Dr. Eneken Tikk and Amb. Paul Meyer participated for ICT4Peace in the Budapest Conference on Cyberspace 2012 on 4 and 5 October 2012. The Budapest Conference is part of a series of international conferences on critical issues and global challenges in the cyberspace, that started in October 2011 in London and will continue in Korea in 2013.
The rationale for the Budapest Conference was as follows:
“In two decades, cyberspace has become fundamental to our societies, to the national and global economies, to international relations. It is also a potential domain for conflict. Many States are incorporating cyber capabilities into their militaries. Non-state actors are developing capabilities that can be used for their own purposes or that can be harnessed as proxies available to the highest bidder. Conflict in cyberspace could have or could lead to devastating impacts on societies globally in both the physical and the virtual senses. The origin of a disruption, the identity of a perpetrator, and the motivation can be difficult to ascertain, especially in “real time.” There is a significant risk that such difficulties of attribution and verification could lead to misunderstanding and uncontrolled escalation, leading to conflict in the “real” world.
We all share a common interest and responsibility to preserve cyberspace as a trusted, stable, interoperable and open environment that supports economic and social development for all. Enhanced international cooperation is needed to establish consensus regarding appropriate behaviour by States in cyberspace and to implement practical measures that are designed to reduce the risk of conflict and build confidence through collaborative processes that can help to ensure an environment of international cyber stability from which all can benefit. The risks have been recognised by the international community for a number of years. Various proposals have been put forward to help address them, and these are being actively debated in multiple international forums.
Much of the debate in International Security in Cyberspace has been conducted between Governments, but there is an increasing contribution being made by non-Governmental actors, including academia, business, NGOs and civil society, all who share Governments’ desire to preserve cyberspace as a trusted, stable, interoperable and open environment. The aim of the workshop was to hear from a range of voices on this issue. A cross section of speakers, each with expertise in their own particular field, has been invited to share their perspective on how concerns about the stability and security of cyberspace affect their work.”
The draft summary of comments made by Amb. Meyer can be found here and by Dr. Tikk here.
From ICT4Peace on this topic also see:
