India to fund UN portal to strengthen global ICT security capacity-building
India has announced that it will fully fund the establishment and operation of a new United Nations portal designed to support global ICT security cooperation and capacity-building, with a particular focus on addressing the needs of developing countries.
Speaking at the Plenary Session of the UN Global Mechanism on ICTs in the Context of International Security on 24 July 2026, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said that India will provide full financial support for the operationalisation of the Global ICT Security Cooperation and Capacity-Building Portal as a United Nations platform.
According to the Ambassador, the proposal for the portal was originally put forward by India in 2022 and has since progressed through negotiations to become part of the Global Mechanism’s capacity-building framework. The platform is intended to support international cooperation by providing a central repository of ICT security resources, a capacity-building calendar, a catalogue of training opportunities based on countries’ needs, and an interactive discussion forum.
India also announced that the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) will provide technical consultancy for the development, testing, and infrastructure of the portal. CERT-In is India’s national agency responsible for responding to cybersecurity incidents.
Ambassador Harish said the initiative is intended to help bridge the capacity gap between developed and developing countries in the field of ICT security. He stressed that the platform should serve as an active tool for cooperation rather than simply a static repository of information.
In his remarks, the Ambassador highlighted the importance of cybersecurity as a prerequisite for digital development. While digital technologies have contributed to economic growth and progress towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs), he argued that their benefits can only be fully realised when supported by robust cybersecurity capabilities and resilience against emerging threats.
India also reaffirmed its position that cybersecurity capacity-building should be demand-driven, tailored to national circumstances, politically neutral, transparent, and based on the specific needs of participating countries.
To illustrate its approach, Ambassador Harish referred to India’s Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, through which the country has provided nearly 50,000 fully funded training opportunities to professionals from developing countries over the past five years. According to India, these programmes have included almost 400 courses delivered by more than 100 institutions, covering subjects such as ICT, cybersecurity, e-government, AI, and big data analytics.
India also welcomed the establishment of the Dedicated Thematic Group on Cyber Capacity Building within the Global Mechanism, describing it as an important recognition of the role that capacity-building plays in strengthening international cybersecurity cooperation.
