1.1. Investing in cyber resilience

USAID / U.S. State Department / The World Bank / Government of Ghana

The rapid expansion of digitalization and connectivity has fundamentally changed development cooperation and international partnerships. Development approaches increasingly rely on digital tools and solutions and developing countries continue to increase their connectivity and their requests for development funds to support their digital transformations. While embracing digital transformation is essential for sustainable development, increased digitalization also introduces new risks and vulnerabilities that can stifle growth, weaken the security and resilience of critical infrastructure and systems, and erode trust in the digital environment. All stakeholders – including governments, the private sector, and the international development community – must ensure that development initiatives and infrastructure projects incorporate cybersecurity. Cyber resilience is essential to driving social and economic development and ensuring that those development gains are sustained.

• How should cyber resilience be integrated into the strategies, investments, and programs of all stakeholders to enable inclusive and sustainable development?
• What are the key cybersecurity challenges that developing country governments and development actors are facing?
• How can different international development stakeholders (developing country governments, donor agencies, private sector, and civil society) work together more effectively to tackle these challenges and incorporate cyber resilience into their work?