Minister of Communications and Information Technology, H E Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai; Minister of Municipality, H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah; NCSA President, Eng. Abdulrahman bin Ali Al Farahid Al Malki; and other officials and delegates at the opening session of the conference.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar has taken a decisive step in fortifying its digital defences with the launch of the National Cyber Crisis Management Framework and the National Institutional Cyber Crisis Management Framework.
Under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) inaugurated yesterday, the 4th Annual Cyber Governance & Assurance Conference under the theme ‘Navigating the Cyber Horizon: Resilience Through Preparedness and Innovation’.
The opening ceremony of the two-day conference was attended by Minister of Communications and Information Technology, H E Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai; Minister of Municipality, H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah; NCSA President, Eng. Abdulrahman bin Ali Al Farahid Al Malki along with other senior officials, and representatives from both government and private sector organisations, and numerous leading providers of cybersecurity solutions.
Officials emphasised that the newly introduced frameworks will ensure that the country can respond quickly to cyber incidents, recover efficiently, and maintain uninterrupted delivery of essential services. They noted that this initiative demonstrates the Agency’s determination to advance the priorities set out in the Third National Development Strategy and the National Cyber Security Strategy 2024–2030.
During his remarks, Eng. Al Malki underscored that the conference serves as a vital forum for sharing knowledge and experiences, while showcasing the latest global developments in cybersecurity. He also noted that realising Qatar’s strategic ambitions depends on strengthening capabilities, nurturing national talent, and providing them with the resources needed to ensure the resilience and sustainability of the country’s cyber ecosystem in the face of evolving threats. Eng. Al Malki also highlighted that addressing current and future challenges requires a proactive approach that combines capacity building, innovation, and strong collaboration between the public and private sectors. He added that such efforts are crucial for protecting critical assets, enhancing confidence in digital infrastructure, and reinforcing Qatar’s position as a trusted leader in secure cyberspace.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the event, Director of Resilience, Risk and Program Delivery Department at NCSA, Mohammed Al Mannai said: “Today we launched two crisis frameworks. The first one is the National Cyber Crisis Framework, which shows how NCSA is going to be managing cyber crises on the national level, and it consists of three phases. The pre-crisis, during the crisis, and the post-crisis.”
He also stressed that the National Institutional Cyber Crisis Management Framework is aimed to minimise potential disruptions or long-term impacts on their operations. “The other framework is supposed to enable enterprises and uplift their capabilities in terms of managing cyber crisis and instruct them on how to do so in a timely manner, with the possibility of avoiding bigger impacts on their organisation,” Al Mannai said.
Explaining why these frameworks are very essential at this point in time, he said, “Because cyber attacks are getting more sophisticated, and now a cyber attack can have the impact of expanding to impact some critical functions within the nation. So it’s very important to be ready for such attacks and to act proactively and have the proper procedure in place.”
The conference also saw the signing of an agreement on the ‘Sponsorship of the Chair’ in Cybersecurity between NCSA and University of Doha for Science and Technology. This partnership reflects Qatar’s commitment to advancing research, encouraging academic innovation, and developing national expertise to confront the increasing complexities of cyberspace.
