On October 31 of this year, the presentation ceremony of the project titled "Development of the National Cybersecurity Index and Assessment of the Cybersecurity Level in the Country," implemented by the Association of Cybersecurity Organizations of Azerbaijan (ACOA) with financial support from the Agency of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was held.

The event was attended by representatives from state authorities responsible for ensuring cybersecurity, including the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Special Communication and Information Security State Service, the Electronic Security Service under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, the Innovation and Digital Development Agency, as well as the Agency of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations. Additionally, the administrative staff, members, and experts of the Association of Cybersecurity Organizations of Azerbaijan (ACOA) were present.

During the event, Elvin Balajanov, Chairman of the Board of ACOA, briefed participants on the activities undertaken within the framework of the project aimed at creating the National Cybersecurity Index and assessing the cybersecurity level in the country. He provided details about the established evaluation platform, the results of the assessments conducted, as well as the measurement criteria and evaluation mechanisms of the index.

Additionally, Tabriz Jafarov, the project manager, presented information on the challenges encountered during the project's implementation and highlighted certain existing issues within the field.

At the event, Ms. Aygun Aliyeva, Executive Director of the Agency of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, delivered a speech highlighting the increasing role of non-governmental organizations in various fields, including cybersecurity, in recent years. She also provided insights into the support mechanisms implemented by the Agency to foster the development of the NGO sector.

Ms. Aygun Aliyeva emphasized the significance of the project executed by ACOA for assessing the country's cybersecurity ecosystem. She commended the implementation of the project and underscored the importance of the continued evaluation of cybersecurity conditions among ecosystem stakeholders in the future.

During the discussion on the work carried out within the framework of the project, Elvin Shahverdiyev, Deputy Head of the Electronic Security Service under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, emphasized the importance of evaluating ecosystem stakeholders in the private sector. He noted that implementing a national indexing system in this area would significantly contribute to advancements in cybersecurity.

A representative from the State Security Service acknowledged the commendable efforts undertaken within the project and highlighted that conducting deeper evaluations across various sectors of the private domain in the future could provide substantial benefits to the ecosystem.

Vugar Hasanov, a representative from the Special Communication and Information Security State Service, commented on the assessment results conducted by ACOA. He stated that expanding the scope of evaluations and encouraging more active participation from private sector stakeholders in these assessments would be a worthwhile endeavour.

The event continued in the form of discussions, where ACOA members and experts, as well as leaders and representatives of the companies and organizations that participated in the assessment, shared their opinions, insights, and suggestions regarding the project and evaluation conducted by ACOA.