Session
Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
Louise Marie Hurel, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Civil Society, WEOG James Shires, European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative (ECCRI), Civil Society, WEOG
Yasmine Azzouzi, International Telecommunications Union, Intergovernmental, WEOG
Erik Kursetgjerde, NATO/CCDCOE, Intergovernmental, WEOG
Anni Adamson, European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative (ECCRI), Civil Society, WEOG
Louise Marie Hurel, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Civil Society, WEOG; James Shires, European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative (ECCRI), Civil Society, WEOG
Targets: The session focusses on bringing cross-regional, multistakeholder, and interdisciplinary communities of practice together. In so doing, it’s activities speak directly to SDG 17.16 which seeks to encourage and promote effective multistakeholder partnerships. It also connects to SDG 17.13 through the creation of a space that allows for a discussion that can support enhanced policy coordination and policy coherence in global mechanisms to address systemic issues such as cyber stability and security.
Roundtable
Opening with organisers explaining the session (10min), followed by 2-3 speakers reflecting on the importance of an inclusive cyber policy network (10min), a speed “dating” session (15min), small-group activities where participants would be invited to reflect on some of the guiding questions outlined in the description (20min), and closing remarks (5min) In preparation for the session: We will be reaching out to other regional experts and the NRI network to ensure that both speakers and attendees reflect the cross-regional and multistakeholder audience for the networking event. We will also continually update the list of speakers as we have more visibility of attendees. The current list of speakers is not the final one.
Throughout the past decades, many of the international discussions on the governance of cybersecurity and stability in cyberspace have concentrated in specific multilateral bodies. While important and relevant in setting the expected ‘rules of the road’ for responsible behaviour in cyberspace, it is a snapshot of a broader landscape of other international/regional institutions working in this field. What is more, many of these places are less open or accessible for researchers, civil society organisations and technical experts. Additionally, although international institutions are often the target of civil society research and advocacy, civil society organizations do not always engage with those institutions in the most effective ways. Moreover, while civil society engagement is a crucial and often mandatory part of international institution programmes and activities, this is not always sufficiently inclusive or comprehensive. These and other challenges have often contributed to fragmented or siloed communities working in this field. The Internet Governance Forum provides a unique platform for these different communities of practice to come together and meaningfully connect to inform/support future cyber policy dialogues. With this in mind, RUSI’s Global Partnership for Responsible Cyber Behaviour (GP-RCB) and the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative (ECCRI) are co-organising a networking session to bring the cyber policy community together for a dynamic, diverse and cross-regional exchange on cyber policy topics. This session aims to bring together IGF participants from civil society, technical community, academia,, technical community, academia, and intergovernmental institutions, such as NATO and the ITU (and among others). It will also focus on identifying and inviting mid/early-career individuals to facilitate a cross-regional and multistakeholder dialogue on the following topics: - What is the role of the IGF in bridging the gaps of multistakeholder cyber policy communities? - What other spaces/stakeholders can facilitate more inclusive international/regional/local dialogues? - Reflecting on your region, what are the main blockers/opportunities for cross-sectoral dialogues? About RUSI’s Global Partnership for Responsible Cyber Behaviour (GP-RCB) - a cross-regional platform launched in 2023 during the IGF in Kyoto comprised of over 70 researchers dedicated to a more practice and regionally-sensitive view of cyber policy discussions: https://rusi.org/networks/global-partnership-responsible-cyber-behaviou… About ECCRI - an organisation dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary research on cyber conflict and statecraft in Europe and beyond: https://eccri.eu/
The new and interactive networking format certainly comes with an expectation of bringing participants that are attending the IGF in person for a meaningful and insightful exchange on the above-mentioned topics. To ensure effective participation online and offline, the online moderator will be sharing the questions via Slido or another interactive platform that will allow online participants to submit their responses. In-person attendees will also be invited to do so - which will allow for a full hybrid engagement and consolidation of responses. We will be exploring innovative and dynamic ways of portraying results such as using the platforms to develop word clouds based on the answers. All of this will be equally important for the consolidation of the information for the submission of the session report.