With the number of threats increasing in cyberspace, the views between states on how to deal with those threats and how to govern cyberspace more generally are diverging rather than converging.
This reflects the different interests and visions of cyberspace, whether global and open, or sovereign and controlled. However, between these two distinct pillars lies a large number of countries which do not fit neatly into one or the other camps – yet.
Many of these countries are in the process of developing their internet policies and they are part of the ongoing UN negotiations on the issue of security in the use of information communications technologies (ICTs).
However, they are facing a challenge of how to make an informed decision on the strategies and policies that they need to adopt and that would sit well with their other socio-economic and security priorities.
With the fragmented debate on cyberspace governance and the proliferation of initiatives, as well as the upcoming parallel UN forums, the challenge is becoming increasingly complex.
This video is also available in various other languages via our YouTube playlist, and is part of a larger project entitled Cyberspace4All: Towards an inclusive approach to cyberspace governance.
This project aims to create an inclusive approach to cyber governance through a series of activities, including regional conferences, multimedia outputs and a special issue of the Journal of Cyber Policy.
Through these activities, the project will help
- Create a shared language and references on international cyber governance
- Raise awareness on key developments in the two UNGA forums and key ongoing initiatives
- Help inform states policies on cyber norms in preparation for their engagements in the UN negotiations
- Provide a productive space to facilitate debate and discussion for ALL on key developments around international cyber governance.