Promoting greater engagement in international cyber diplomacy negotiations

Participants at an OSCE training event on international cyber diplomacy (OSCE/Seher Ciplak) Photo details

On 4 and 6 November, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department held its third annual training event on international cyber diplomacy in Vienna, Austria. The event gathered 26 participants from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Caucasus and Mongolia to build national capacities to engage in international cyber policy deliberations.

"Inclusivity helps us to make the most of the different expertise and perspectives available, as well as to secure broader support for solutions by ensuring more parties are brought into them from the outset - whether that is regional solutions here at the OSCE or global solutions at the UN," said Eleanor Rees, the Deputy Head of Cyber Policy Department of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, United Kingdom.

The first edition of this training event was organized in 2022 to underline the importance of participating in international discussions on cyberspace. As these discussions grow in both significance and complexity, it is essential for all states to develop a good understanding of the issues discussed, and to have the resources required to make meaningful contributions.

"While the OSCE mainly focuses on confidence-building measures in cyberspace, our capacity-building activities support the broader implementation of the international framework of responsible state behaviour. This approach resonates with OSCE participating States, as shown by the strong interest in attending this training event" said Szilvia Toth, Cyber Security Officer at the OSCE Transnational Threats Department.

Speaking on behalf of the United Kingdom as the main activity sponsor, Ms. Rees added that "the UK is delighted to be supporting this third edition of the OSCE's cyber diplomacy training, which is happily becoming something of an annual tradition. We also supported the first edition back in 2022 and it is great to see how the programme has evolved, meaning that it hopefully remains accessible to colleagues attending for the first time but also offers new elements for those participants returning for the second or third time".

The training event, organized on the margins of the OSCE's Informal Working Group established by Permanent Council Decision No. 1039 on the development of confidence-building measures to reduce the risks of conflict stemming from the use of information and communication technologies, was delivered as part of the "Activities and customized support for the implementation of OSCE cyber/ICT security confidence-building measures" project, with the support of the United Kingdom.