When: Thursday, October 14, 2021, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PMWhere: Virtual event, online
A joint event took place between the Queen Mary Global Policy Institute, the Global Federation of Competitive Councils and the Japan Science and Technology Agency.
How has global infrastructure been impacted by recent events in society such as the Covid-19 pandemic? In 2021, there are significant developments in relation to the treatment of critical infrastructure globally.
Critical infrastructure includes the tangible and intangible assets that are considered so vital for the operation of a country, and the country’s security, economic prosperity, public health and citizens wellbeing.
Most governments globally have introduced measures to prevent and pre-empt any adverse impact. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security identifies a number of sectors as critical infrastructure including communications, chemicals, defence, energy, food, and agriculture.
In the UK there are 13 national infrastructure sectors including chemicals, civil, nuclear, communications, defence, energy, and each sector has one or more lead government department(s) responsible for the sector, in order to ensure there is protective security in place for any critical assets.
In Japan in the "Action Plan on Information Security Measures for Critical Infrastructure" promoted by the Information Security Policy Council (ISPC) in 2005, critical infrastructure is defined as sectors that offer an irreplaceable commercial service and which are necessary for people's normal lives and economic activities.
Such sectors include telecommunication systems, administration services of the government, finance, civil aviation, railway, logistics, power, gas, water, and medical services.
Our panel of experts discussed the approach that different countries take towards identification and protection of critical infrastructure sectors, the challenges they face, and the sectors that they prioritise in protecting their critical infrastructure, drawing lessons about the different solutions needed to embed resilience into the implementation and operation of such critical assets.
Professor Ioannis Kokkoris – Professor of Competition Law and Economics; Dean for International, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences – Queen Mary University of London
Professor Colin Grant - Vice Principal International, Queen Mary University of London
Professor Yasushi Sekine - Professor, School of Advanced Science and Engineering – Waseda University – Japan Science and Technology Agency
Alejandro Silva, Director of Postgraduate Studies at Universidad National San Agustin de Arequipa, in Peru.