Doha, Qatar: Qatar is bolstering its national information security compliance framework across the GCC through enhanced collaboration and knowledge sharing.
As part of its ongoing collaboration through the Arab Council of Cybersecurity Ministers, Qatar presented its expertise in establishing the framework to cybersecurity officials from around the region.
Recently, the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA), through its Policy Affairs Department, organised a virtual workshop titled ‘National Information Security Compliance Framework – The Qatari Model’, convening representatives of cybersecurity entities from across the Arab world to discuss Qatar’s approach to strengthening information security compliance and building greater confidence in digital services.
The Director of Policy Affairs at the NCSA, Eng. Dana Yousef Al-Abdullah, presented the workshop, outlining key elements of Qatar’s experience in establishing its National Information Security Compliance Framework.
The initiative forms part of Qatar’s broader efforts within the Arab Council of Cybersecurity Ministers to exchange knowledge and experiences in cybersecurity and support greater coordination among Arab countries.
During the workshop, participants were introduced to the role of accreditation and compliance programmes in implementing national information security policies and standards.
The discussions also focused on the potential contribution of compliance and accreditation systems to the development of the cybersecurity market.
The workshop also examined the mechanisms used to issue compliance and accreditation certificates. Such certification provides a formal means of recognising organisations that satisfy specified information security requirements, helping establish a more consistent approach to assessing cybersecurity practices.
Additionally, the agency presented the Qatar Common Criteria Scheme, another component of the country’s cybersecurity and information assurance ecosystem. Common Criteria is an internationally recognised approach for evaluating the security properties of information technology products. Qatar’s scheme was included in the workshop as part of the broader discussion of national mechanisms for evaluating and assuring information security.
The event comes as Arab countries continue to strengthen cooperation on cybersecurity amid the growing reliance on interconnected digital infrastructure and online services. Sharing national experiences can help countries examine different approaches to regulation, certification, accreditation, and cybersecurity governance while developing frameworks suited to their respective national environments.
The NCSA’s Policy Affairs Department played a central role in hosting the session, with Eng. Al-Abdullah presenting the Qatari model directly to participating cybersecurity representatives.
