The Maldives must make decisive investments in cybersecurity to protect children and safeguard national systems, Minister of State for Homeland Security and Technology Dr Mohamed Kinaanath has said, warning that cyber incidents are rising globally with increasingly sophisticated threats targeting all sectors of society.

Speaking at the opening of the Child Online Protection Training of Trainers Programme and the National CSIRT Assessment Programme, Dr Kinaanath said the country has reached a point where critical decisions must be made to ensure a safer digital future. He noted that cybercrime damages are projected to reach USD 14 trillion by 2028, while a new cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds worldwide.

The three-day programmes, conducted with technical support from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), aim to strengthen national capacity in child online protection and assess the Maldives’ readiness to establish a fully functional National Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT).

Dr Kinaanath stressed that children are entering the digital environment at unprecedented speed and require protection from online risks while still benefiting from digital opportunities. He said that child online threats and broader cyber risks now represent some of the most serious security challenges for the Maldives.

Participants from Government agencies, the National Centre for Security, and the Maldives Police Service will receive training in areas such as national cyber resilience, critical information infrastructure protection, CSIRT operations, open-source security tools, cyber threat intelligence and principles of child online safety.

Dr Kinaanath also underscored the importance of data-driven decision-making across institutions, saying the Maldives must build a culture of research and make better use of the information collected across government systems.

He thanked Minister Ali Ihusaan, Commissioner of Police Ismail Naveen, and ITU representatives for supporting the initiative, adding that the outcomes of this week’s sessions will guide future cybersecurity planning and capacity development.