OSCE organizes study visit of Azerbaijani officials to Dublin to learn about public-private sector co-operation in combating cybercrime

A delegation from Azerbaijan’s Government travelled to Dublin on 5 and 6 February 2020 to learn about co-operation between the public and private sectors in fighting cybercrime. The officials visited the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ireland’s police force, the Garda Síochána, the regional headquarters of Microsoft, eBay, PayPal and Google, as well as University College Dublin.

The visit was organized by the Strategic Police Matters Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (SPMU) with the support of Italy.

During the study visit, private sector representatives shared best practices on how to improve the co-operation.

“Cybercrime is a complex and ever-evolving phenomenon that represents a transnational security threat,” said Denise Mazzolani, Deputy Head of SPMU and Adviser on Cybercrime. “Public-private co-operation is essential in order to address this issue and ensure cybercrime resilience. The OSCE stands ready to work with its participating States and partners in building and enhancing co-operation with the private sector in order to ensure a holistic approach and solution to the transnational threat of cybercrime.”

Participants from Azerbaijan underlined the importance of a public-private partnership in addressing the challenges related to the use of information communication technologies for criminal purposes. The Azerbaijani side thanked the OSCE Secretariat and the Government of Italy for initiating the project designed on the basis of the needs of Azerbaijan and expressed its conviction that the project is of great use for the practitioners.

The study visit was a follow-up to a workshop held in Baku in November 2019. At that time, representatives of private companies and public officials met to discuss co-operation in combating cybercrime and the way forward.