On 28 November 2016, the ICT4Peace Foundation was invited to brief the members of the UN Security Council on Cybersecurity and International Peace and Security. The first ever Arrias Formula Security Council meeting was co-chaired by Secretary of State Félix Sanz (Spain) and Ambassador Fodé Seck (Senegal), President of the Security Council during November 2016.
Daniel Stauffacher, representing the ICT4Peace Foundation, urged the UN Security Council to engage more actively in conflict prevention in cyberspace. He reminded those present that cyberspace presents us with a golden opportunity to engage in conflict prevention. The internet alone represents an information and communication platform of extraordinary importance. With over 3.5 billion users, global society is highly dependent on the internet for its well-being and prosperity. As the international community embarks on the UN Agenda 2030 for development, societies will increasingly need to apply ICTs to achieve their goals. Yet, despite its enormous socio-economic importance and its overwhelming use for civilian purposes, much remains to be done to ensure that cyberspace is used “for peaceful purposes” and “in the interests of all countries”.
In particular, Mr. Stauffacher stressed the need to ensure that states commit to protecting critical civilian infrastructure from malicious activity by both state and non-state actors. The dictates of international law, including international humanitarian law, and the recognition of common security interests require, at a minimum, such restraint. To this end, he urged States to move rapidly to implement norms and confidence building measures aimed at protecting critical infrastructure, and strengthening the role and capabilities of key actors such as computer emergency response teams (CERTs), the “first responders” to cyberspace incidents.
More generally, he urged that advocates of peaceful uses of cyberspace be given priority. For some,the necessary diplomacy to realise this goal has lagged behind the moves to militarise this vulnerable environment. He called for the outcome of the positive discussions and recommendations relating to international law, non-binding political norms of responsible state behaviour as well as confidence and capacity building measures stemming from a series of UN Group of Governmental Experts studying ICT developments in the context of international security to be acted upon by all states. To that end he hoped that appropriate ways to involve member states beyond the UN GGE format in the implementation of the recommendations could also be found.
Mr. Stauffacher stressed the need to continue strengthening those actions aimed at mitigating and preventing destabilizing behaviour and to base these on a common security interest in sustaining a stable and smoothly functioning cyberspace. In parallel to diplomatic efforts, he emphasised that there should also be a greater focus on capacity building, not only to minimise vulnerability to malicious activity, but also to maximise cooperation in the event of incidents.
The full presentation by Daniel Stauffacher, President of ICT4Peace Foundation can be found here.
