Opening Remarks
Michael Teodori, President of the Washington Foreign Law Society
Featured Speakers
H.E. Amb. Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations and other Organizations in Geneva
Prior to this, Ambassador Lauber served from 2015 as Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York. During this time, he also served as Chair of the first Open-ended Working Group on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security (2019-2021). This was the first time all States, the private sector, NGOs and others were included in UN discussions of ways to address cyber risks. He has a law degree from the University of Zurich.
Ms. Allison Pytlak, Program Manager, Disarmament Program of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Ms. Pytlak contributes to WIPLF’s monitoring and analysis of UN disarmament processes including those on cyber security, as well as to its research and advocacy to advance feminist perspectives on international security issues. She was closely involved in efforts to ensure civil society engagement in the UN’s first cyber OEWG and participated in all of its substantive meetings
Moderated By
Debra Decker, Board Member of the Washington Foreign Law Society and Stimson Center Senior Advisor
Additional Resources:
UN First Committee
- Final reports of the recent GGE and recent OEWG with Chair’s report and background papers
- Info on and registration for participation in new OEWG
Discussions of UN’s various cyber efforts
- Overview of UN System Actors, Processes and Activities on ICT-related issues of Interest to the OEWG
- Publication from UNIDIR on the relationship b/w the First and Third Committee processes
- Accountability paper from UNIDIR on due diligence in cyberspace
On Third Committee process on cybercrime and treaty discussions
- Background info/call for participation in Ad Hoc committee on Cybercrime
- The UNODC as the “host” entity in the UN for the Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime
- Backgrounder from DigWatch: https://dig.watch/processes/cybercrime-ad-hoc-committee/
Ways to get involved/stay informed
- Info on Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace, which s to shape a joint vision regarding the security of digital products with leading businesses
- Follow Let’s Talk Cyber Initiative
- Subscribe to Reaching Critical Will and Digital Watch newsletters
- Join ICANN – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
On stakeholders’ participation in UN efforts
- Paris Call Working Group 3 (WG3) on “Advancing the UN Negotiations on Cybersecurity with a Strong Multistakeholder Approach,” which the Cybersecurity Tech Accord has chaired
- Joint paper: stakeholders-OEWG.pdf (reachingcriticalwill.org) –
- Podcast about role of civil society in cyberspace: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/11/who-rules-cyberspace-engaging-civil-society
- Examples of good stakeholder engagement in other UN First Committee processes: https://www.gp-digital.org/publication/ngo-participation-in-multilateral-and-multistakeholder-forums-good-practice-examples/
- Paper on gender and international cyber security
On the Cyber Programme of Action (PoA) and other efforts
- Working Paper for a Programme of Action (PoA) to advance responsible State behavior in the use of ICTs in the context of international security, submitted by France and Egypt on behalf of the PoA co-sponsors
- Lessons learned from the small arms Programme of Action (PoA): https://reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/publications-and-research/publications/15159-programming-action-observations-from-small-arms-control-for-cyber-peace
- Application of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to Cyberwarfare Prepared by the Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein to the United Nations, and supported by Switzerland and others
- Submission to the UN Working Group on the use of Mercenaries, about the human rights impact of cyber mercenaries
- Cyber Policy Portal – UNIDIR’s monitoring of national policies, suggested States call out international laws and norms when violated and the Portal monitor these.
