The second OAS – ICT4Peace 5 Days Online Course on International Cyber Diplomacy, Law and Norms (12 to 16 April 2021 was successfully  completed.

The goal of this course was to build capacity in government institutions and officials from OAS countries, through a combination of short lectures by instructors, interventions by guest speakers, interactive exercises and moderated discussions. The program will enable the participants to engage meaningfully and effectively in international cybersecurity discussions, particularly within the United Nations’ First Committee (UN GGE and UN OEWG) but also outside the United Nations, such as in regional organisations and in discussions and consultations with the private sector, civil society and academia.

The certificate program provided participants with an overview of the normative framework of responsible state behaviour promulgated by the UN, and other multilateral organisations. It will also take a look at legal frameworks and tools to assist cross-border digital crime cooperation, including the Budapest Convention, the EU cybersecurity and data privacy framework and UNODC’s Practical Guide for Requesting Electronic Evidence Across Borders. Participants will gain a better understanding of the issues and challenges that dominate current international dialogues on cybersecurity, responsible state behaviour and cybercrime.

45 policy makers and diplomats from the following countries participated: Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay.

The workshop was designed and lead by Anne-Marie Buzatu, Vice-President and COO of ICT4Peace in cooperation with Dr. Przemyslaw Roguski, Faculty of Law and Administration, Jagiellonian University, Poland, and Kerry-Anne Barret and Sofia Hunter from OAS.

Key note speaker was Ambassador Guilherme Patriota, Chair of the UN GGE. Guest lecturers included Ms. Irene Grohsmann, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Benjamin Charlier, ICRC, Monica Ruiz and Alexandra Gerst, Microsoft, Dr. Serge Droz, President, First, Ms. Olga Zudova, UN ODC, Allison Pytlak, Women’s International League on Peace and Freedom.

This new and first of its kind online certificate training course with a duration of 5 Days was successfully tested in a first pilot course from 30 November – 4 December 2020 in cooperation with the Organisation of American States (OAS).

For further information on this course and other related courses by ICT4Peace please contact Ms.  Anne-Marie Buzatu, Vice-President and COO of ICT4Peace: anne-mariebuzatu@ict4peace.org
Kindly see the description of the ICT4Peace Cybersecurity Policy and Diplomacy Capacity Building Program:Cybersecurity Policy and Diplomacy Capacity Building since 2014