Cyber envoy for Swedish interests in world politics

Cyber security

The increasing role of technology in world politics was one of the messages when TechSverige's Data Council received Ambassador Andrés Jato.

As a special envoy for international cyber issues, Jato is appointed by the government to represent Sweden in the EU, the UN, in cooperation with other countries and in dialogue with the private sector. 

It is about pursuing Sweden's interests and priorities in the cyber field. This includes security policy, trade and competitiveness, as well as democracy and human rights.

- Dialogue with the business community is very important. Private actors have shown their importance in Ukraine in particular since Russia's full-scale innovation. The contribution of digitalization to the country's defence has been crucial," said Jato.

The government will soon present a strategy for international cyber issues and bilateral meetings will be held between the UK and Sweden and between the US and Sweden.

- We welcome both the government's appointment of a special envoy for international cyber issues and Ambassador Andrés Jato's openness to business issues," says Daniel Ehnhage, Chair of the Swedish Data Protection Council.

Andrés Jato highlighted that cyber issues are present in many different ministries such as the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Justice and that he has a responsibility to contribute to the coordination in the Government Offices.

- The fact that the government writes strategies and that we have to wait for reforms is of course not always good. However, there is a need for a clear strategy for international cyber issues. The issues are scattered in different forums and Sweden has many important interests to protect. If a strategy can contribute to this, it is welcome," says Fredrik Sand, industrial policy expert at TechSverige.

Andrés Jato was appointed Special Envoy in August 2023 and was previously Ambassador to the Holy See and Malta, based in Stockholm. He has previously served as Head of the Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Ambassador responsible for Arctic Affairs.