Bringing together diplomats, practitioners and experts engaging at the intersection of technology, international security and diplomacy, the workshop aimed to provide practical and substantive opportunity to reflect on the evolution of the UN framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace and discuss international cyber agenda.
Built on two sessions, the first session centred on the foundations and evolution of the normative framework. Discussions traced the trajectory of UN-led processes from the early Groups of Governmental Experts (GGE) to the Open-Ended Working Groups (OEWGs). Participants examined how international consensus has gradually been built on shared threat analysis, voluntary non-binding norms of state behaviour, confidence building measures, international law and capacity building, which constitute the framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
EU Member States have aligned around a common position affirming that existing international law governs state activities in cyberspace. The implementation of voluntary norms of responsible state behaviour and upholding international law was identified as a major priority among participants, with calls for the development of sufficient diplomatic capacity to translate these commitments into practice. The question of accountability for state behaviour was also brought to the fore, with EU Member States discussing best practices on threat information sharing and the coordinated attribution of cyberattacks.
The second session shifted focus from norm development to practical implementation of norms and capacity building. Participants discussed how effective norm implementation encompasses several interconnected dimensions, including the development of national cyber strategies, legislation and operational structures for critical cyber infrastructure protection. Moreover, participants agreed that the effectiveness of current cyber capacity-building efforts rests on partnerships and trust, and that capacity building extends well beyond the technical domain, encompassing political and diplomatic dimensions that are equally consequential. Experts drew attention to that advancing capacity building requires better coordination, more targeted support and a nuanced understanding of what works across different regional contexts.
The workshop reinforced a central message: while the establishment of a normative framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace represented an essential and hard-won first step, the challenge ahead lies in implementation. The prospects for a stable and secure cyberspace will ultimately depend on how effectively states translate shared principles into coordinated, concrete action as well as on the capacity and institutional support required to do so.
Workshop was opened by Manon Le Blanc, the cyber coordination at the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Helen Popp, the cyber ambassador of Estonia. Speakers in the first session were Helen Popp, Chris Painter (former US DoS cyber coordinator) and Liis Vihul (founder of Cyber Law International), led by moderator Sithuraj Ponraj from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore. The second session featured Gert Auväärt (Director of NCSC-EE and the Deputy Director of Estonian Information System Authority), Felix Kroll (Head of Cyber Policy Coordination Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany) and Marcel Garcia (First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the UN), led by moderator Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar (co-founder of Cyber Policy Group).
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eucybernet/albums/72177720332811242/
