Qatar will host the Munich Security Conference (MSC) Cyber Security Summit in 2019.

The summit will be hosted in partnership with the Munich Security Conference and Qatar's National Cyber Security Committee (NCSC), established in 2013 and chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.

HE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Chairman of the Qatar's National Cyber Security Committee (NCSC) said: "The Summit will bring together cyber experts and decision-makers to discuss the most pressing issues in what is an ungoverned space in foreign and security policy.

As Qatar found after its state media was hacked last year, hostile acts by foreign governments can now be perpetrated beyond the rule of law from behind a computer screen.

It's important for the international community to find solutions so that these actions can be punished and prevented in the future."

The summit in Doha will bring together participants from government, international institutions, business, academia and the military to raise awareness about online security issues and the ramifications and the impact on international governance.

The summit will include a full-day programme of panel discussions that question the fundamental norms of foreign policy and the growing significance of cyber security in the Middle East.

On 24 May 2017, Qatar was the target of a cyber-hack that served as the pretext to the illegal blockade launched in June 2017 by the governments of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

Sophisticated malicious programmes were installed on Qatar's state news agency website and deployed to post fabricated statements attributed to His Highness the Emir.

Qatar's Ministry of Interior presented evidence to prove the cyberattack originated from the United Arab Emirates.

In 2013, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior established the National Cyber Security Committee to address Qatar's cyber agenda at the national level and to ensure that all public and private entities are adopting the objectives of the National Cyber Security Strategy, which aims to: safeguard the nation's critical information infrastructure; respond to and recover from cyber-attacks; establish a legal framework and regulations to establish a safe and secure cyberspace; foster a culture of cyber security that promotes safe and appropriate use of cyberspace; and enhance Qatar's national cyber security capabilities.

The Munich Security Conference (MSC) is the world's leading platform for debates on international security policy.

With over 500 official participants and 300 observers assembled at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, the annual conference provides a unique atmosphere for frank, private and mostly off-the-record exchange on present and future security challenges and solutions.

In addition to its annual conference, the MSC Foundation hosts a number of smaller, albeit equally high-profile, events around the world.

This includes Core Group Meetings, which have a regional focus, as well as thematic tracks, such as the Cyber Security and Technology Series, the Human Security Series, and the Defence and Security Policy Series, with Summits and Roundtables in different cities around the world.

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