GCC countries have to adopt a national resilience framework given the growing number of natural and man-made disasters around the world, according to a Booz Allen Hamilton report titled “Building National Resilience”.
In the GCC, cyber attacks are costing the government an estimated US$1 billion annually, according to the ICS Cyber Security Forum. The multiple Shamoon attacks on Saudi government agencies and the Gauss virus attack on Lebanese banks in 2012 are just two examples of how such disruptions threaten the ecosystem of organisations and nations, not just in the GCC but across the wider MENA region as well.
As Qatar continues its vast infrastructure development projects in preparation to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, it is also preparing for the arrival of one million international visitors to the country.
“The risks faced by GCC countries are diverse, ranging from natural events such as flooding and sandstorms, to human-related accidents. We encourage GCC governments to make national resilience an integral part of their strategic agendas in the next few years to address such possible disruptions, which are concerns for all mature economies,” said Mr Nabih Maroun, EVP of Booz Allen Hamilton MENA.
An effective national resilience strategy could help the government build integration between sectors and network systems (eg, transportation, telecommunications, hospitality), implement necessary security measures, establish system redundancies to purposely create spare capacity to accommodate disruptions and identify economic opportunities in the anticipated influx of international visitors.
To develop truly holistic, fit-for-purpose resilience frameworks in the GCC, three areas need special attention: determining sectors critical to national security, including dimensions such as the security of water, food, the environment and information; establishing governance capacity; and building functional capabilities, according to the report.
To succeed in their aims, GCC governments are encouraged to develop bespoke resilience roadmaps and align their national visions to their priorities and include participation of central government, local authorities, private sector stakeholders, and in certain instances, the society at large.
GCC countries have to realise that resilience strategies cannot be compressed into a single law or a single government policy. Rather, legislation and institutional arrangements will infuse the resilience vision and principles into all relevant laws and routine functions of the government, said the international consulting firm. M