11th August, 2022 Under the Women in Cyber Fellowship program, Australia was proud to support Tupou Kafa Vainikolo, Crown Prosecutor in the Attorney General’s Office, to attend the United Nations Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) on cyber and supplementary negotiation skills and cyber policy training in New York in July 2022.
The Women in Cyber Fellowship was first launched in 2020 by Australia, together with the with Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It aims to promote greater diversity and inclusion – both from a gender and a geography perspective – in cyberspace and critical technology discussions and decisions with global implications.
Australia is committed to working with Pacific island countries to champion a safe, secure, and prosperous Australia, Indo-Pacific and world enabled by cyberspace and critical technology. The 2018 Boe Declaration highlights cyber security as an emerging security challenge for the region and recognised the need to maximise the protections and opportunities for Pacific Island countries in the digital age.
In response, Australia established its flagship Cyber and Critical Tech Cooperation Program (CCTCP) which partners with Pacific island countries to improve cyber resilience across a full spectrum of cyber affairs, aligning with priorities identified in Australia’s 2021 International Cyber and Critical Technology Engagement Strategy.
Through projects including the Women in Cyber Fellowship, online safety campaigns and technical training, Australia is pleased to support Tonga’s own ambitions to respond to the challenges, and embrace the opportunities, that cyberspace and critical technologies present.
ENDS
Australian High Commission
Nuku’alofa
WOMEN IN CYBER FELLOWSHIP 2022 – TUPOU KAFA VAINIKOLO
My name is Tupou Kafa Vainikolo. I am from Talafo’ou and ‘Eueiki, but lived in Lavengamalie, Tofoa, for a good part of my life where my parents both taught at Lavengamalie Christian College. I also studied at Lavengamalie Christian College (2003 – 2007), went on to gain a Bachelor of Arts from Lavengamalie Christian University (2010), and thereafter studied at the University of the South Pacific, Tonga and Emalus Campuses where I graduated with my Bachelor of Laws (2015).
In 2016 I obtained my Professional Diploma in Legal Practice (PDLP), and in 2019 I obtained my Professional Diploma in Legislative Drafting (PDLD) both from the University of the South Pacific. I am married to a very supportive husband, Metuisela Vainikolo, who works in the ICT field, and who is almost always my go-to person when I need to know more of the technical aspects of cyber.
My first exposure to the work of the Attorney General’s Office was in 2013 when I interned for a month before leaving to Vanuatu to continue my legal studies. After I gained my LLB in 2015, I worked at the office as a researcher/translator until I left during the second half of 2016 to complete my PDLP. In March 2017, I was admitted to the Supreme Court of Tonga as a law practitioner of the Kingdom of Tonga. In the same month, I also commenced working as an Assistant Crown Counsel at the office. In October 2020 I was appointed a Crown Prosecutor at the office, which I still hold.
What made you interested in cybersecurity?
Just to be clear, it was not because of my husband! My interest in cyber began in 2016 while I was a researcher/translator for the office. That year Tonga (the office) hosted the PILON annual cybercrime workshop. I volunteered because the office was looking for volunteers. It was a good opportunity to leave a good impression as I needed a job in the coming year, and I wanted to work in the Attorney General’s Office.
Secondly, I was keen to learn about cybercrime, to see if and how it was relevant to Tonga. That decision began the trajectory of my work in all things cyber in which the office engaged. Since then, I have been involved in work surrounding Tonga’s implementation of the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, after it acceded to the Convention in May 2017, i.e. proposed legislative reform, stakeholder consultations, participating in and conducting capacity building trainings etc. In addition to this, anything that have aspects of cyber and the law is often assigned to me. This includes cyber-safety awareness, the prosecution of cybercrime, or carrying out trainings on the prosecution and/or investigation of cybercrime.
What did you enjoy most about the OEWG program and how will it help you on your return to Tonga?
It would have to be meeting and learning from so many young women who are career or accidental diplomats in the area of cyber security.
The Attorney General’s Office has assisted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tonga’s engagement in the international fora, particularly in areas where we are already active in. After having gone through the training and participated in the Open-Ended Working Group on the security and use of Information Communication Technology (OEWG) with my background in cyber so far, I can provide advice on and options on how Tonga may wish to engage in the space in future sessions.
One key takeaway from the training was the importance of engaging key stakeholders in the area of cyber security in Tonga, in order to develop a well-informed national position at the next substantive sessions of the OEWG. The next substantive session of the OEWG will be in March 2023, so this may be something Tonga could look into coordinating before then.
What would you say to other women and girls who are interested in this space?
If you are interested in the space, start engaging in the space to show others that you are interested. You never know who is watching. Find and surround yourself with like-minded and supportive people; and lastly be teachable.