SPC Signs MOU with Netsafe to Enhance Cooperation in Cybersafety Programmes

Saturday 9 April 2011, Noumea, New Caledonia

An agreement was reached this week that will see the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Netsafe working in partnership to facilitate the exchange of information between the two organisations, as well as to further enhance cooperation and the effectiveness of the cybersafety programmes administered by them.

Director-General of SPC Dr Jimmie Rodgers said, 'Cybersafety, or internet safety, is an important deliverable of the Framework of Action on ICT for Development in the Pacific. A key principle of the framework is 'many partners - one team' as we recognise that there are a lot of development partners working in the ICT sector and they need to work as a team to ensure that we have a coordinated approach.

'Netsafe brings to the partnership extensive experience and knowledge of internet safety and we hope to make the most of it in our efforts to assist our Pacific communities,' added Dr Rodgers.

Mr Martin Cocker, Executive Director of Netsafe, said, 'We often think of internet safety as a problem that technology brings, so people quickly turn to technology to solve it. But, as we know, developing technology is a running battle, in terms of both safety and security technologies, between the good guys and the bad guys. At any given time, one of those two is in the lead and it is not always us, unfortunately. It is therefore important to develop supporting regulatory and educative strategies.'

Mr Cocker added that cybersafety and cybersecurity strategies should be looked at as enablers that support the broader ICT strategies. Cybersafety and cybersecurity require a range of responses from a range of players and he feels that coordination is the key ingredient.

'That is the reason Netsafe is partnering SPC in the development of cybersafety and security services in the Pacific; we see that SPC plays that coordination role,' he said.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding took place on Wednesday, 6 April 2011 during the week-long Inaugural Regional Meeting of Ministers for Energy, Information and Communication Technology and Transport organised by SPC in Noumea, New Caledonia.

Netsafe Inc was officially established in 2001 to educate New Zealanders about safe, secure and responsible use of information and communication technology.


For more information, please contact:

Avnita Goundar, Information Officer, Economic Development Division, SPC, Suva, Fiji (email: AvnitaG@spc.int)