Nepal, July 9 -- In May, I was a part of a Nepali delegation participating in the Canberra Fellowship Program, organized by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Our six-member team consists of an election commissioner, think-tank representatives, a civic-tech executive, and academics. The program's theme was 'cybersecurity, misinformation and hybrid threats', which was closely aligned with my recent areas of interests.

The fellowship offered an opportunity to connect with DFAT and Department of Home Affairs officials, top-notch academic and research institutions including the University of Sydney, University of Monash, University Melbourne, the Lowy Institute, The Asialink; and cyber security firms like CyberCX and...