This extract is taken from the September 2018 issue of The digest, GPD’s flagship newsletter. Sign up here.
*
This month, the GPD cyber team was in Singapore for the Annual Meeting of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), of which we’re a partner organisation.
A few takeaways from the meeting:
-
There were a lot more civil society groups than usual (including four of our partners), an encouraging sign both that the forum is opening up, and that a wider range of stakeholders is taking an interest in it.
-
Alongside the expected focus on cyber capacity building, there was a strong emphasis on multistakeholder approaches to cyber policy development, and in particular sharing examples of good practice in implementation.
Next month, we’ll be launching a podcast mini-series examining how these multistakeholder approaches are playing out on the ground. In the meantime, take a look at our recent paper on good practice in national cybersecurity strategy development.
We also dropped into the open hearings of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC), which is discussing a range of norms around responsible behaviour in cyberspace. At the moment it’s still unclear whether there will be a link between the Commission’s work and outputs and the newly instated United Nations High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation (or, indeed, whether the panel will be addressing cyber issues at all).
Notes
-
It’s likely that this session of the UN General Assembly will see a range of cybersecurity initiatives presented, including efforts to secure a global cybersecurity treaty. One to watch.
-
Two important new cyber resources to be aware of: first, the ITU’s detailed guide to national cybersecurity strategy (NCSS) development, a useful read for anyone engaging in such processes (or interested generally in NCSSs); second, ENISA’s NCSS evaluation tool.
-
The GFCE meeting in Singapore comes on the back of two major new cyber developments in Asia; the opening of the ASEAN-Singapore Cyber Security Centre of Excellence and the ASEAN-Japan Cyber Security Capacity Building Centre. These initiatives show that, while the conversation on global norms appears to be stalled, progress is still being made on the ground.