Global leaders and decision-makers, who convened at the Global Cyber Security (GCF) Yearly Meeting 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have called for greater international collaboration on shared challenges and priorities in Cyberspace, in a time of increasingly complex socioeconomic and geopolitical dynamics.
Addressing participants, Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said: “We must act together to ensure Cyberspace serves the common good – by investing in people, building skills and fostering inclusion.”
President of the European Commission (2004–2014), José Manuel Barroso, echoed this, underscoring the importance of stronger international collaboration in cybersecurity: “It would be nice to have, in cybersecurity, as in other matters, more cooperation.”
The fifth edition of the yearly meeting marked a new phase of deepened collaboration amongst GCF’s global community, in its mission to strengthen the safety and resilience of Cyberspace for all. While consensus on key issues remains a challenge at the international level, speakers were optimistic about the potential for concrete progress around common goals and challenges.
National Cyber Director, United States (2021 – 2023), Chris Inglis, said if the globe focuses on those aspirations, “we’re more likely to find common ground… And by focusing on that, we are therefore more likely to have the mobilization of the collaboration that’s required.”
GCF advances dialogue and action across geopolitical, socioeconomic, technical, and human dimensions of cybersecurity – from increasing understanding of cyber economics and human behavior in Cyberspace to the protection of critical infrastructure and the well-being of children online.
“In Cyberspace, I believe all agree on the protection of children against sexual abuse, on the protection of schools and hospitals,” said President of Croatia (2015 – 2020), Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, suggesting that “coalitions of the willing” can spearhead progress around these and other shared issues.
High-profile speakers and delegates, including leaders from government, the private sector, and academia, gathered for two days (October 1 and 2) of action-oriented dialogue under the theme, ‘Scaling Cohesive Advancement in Cyberspace’.
As well as calling for a fresh approach to multilateralism, speakers highlighted the importance of keeping pace with a rapidly evolving cyber landscape – including challenges and opportunities in a new era of AI, automation, and quantum computing.
“If your infrastructure is being increasingly dominated by interconnectivity, use of AI, software, all of that building in for efficiency is also building in for vulnerabilities,” said Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics, Council on Foreign Relations, Heidi Crebo-Rediker, proposing that the public and private sectors work “very, very closely together” to ensure resilience.
Attention also turned to the economic dimension of Cyberspace. Members of the Executive Committee of the Centre for Cyber Economics (CCE) – a collaboration between the World Economic Forum and GCF aimed at equipping decision-makers to unlock the full value of cybersecurity – emphasised that cybersecurity must be viewed as an economic imperative.
Chief Economist for Infrastructure at the World Bank, Dr. Stéphane Straub, noted that by “moving from the bottom 25 per cent to the top 25 per cent” in terms of cybersecurity preparedness, a country could increase its GDP per capita by 1.5 per cent.
As a permanent platform, GCF is facilitating multistakeholder, global partnerships aimed at strengthening cybersecurity worldwide. This year’s event saw the announcement of new projects and programmes building on earlier efforts to address critical challenges and opportunities in Cyberspace – including the two global initiatives instated by, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Child Protection in Cyberspace (CPC) and Women Empowerment in Cybersecurity (WEC).
Speaking on behalf of the GCF Board of Trustees, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority, Majed bin Mohammed Al-Mazyed, said: “(This year’s) theme underscores a new phase of deepened collaboration, and our intent to exponentially expand the transformative impact that the GCF has already achieved across its growing range of activities.”
