WASHINGTON, USA – The governments of the United States of America and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan released the following statement on the occasion of the second US-Jordan Cyber and digital dialogue on March 4, 2024, in Amman, Jordan.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan hosted the second US- Jordan Cyber and Digital Dialogue in Amman, Jordan, on March 4, 2024. The opening session featured remarks by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies Anne Neuberger.
The dialogue was co-chaired by principal deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy Jennifer Bachus and the director of National Policy Council Dr Mohammad Khasawneh.
Building on the momentum from the inaugural US-Jordan Cyber and Digital Dialogue held in Washington, DC in March 2023, and recognizing the 75th year of bilateral relations, the United States and Jordan convened to enhance cooperation on cybersecurity and information and communications technology (ICT) policy to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Highlighting their shared conviction that only through enhanced international cooperation can a more secure and stable cyberspace be achieved, the United States and Jordan pledged to strengthen their collaboration, including through the International Counter Ransomware Initiative and by promoting and implementing the framework for responsible state behavior in cyberspace.
The delegations also discussed opportunities to enhance their collaboration on best practices and strategies for cybersecurity cooperation, cyber workforce and skills development, cyber capacity building, cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, incident response, technical information sharing, combatting cyber threats, and ensuring secure ICT infrastructure.
The delegations discussed specific commitments to upskill Jordan’s workforce including a new USAID partnership aimed at encouraging Jordanian women to pursue careers in cyber and technology. In addition to opportunities to access online courses in coding and secure software development, and additional cybersecurity training programs in partnership with the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
To strengthen cybersecurity resiliency, the United States’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Jordan’s National Cyber Security Center formalized their relationship by signing a Letter of Intent on the sidelines of the dialogue.
The department of defense and Jordan Armed Forces reaffirmed the importance of enhanced cooperation on military cybersecurity activities, including advising, training, equipping, and exercising as a foundation for cyber defense of Jordan.
Both the United States and Jordan reaffirmed their support of a multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance, technical standards that promote an innovative digital economy and a shared vision that the Internet should be open, interoperable, secure, and trusted to support a vibrant digital economy. Each side also acknowledged that this shared vision for digital connectivity requires a foundation built on the use of secure and trustworthy ICT equipment and suppliers.
The US side comprised officials from the Department of State’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy; the National Security Council; the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, and Justice; the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Federal Communications Commission; the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; the US Agency for International Development; and representatives of US Embassy Amman.
The Jordanian delegation included officials from the National Policy Council, the National Cyber Security Council, the National Cyber Security Center, the Jordanian Armed Forces, the General Intelligence Directorate, the Public Security Directorate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Digital Economy and entrepreneurship, the Central Bank of Jordan, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, and Al Hussein Technical University.
The delegations looked forward to continued collaboration on cyber and digital policy issues, including at both the senior and expert levels, in the future.
