UN OEWG on Cybersecurity – Statement by ICT4Peace to Second Substantive Session on Capacity Building – March 31, 2022

By Amb. (ret.) Paul Meyer, Senior Advisor, ICT4Peace

ICT4Peace Academy, Activities, ICT4Peace Support to UN OEWG and UN GGE, including Programme of Action PoA, Norms of Responsible Behaviour and Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) for the Cyberspace

2. April 2022

On the occasion of the second substantive session UN Open Ended Working Group (OEWG), Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, Chairman of OEWG invited stakeholders to informal consultations on the topic of capacity building.

Amb. (ret.) Paul Meyer, Senior Advisor, ICT4Peace delivered the following statement on behalf of ICT4Peace, which you can download also here.

Statement by ICT4Peace to second substantive session of Cyber OEWG – March 31, 2022

Thank you Chair for today’s opportunity to contribute to the work of this group with a focus on capacity building. We recognize capacity building is a key means of overcoming existing digital divides in furtherance of a full participation of states and stakeholders in shaping international cyber security policy.

In order to promote global cyber capacity building, it is useful to have supportive policies of relevant international organizations. Specifically, ICT4Peace has urged the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee to grant cyber security-related capacity building activity Official Development Assistance (ODA) status. This status would facilitate contributions by donor countries to this area of development aid. It would be helpful if this working group could also advocate this step.

You have asked what mechanisms could facilitate the dissemination of information regarding capacity building. In our opinion, establishing an on-going UN forum for handling cyber issues could serve as such a mechanism for sharing capacity building needs and offers. ICT4Peace has made concrete proposals to this effect during the earlier OEWG which we re-affirm here.

As an active civil society organization, ICT4Peace has been engaged in cyber security capacity building for many years notably via training programs in regional contexts. For example, last month the ICT4Peace Academy in partnership with the OAS delivered the fourth five-day on-line course on international cyber diplomacy, law and norms. Over 45 policy makers and diplomats from Latin America and Caribbean countries participated in this course. Much of this training has focused on cyber diplomacy capacity building with the aim of ensuring that states, especially from developing countries, can participate in an effective manner in multilateral forums like this one where international cyber policy is being elaborated.

We stand ready to continue to contribute to global cyber capacity building as well as the development of other aspects of the OEWG’s work that will help promote a peaceful environment in cyber space.

Thank you.

Paul Meyer, Senior Advisor ICT4Peace

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