22 Feb, 2021
Online
First Open Consultations and Multistakeholder Advisory Group Meeting (MAG)
In response to input from the IGF community a call for issues was launched in December 2020 with a deadline of 31 January 2021. Over 230 responses produced a set of issues. Some were indeed specific which is what was hoped for. These were clustered into seven areas and then prioritised by the MAG. After reviewing the issues and following the goals for a more focused IGF, it was decided on two main focus areas and four cross-cutting and emerging issue areas. This ‘issue-driven’ approach allowed to work with fewer issues treated in greater depth.
Following the advice of the MAG Working Group on IGF Strengthening and Strategy, that the “greater impact can be achieved by dealing with fewer policy issues in greater depth, making sure that relevant stakeholders participate in discussing these issues, and that the outcomes of the discussions are communicated effectively and strategically”, the issue-driven approach is expected to facilitate the creation of more focused and structured IGF outputs, including the “key messages”.
The MAG identified two 'baskets of issues': a ‘main focus area’ with only two issue areas, and an ‘emerging and cross cutting issue’ basket with four issue areas. This is intended to enable a more focused IGF, while at the same time keeping the IGF open for new and emerging issues and to give participants choice. A rough allocation of time/percentage of sessions has been proposed for each basket but MAG members felt that allocation within each basket should be flexible. A final decision on allocation of time/sessions can be made at a later stage, taking the quality and nature of proposals into account.
Organisers of the High-level Leaders and Parliamentary Tracks will be invited to also focus on these issue areas. NRIs, BPFs, DCs and PNs will also be invited to consider addressing these issues.
2021 IGF Main focus areas (outcome focused) with 60% estimated time allocation
- Economic and social inclusion and human rights
- Universal access and meaningful connectivity
2021 IGF Emerging and Cross-cutting issues (discussion driven) with 40% estimated time allocation
- Emerging regulation: market structure, content, data and consumer/users rights regulation
- Environmental sustainability and climate change
- Inclusive IG ecosystems and digital cooperation
- Trust, security, stability
13 Apr, 2021
Online
Water and Cyber Security: Protection of Critical Water-Related Infrastructure, Part II
The online event "Water and Cyber Security - Protection of Critical Water-related Infrastructure, part II" will take place on Tuesday, 13 April 2021 at 14:00-17:00 (CEST). The event is organized by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Slovenia to UNOG in Geneva, the Permanent Mission of Israel to UNOG in Geneva, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Microsoft.
The meeting will bring together experts from different countries, international organizations and the private sector to explore enhancements on implementation of SDG6 and SDG16 of the Agenda 2030. It will reaffirm commitment to multilateralism in the area of new challenges regarding water. To face these challenges, we need a networked multilateralism, strengthening coordination among multilateral and regional organizations; and an inclusive multilateralism, based on deep interaction with civil society, businesses, local and regional authorities and other stakeholders. Participants will explore possible practical follow-up to facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, and to discuss the implications of international law.
Themes & Topics
14 Apr, 2021
Online
Paths for multi-stakeholder engagement in the fight against cybercrime
Concluding a series of workshops on engaging civil society in the fight against cybercrime, this public event aims to explore practical ways for civil society engagement in the upcoming UN process on and in global cybercrime policymaking more generally.
It draws on concrete examples from the open-ended working group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security and on other UN processes on transnational crime.
The event includes representatives from states, civil society and private sector and aims to explore innovative ways for engagement and the prospects for multi-stakeholder coordination on cybercrime.
The discussion is being organised in collaboration with the European Union Institute for Security Studies and takes place in English, Spanish, and French.
15 Apr, 2021
Online
Community Talk #4 on Cyber Diplomacy
How much do we need to know about the cyber threats we’re facing?
For the Community Talk #4 we will focus on existing international info sharing mechanisms and challenges to this, as well as discuss the complexities of attribution when fighting the cyber threats we’re facing. For this we will discuss the two 2015 UN GGE norms B and D and their implementation.
Three simple questions to the experts will identify:
(i) what best practices/international mechanisms already exist for information sharing and exchange as well as for attribution;
(ii) where we failed and are failing: what we as a global community don’t know about threats we’re facing in cyberspace; and
(iii) what the priorities are for the global community in 2021 in this regard.
