RIYADH, October 1, 2024 – The GCF Annual Meeting 2024 kicks-off in Riyadh on October 2nd, bringing together decision makers and experts from government, the private sector, civil society, and academia. Under the theme ‘Advancing Collective Action in Cyberspace,’ the two-day event aims to go beyond dialogue and discussion to advance knowledge and catalyze collective action on critical issues around Cyberspace.

Key speakers at the event include: Dr. Mark Esper, former U.S. Secretary of Defense; Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); H.E. José Manuel Barroso, former President of the EU Commission and former Prime Minister of Portugal; Ambassador Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary of India; and Sir Jeremy Fleming, Former Director of GCHQ, UK, among other high-level policymakers and experts.

The event will commence with an opening ceremony, as part of the open forum  livestreamed to the public, and with a focus on advancing collective action across five key sub-themes: Beyond Cyber Discord, Cyber Psychology, Cyber Social Fabric, Thriving Cyber Economy, and New Cyber Frontier. On the sidelines, invite-only participatory tracks will facilitate deep-dives into topical Cyberspace issues through interactive discussions.

From the start of its journey in 2020, GCF has evolved from a meeting point for the global cybersecurity community to a permanent platform for making a positive, lasting impact on Cyberspace. GCF 2022 reimagined the future of Cyberspace by ‘Rethinking the Global Cyber Order,’ and GCF 2023 mapped the way forward by ‘Charting Shared Priorities in Cyberspace’. This year, in ‘Advancing Collective Action in Cyberspace’, GCF aims to move beyond discussion and dialogue to develop impactful solutions to maximize the benefits of Cyberspace for all.

The Child Protection in Cyberspace (CPC) Global Summit will also take place in conjunction with the GCF Annual Meeting 2024 on October 2-3. The Summit, held in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the DQ Institute, and WeProtect Global Alliance, will convene key stakeholders from around the world to find pathways toward a safer and more protected Cyberspace for children.

The Summit aims to achieve four key objectives: consolidating global efforts and advancing collective action; enhancing the global response to pressing challenges; mitigating emerging threats facing children in Cyberspace; and ensuring that CPC resonates with the agenda of global decision makers. These objectives support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4, 5, 16 and 17, under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.