RIYADH - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has achieved a new global achievement by ranking second out of 193 countries, and first place in the Arab world, the Middle East and Asia in the Global Cybersecurity Index, issued by the United Nations specialized agency in information and communications technology, the International Telecommunication Union. It achieved a jump of 11 ranks from 2018, and more than 40 ranks since the launch of Vision 2030, where it was ranked 46 globally in the 2017 edition of the index.

The National Cybersecurity Authority explained that this achievement comes thanks to God, and then thanks to the great support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense - may God protect them - to the system. Cyber ​​security in the Kingdom, and enabling it to access a safe and reliable cyberspace that enables growth and prosperity.

The authority indicated that the Global Cybersecurity Index is implemented periodically based on five main axes; The legal axis, the technical axis, the regulatory axis, the capacity building axis, and the cooperation axis, by analyzing the performance of countries in 80 sub-indicators, with the aim of raising the level of cybersecurity and enhancing the exchange of experiences and the sharing of experiences among the countries of the world.

The Kingdom has achieved advanced points in all of these axes, and one of the most prominent contributions to achieving this leap was the presence of a specialized reference body for cybersecurity, issuing policies, governance mechanisms, frameworks, standards, controls and guidelines related to cybersecurity, following up on compliance with them, building capacities and competencies and developing relevant performance measurement indicators. Continuous monitoring of the cybersecurity situation in the Kingdom, and the launch of the National Cybersecurity Strategy. In addition to strengthening cooperation with countries and international organizations and launching global qualitative initiatives, represented by the International Forum on Cyber ​​Security, and the two initiatives of His Highness the Crown Prince - may God protect him - to protect children in the cyber world and to empower women in the field of cyber security, as well as the partnership between the public and private sectors.

In its statement, the authority confirmed that it will continue to redouble its efforts to reach a safe and reliable Saudi cyberspace that enables growth and prosperity through strengthening cooperation and joint work with national authorities.