Organisation
11 - 13 Nov, 2021
Paris, France
Paris Peace Forum
The Paris Peace Forum is held every year on 11-13 November in Paris with the aim to place global governance at the top of the international agenda. Stakeholders discuss global governance issues and cooperate on solutions through three spaces:
- Space for Solutions: Presenting solutions for incremental change. All organizations can present their global governance project to a wide variety of stakeholders to showcase results and advance the initiative.
- Space for Debates: Discussing solutions rather than problems. Stakeholders discuss projects, initiatives, and ideas to address the challenges of our world.
- Space for Innovations: Developing digital prototypes. Experts help create technological solutions for the world of tomorrow.
In 2021, the Paris Peace Forum will focus on spurring a more inclusive recovery and offering initiatives to better tend to global challenges and global commons.
Organisation
28 - 29 Sep, 2021
the Hague, Netherlands (the)
One Conference 2021
The annual international cybersecurity conference "One Conference" will take place this year on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 September 2021 in the Netherlands.
During the conference, national and international experts from the business community, science and government talk about current developments in the field of cyber security. From technical to policy issues, the conference offers a broad range of topic. Moreover, it not only focuses on mere cyber security, but also on the economic opportunities offered by the cyber domain.
The conference is organized in cooperation between the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Municipality in The Hague. In alignment with the One Conference, the city aims to stimulate the exchange of cyber security knowledge, ideas and innovations for a more secure future. ECP, Platform for the Information Society offers support in the logistical organization of the conference.
Normally, this is a two-day conference and consists of a plenary programme, various breakout sessions and an Innovation Floor. Technical topics such as malware detection, incident response, law enforcement cases and less technical subjects, such as public-private partnerships or governance, are discussed. Attention is also given to research from industry and academia. Given the uncertainty involved in organizing large events, the One Conference team is keeping all scenarios open as to the format of this year's conference. We are considering a hybrid format that includes online streaming and on-site sessions with a live audience, within all limits of what can be allowed. More information on the format will be announced at a later date.
8 Apr, 2021
Online
The Weakest Link? Digital Technology and Cyber Security Capacity Building in the Global South
The world gets more interconnected, and the dependency of cyberspace and its infrastructure is now evident in most sectors. As the cyber domain is only as strong as the weakest link – there is a need for building security standards across countries to minimize threats.
Cyber threats and risks are particularly challenging for developing countries and nations affected by conflict and fragility. Therefore, there is a need for specific efforts toward those countries, as they are developing digital and physical infrastructures while being characterized by weak institutions, poor governance mechanisms, and limited resources. More info to come.
The webinar is part of the research project C3SA, and is connected to NUPI's Centre for Cyber Security Studies.
21 Apr, 2021
Online
Cyber in the Development Agenda – An Idea Whose Time Has Come
While cybersecurity has sometimes been seen as a "rich world problem," that's starting to change. This webinar will address the following issues:
- What is the current status of cybersecurity in the development agenda, and is there still resistance in the donor community to embrace the importance of cybersecurity?
- Why is it time for both donors and aid recipients to elevate the importance of cybersecurity in the development community's priority stack?
- Why is cybersecurity important to promote digital trust?
- Why is it in the interests of the developed world that developing countries are cyber secure?
- How should donors incorporate cybersecurity into their agenda? One option is to have cyber as a separate topic with particular cyber projects. The second option is to bake cyber into existing development projects instead of leaving it isolated as a separate specialization. Which option is better and why?
- How do we build up cybersecurity capacities in developing countries in a way that creates something sustainable, as opposed to a project that will collapse after donors leave?
- What are some of the leading cybersecurity initiatives donors are funding?
25 Mar, 2021
Online
CMM 2021 Edition Launch
Prompted by the changing threat landscape and corresponding cybersecurity practice, the Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre (GCSCC) has led a review of its Cybersecurity Capacity Maturity Model for Nations (CMM). To produce this CMM 2021 Edition the GCSCC undertook a global collaborative consultation exercise whose goal was to extract and synthesise the community’s latest knowledge. The result is a model that addresses new and evolving cybersecurity capacity needs and requirements that nations need to address to ensure that cyberspace and the systems dependent on it are resilient to increasing attacks.
At this webinar, the researchers and academics who lead the CMM revision will present the rationale behind the new edition and the process of the revision, as well as provide a snapshot of the changes done in each Dimension of the CMM. Followed by Q&A.
