WEBCAST FEB 26 – International Cybersecurity Norms in the UN and Beyond
On Wednesday February 26, 2025, at 11:00-12:30 EST (16:00-17:30 UTC), the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, as part of its Global Digital Governance series, presents a webinar ‘International Cybersecurity Norms in the UN and Beyond‘.
The United Nations’ Open-Ended Working Group on Information and Communication Technologies (OEWG) is meeting February 17–21 in New York. The OEWG is mandated from 2021 to 2025 to promote dialogue and the development of norms of responsible state behavior regarding interstate cybersecurity and cyberconflict. The meeting could be marred by long-standing controversies over the design of new norms and obligations, the application of international law, confidence building measures, the participation of stakeholders in intergovernmental cybersecurity discussions, and the design of the new permanent UN forum for these issues to be launched next year. In addition, there are divisions on a Russian proposal to negotiate a legally binding UN Cybersecurity Convention in the wake of the recently adopted and problematic Cybercrime Convention.
The current OEWG is part of a matrix of processes that have been struggling to build consensus on the international rules of the game for cybersecurity. This includes a previous OEWG that ran from 2019 to 2021, six UN Groups of Governmental Experts convened between 2004 to 2021, and other multilateral discussions. In parallel, multistakeholder collaborations and the private sector have advanced a number of proposals for international norms and regimes.
The purpose of this webinar is to step back from the details of these individual processes and take stock of the big picture state of play in international cybersecurity negotiations. What are the key battle lines between states and their respective coalitions, and what has and has not been achieved in consequence? Has multistakeholder participation in the UN and nongovernmental initiatives influenced the governance landscape? How consequential can multilateral frameworks be in shaping the behavior of states, in particular the major powers?
A panel of leading experts on cybersecurity norms and the UN negotiations will lead off the discussion, and then the rest of the session will be devoted to open conversation among all interested attendees.
The session will be simulcast live by ISOC LIVE.
INTRODUCTION
Eli Noam, Director, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Columbia Business School.
PANEL
Alexander Klimburg (Austria)
Sheetal Kumar (UK)
Christopher Painter (USA)
DISCUSSANT
Janis Karklins (Latvia)
MODERATOR
William J. Drake, Director of International Studies, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
LIVESTREAM https://youtu.be/WR7b5i-Ccz8
PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/43wcpmX
REAL TIME TEXT (See ISOC.LIVE)
TWITTER #OEWG #cybernorms @wjdrake @Elinoam @Columbia_Biz | MASTODON | BLUESKY | INSTA
SIMULCASTS
https://www.twitter.com/ISOC_Live/
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/
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