Compilation of ICT4Peace’s Submissions to and Comments on the UN OEWG Cybersecurity Negotiations (2019 – 2021)

It’s a pleasure for ICT4Peace to publish this compilation of its inputs to and comments on the negotiations of the United Nations open-ended working group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security (UN OEWG) (2019 – 2021). The ICT4Peace Report can be found here.

With a view to promoting a peaceful cyberspace, ICT4Peace has been calling for and supporting global negotiations at the United Nations since 2007. In light of the rapidly emerging threats also from State Actors, ICT4Peace in 2011 issued a Call for a Code of Conduct for Cyber Conflicts 1). In the same spirit it subsequently focused its work on supporting the development and implementation of Norms of Responsible State Behavior 2), Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) 3) and Capacity Building in the context of the UN as well as Regional Organizations such as the OSCE, OECD, OAS, ASEAN and the AU.

ICT4Peace is particularly proud to have cooperated with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs to prepare and publish a first ever Commentary 4) on the Voluntary, Non-Binding Norms for Responsible State Behaviour in the Use of Information and Communication Technology proposed by the 2015 UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) 5) and adopted by the UN General Assembly by consensus 6). An overview of the ICT4Peace activities in the context of the UN GGE and UN OEWG as well as the Regional Organizations can be found here 7) and the list of publications here 8).

In 2019, as an NGO with ECOSOC status and fully accredited to the UN, ICT4Peace participated in the UN OEWG from day one, including in the informal and multi-stake- holder meetings. Our submissions, proposals and comments in the plenary sessions and on the various draft reports during the negotiations are accessible on the official UN ODA website 9).

For easy reference this Volume compiles all ICT4Peace’s submissions to and comments on the UN OEWG negotiating process. In the beginning you will find the ICT4Peace’s comments on the OEWG Final Substantive Report 10) and a Chairman’s Summary 11) with the title: “The OEWG final report: Some progress, much remains unresolved”. In Annex I, the full texts of all ICT4Peace official submissions to the OEWG process can be found. Annex II contains a list of ICT4Peace publications, posts and commentaries on the UN OEWG and the UN GGE.

In addition, ICT4Peace supported the UN OEWG negotiation process in organizing – in cooperation with the OAS, UN ODA and Kenya – a series of cybersecurity policy and diplomacy training workshops for policy makers and diplomats from Latin America and Africa.

The ICT4peace engagement with and support to the UN OEWG would not have been possible without the tireless and exceptional work of Amb. (ret.) Paul Meyer, ICT4Peace Senior Advisor. Paul Meyer 12) is the author of practically all the commentaries, submissions and statements published in this Volume. ICT4Peace is deeply indebted to him.

With this publication, ICT4Peace hopes to inform policy makers, diplomats,academics, industry and civil society, who did not have the opportunity to follow the OEWG process, about the submissions and proposals of ICT4Peace to this important UN process. Many of the points and ideas ICT4Peace put forward remain valid for the next stage of international discussion of how cyberspace can be sustained for peaceful purposes.

Dr. Daniel Stauffacher
Founder and President, ICT4Peace Foundation