Multilateral engagement key to open and secure cyberspace

VIENNA/STOCKHOLM, 4 May 2021 — With society more interconnected through technology than ever before, multilateral engagement is key to building confidence and trust to ensure an open and secure cyberspace, participants agreed during the opening session of the OSCE-wide Cyber/ICT Security Conference held online today.

“Due to the global nature of cyberspace, attention is increasingly turning to multilateral organizations, including the OSCE, to promote dialogue for maintaining an open, secure and reliable internet. With its confidence-building measures, the OSCE is a frontrunner in building trust in cyberspace,” said Ambassador Ulrika Funered, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the OSCE, during her opening remarks

This year’s annual OSCE-wide Cyber/ICT Security Conference is organized by Sweden’s 2021 OSCE Chairpersonship with the support of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department’s Co-ordination Cell. The Cyber/ICT Security Conference has brought together around 150 policymakers and experts from across the OSCE region.

The Conference is also co-hosted by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and it will form part of the 2021 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development, where OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ann Linde, OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, United Nations Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed and others will participate.

The Conference will explore the opportunities and challenges presented by information communication technologies (ICTs) in conflict prevention in cyberspace and how to reduce risks of conflict stemming from the use of ICTs. Panelists and participants will also share their experiences from across countries, organizations and sectors, with a particular focus on the OSCE and its 16 cyber/ICT security Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs).

Reflecting on the reliance on ICTs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alena Kupchyna, Co-ordinator of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, said, “With this accelerated digitalization of our society, we are increasingly looking to multilateral organizations to facilitate a stable and secure cyberspace.” She outlined how the OSCE supports national, regional and international efforts in cyber/ICT security and what part CBMs play in promoting the safe and secure use of ICTs as well as their contribution to the responsible use of cyberspace.

The Conference features three sessions that will provide participants with an opportunity to learn about how OSCE field operations are working on cyber/ICT security (session 2); how CBMs and lessons learned from the OSCE can be used in the Middle East (session 1); and the role of social media in peacebuilding (session 3). Session 1 on preventing conflict and building trust in cyberspace in the Middle East, and session 3 on new frontiers in peacebuilding and the role of social media, are also part of the 2021 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development organized by the SIPRI and Sweden’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.