A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership (DCCP)-Pacific initiative and formalise cooperation between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and The University of the South Pacific (USP) was signed yesterday.
The MoU signing at the Laucala Campus’ Japan ICT Centre will engage broadly across the Pacific through a network of campuses to implement USAID’s flagship digital program to advance an open, interoperable, secure, and resilient Pacific region.
The project seeks to improve broadband access, support the digital delivery of public services, promote policies and regulations to enable the region’s digital transformation and upgrade digital skills and competencies, including increasing cybersecurity capacity.
Digital transformation will encourage sustainable economic growth across the Pacific.
Through DCCP, USAID will support regulatory and policy reform to facilitate the necessary investment to promote broadband connectivity and digital government transformation.
Our partnership with USP highlights the regional connection and leverages the existing USP network to allow for the exchange of knowledge, good practices and lessons learned by stakeholders in the design and implementation of key activities.
USAID Deputy Mission Director Michael Glees highlighted in his address
USP Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Pal Ahluwalia, while acknowledging the launch of this critical partnership, stressed,
This new partnership that we are signing is not a short-term one, but rather an exciting step in what is going to be a long journey of collaboration.
USP is well positioned to contribute to the challenges of the Pacific and in some key areas. For the last 50 years, USP has been at the forefront of building connectivity infrastructure, resulting in the progress of digital transformation.
The USP Vice-Chancellor also added that the partnership to strengthen cybersecurity in the region is timely as it will boost the university’s Information Technology (IT) capability, which grapples with many cyber threats daily.
Additionally, Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretary General Henry Puna stressed the importance of this partnership to all Pacific Island Countries in developing ICT infrastructure and enhancing connectivity that would expand to remote areas of the region.
Last year, PIF launched the 2050 strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent that paints a vision for a resilient Pacific of peace, harmony, security and social inclusion. As part of our journey to achieve that vision, we aspire to a future in which people benefit from access to affordable, safe and reliable ICT infrastructure.
Henry Puna
The MoU is closely aligned with the Pacific’s request that development partners need to work through and with the regional architecture on their priorities for a whole-of-government global initiative to promote an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet.