Cecilia Popa discussed the role of regional cyber capacity building centres, highlighting the regional challenges and opportunities in the Latin America and Caribbean region. She emphasized the role of EU CyberNet in strengthening multilateral cooperation and fostering strategic partnerships and coordination with stakeholders as well as the unique role of EU CyberNet’s LAC4 Centre, a Latin America and Caribbean Cyber Competence Centre and how such initiatives help address cyber challenges and bridge gaps in cyber capacity building.

She emphasised that LAC4 remains committed to fostering bilateral, sub-regional, regional and bi-continental cooperation for advancing cyber resilience in the Latin America and Caribbean region has many challenges but also great initiatives to support secure digital transformation, and share good practices across borders.

Some of the success stories in both LAC4 and EUCN include CyberWeek@LAC4, which brings together the LAC technical community in an informal setting to build trust; the EU CyberNet Summer School for cyber experts to be better equipped to address cyber threats; and mentoring the next generation of cyber professionals. EU CyberNet continues to strengthen cyber resilience in the LAC region and beyond through training, workshops, exercises, assessments, and policy support.

Furthermore, Cecilia Popa underscored the importance of international collaboration in cyber capacity building. EU CyberNet has already implemented numerous tools and initiatives: Club Events, Summer Schools, CynAct platform, EU CCB Project Mapping Tool, Knowledge Hub, Stakeholder Community Day, Cyber Project Community meetings, in-person gatherings, and one-on-one meet-ups to enhance cooperation and create synergies across initiatives.