February 26, 2025, 11:00am-12:30pm
CITI Seminar on Global Digital Governance: International Cybersecurity Norms in the UN and Beyond
The United Nations' Open-Ended Working Group on Information and Communication Technologies 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.
Introduction of the topic
Eli Noam is Paul Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility, Emeritus, and Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information at Columbia Business School.
Moderator
William J. Drake is Director of International Studies at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information and an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School.
Panelists
Alexander Klimburg is a researcher and adviser at a number of US and European think-tanks, a former executive of the World Economic Forum, and the author of dozens of publications including the book, The Darkening Web. He was the initiator and director of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, which played an important role in advancing not only norms of behavior in cyberspace, but also the importance of the multistakeholder model in international governance. (Austria)
Sheetal Kumar is an independent consultant and expert on internet governance and human rights focusing on advocacy strategy development and implementation, capacity building and training, and research and stakeholder engagement in global policy forums. She previously headed Global Partner Digital's multilateral engagement to support rights-respecting norms and standards related to digital technology. (United Kingdom)
Christopher Painter is an expert on cybersecurity, cybercrime and cyber diplomacy. He has been a prosecutor of high-profile cybercrime cases and a senior official at the US Department of Justice, the FBI, and the National Security Council, and was the first dedicated high-level cyber diplomat at the State Department. Since leaving the government in late 2017, he has served as a Commissioner on the Global Commission for the Stability of Cyberspace, the President of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, and in other leadership roles related to cyber issues. (USA)
Discussant
Janis Karklins is Latvia's Ambassador at Large on the UN Global Agenda. Previously he was Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, the UN Organization in Geneva, and the UN Conference on Disarmament; founding Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence; Assistant Director-General of UNESCO; and Vice-President of the Preparatory Committee of the Geneva Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society and President of the Preparatory Committee of the Tunis Phase. (Latvia)