25 Mar, 2021
Online
Workshop 1: Conceptualising Cyber Diplomacy
The aim of the workshop is to bring all the CYDIPLO network teachers and researchers together and to build understanding within the project of a range of perspectives on cyber diplomacy, what it is, how we understand it from different academic disciplines, and how we can use the multidisciplinary expertise in the project to further the main project activities and outputs. As well as a series of roundtable discussion, the workshop will include talks from those actively involved in cyber diplomacy and leading academics in the field.
7 Apr, 2021
Online
The Fifth Edition of the National Italian Conference on Cybersecurity
From the 7th to the 9th of April, the Cybersecurity National Laboratory (CINI – National Interuniversity Consortium for Informatics) will host the fifth edition of ITASEC: the main national conference on cybersecurity.
The event, which will be held for the first time entirely for free and online, brings together researchers and professionals from academia, industry and government to discuss emerging challenges and established needs in the field of cybersecurity.
The rich program will include several scientific and general sessions that will address the broadest issues of cybersecurity, from the cyber diplomacy field to the cyber-risks in aerospace, exploring also the women’s role in this expanding market and the protection of strategic assets for national security.
Next to the sessions that imagine the future – a habit of our conference – wide space will be dedicated to the experiences that characterize our knowledge of the network and the way we interface with it: from 5G technology to the activities that promote a more secure European virtual space. In addition, ITASEC21 will also offer the opportunity to collect the experiences and the vision of our sponsors (Accenture, aizoOn, Blu5 group, Bv Tech, Cisco, Exabeam, Exprivia, Leonardo, Microsoft Italia and Minsait are the Platinum; 7Layers and Tiesse the Gold; Hermes bay as Silver) on the world of cybersecurity from a business point of view.
As usual, ITASEC21 will be hosting also a panel on the Italian’s “National Cyber Perimeter”, even more essential in the aftermath of a health crisis to which the country has responded by demonstrating great organizational skills to preserve both the world of industry and academia, thanks precisely to the use of digital and remote working.
30 Mar, 2021
Online
New Technologies and Cybersecurity: The Role of Gender
Join WIIS and the Embassy of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Washington DC on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 12 pm EST for a virtual policy roundtable discussion on the ways in which a critical gendered approach can be implemented in the cybersecurity and technology field moving forward.
Many discussions on gender and new technologies, including cybersecurity, focus on the lack of women in the field. While this is a critical question, this roundtable will focus on what it means to integrate a gender and feminist perspective in discussions around new technologies and cyber security. How does gender influence our thinking about cybersecurity? What are the gendered impacts of lethal autonomous weapons (drones) and how are gender perspectives included in current global governance efforts.
26 May, 2021
Online
Cyber Trends 2021
Now in its fifth year, Cyber Trends draws on the experience of industry practitioners, government representatives, and researchers to examine the current trends and what is on the horizon for the cybersecurity ecosystem, across the UK and around the world.
This year the debates will consider the impact of the global pandemic on the current and future cyber scene. We are at a critical juncture where new trends are appearing and transformative initiatives are taking place.
18 Mar, 2021
Online, United Kingdom
Human Rights in the Digital Age: State of Play in the Pacific
As a follow on from previous efforts, and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Global Partners Digital (GPD) has developed a report that looks at the state of play with regard to human rights in the digital age and civic engagement in the Pacific Commonwealth countries.
This webinar will be an opportunity for GPD to present the findings from the report and to gather stakeholders from the region to have a discussion about the key takeaways identified in the report.
Organisation
16 Mar, 2021
Online
Cybersecurity in Railways: Building a Resilient Railway Infrastructure Together
2021 marks the European Year of Rail - the European Commission initiative highlights the benefits of rail as a sustainable, smart and safe means of transport to support the delivery of its European Green Deal objectives in the transport field. Cybersecurity is a key requirement to enable railways to deploy and exploit the full extent of a connected, digital paradigm.
ENISA, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, and ERA, the EU Agency for Railways, have joined forces to organise a virtual Conference on Rail Cybersecurity. The conference will bring together experts to discuss the latest cybersecurity developments and challenges that the sector is facing. The aim is to foster the dialogue among railway organisations, policymakers, industry, researchers, and standardization and certification organizations.
The conference is divided into four sessions, where panellists and attendants will be able to discuss different topics:
Policy developments
Standards and certification for the railway sector
Results from research and innovation
Ways to share information and how to cooperate towards a more cyber secure railway sector in the EU.
