Interior’s Court and the Bahrain Stock Exchange were honoured for achieving the excellence level. Six government organisations; General Directorate of Planning and Organisation of the Interior Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Transportation and Communication, General Organisation for Social Issuance, Education and Training Quality Authority and the University of Bahrain were honoured for fulfilling the criteria of the advanced level. Six organisations; the Education Ministry, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Human Resources Directorate of the Interior Ministry, the Shura Council and the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission were honoured for fulfilling the criteria of the innovative level. HE the Interior Minister also honoured the Arabian Gulf University for its cooperation with the authority in conducting a study on the effectiveness of the Thiqaa programme.