2022 Let’sTalkCyber Diplomacy and the Indo–Pacific

2022 - Let’sTalkCyber Diplomacy and the Indo-Pacific – International Negotiations on Cybersecurity

The multistakeholder community has a vital role to play in shaping international discussions at the United Nations on responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, cybercrime, and the future of global digital cooperation, including through the:

Second Open-ended Working Group, launched in December 2021, to consider the cumulative and evolving Framework of Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace; Ad Hoc Committee on cybercrime, launched in February 2022, to elaborate an international cybercrime convention; and United Nations Global Digital Compact, a new political declaration due to be adopted at the Summit of the Future in September 2023, with a multi-stakeholder digital technology track charged with outlining shared principles for an open, free, and secure digital future for all. Meaningfully addressing the risks and harnessing the opportunities afforded by cyberspace requires enhanced cooperation and collaboration with a diverse range of interested stakeholders – including from across the Indo-Pacific region. But how involved can industry, civil society, academia and the broader multistakeholder community be in these discussions? What about the multistakeholder community in Asia and the Pacific who might feel excluded from these discussions heavily centred around Vienna, Geneva and New York?

Hosted during Singapore International Cyber Week 2022, this Let’sTalkCyber session aimed to engage representatives from states and members of the Indo-Pacific multistakeholder community with a particular focus on local and regional civil society groups, NGOs and regional technology companies. The session focused on exploring the important role that the multistakeholder community plays in UN cyber discussions, delving into the incentives for these actors to engage in these forums and the valuable input that they can provide.