IGF 2024 Open Forum #53 Safeguarding Critical Infrastructure Beyond Borders

Cyber-resilient digital infrastructure and connectivity play an essential role in fostering sustainable development. The Internet powers critical societal services, from healthcare and education to e-commerce and civic engagement. However, the rise of malicious cyber activities targeting critical infrastructure delivering essential services across borders poses an increasing threat to societies. Such activities can have potential cascading effects across borders and jurisdictions. Such spillover effects can also escalate regional and global tensions. In this context, strengthening collaborative efforts - across governments, civil society, the technical community and the private sector - to protect critical infrastructure at the national, regional, and global level is paramount.

While global consensus acknowledges the imperative to bolster cyber resilience of critical infrastructure, it is becoming essential to build capacity and increase collaboration between the diplomatic and technical communities. Such capacity building and cross-sectoral collaboration are crucial to implement the UN framework for responsible state behavior in cyberspace and to protect essential digital services. Recent agreements in the UN - including at the UN Open-ended Working Group on ICT security (OEWG) - call for safeguarding transnational critical infrastructure through increased exchanges on good practices and the establishment of communication channels between states to mitigate ICT incidents and prevent escalation.

This open forum aims to bring the IGF diplomatic and technical communities together to share experiences and good practices at regional and international level and to identify actionable steps to safeguard critical infrastructure delivering services across borders. Specifically, this open forum will explore how to engage the multi-stakeholder community, how to break silos between diplomatic and technical expertise, and how to foster greater cooperation among national cybersecurity agencies and computer emergency response teams. Additionally, the co-conveners will address what initiatives exist in this space and how to empower experts, particularly from developing countries, to effectively participate in them. Finally, participants will discuss how a future UN permanent forum on cybersecurity could contribute to a cyber-resilient digital infrastructure for the Internet we want.

To ensure seamless interaction between onsite and online participants, after the interactive panel discussion, the organizers will prioritize questions and interventions from the online audience before turning to onsite participants, ensuring inclusivity and equal engagement across both groups. Utilizing Slido online polling tools, we will collect input and written resources on the subject of critical infrastructure protection from all attendees. This will provide opportunities for all attendees to actively contribute and exchange ideas on this topic. The organizers will also leverage complementary online tools and platforms such as Slido and online polling tools to collect input and encourage engagement during the session. These tools will enable us to collect questions, gather feedback, and facilitate interactive polls in real time, enhancing engagement and fostering a sense of community among participants, regardless of their location. By incorporating these interactive elements and encouraging active participation from both online and onsite attendees, we aim to create a dynamic and inclusive discussion where diverse perspectives are not only valued, heard, and but also recorded to subsequently inform formal UN deliberations within the OEWG and more broadly.