Switzerland welcomes and supports the consensus reached by the UN GGE reports of
2013 and 2015 that international law applies to the activities of States in cyberspace.
Switzerland welcomes the international norms and principles contained in the UN GGE
report of 2015. Switzerland believes that it is now time to move forward and support
operationalisation of international law in the ICT environment.
Switzerland cautions against reopening norms, rules, and principles that have already
been agreed upon. This would put at risk the progressive successes of past UN GGEs.
Switzerland is convinced that the UN needs to continue to play a leading role in furthering
the international community’s understanding of existing and potential cyber threats as well
as of cooperative measures designed to address them. To this end, it is crucial to build on
the progress achieved so far in order to help consolidate, universalise and operationalise
the 2010, 2013 and 2015 UN GGE recommendations endorsed by the GA.
Switzerland is pleased that the OEWG format allows the wider UN membership to deal
with international cyber security needs as well as allow for a broader and more inclusive
participation, involving interested non-state actors, such as business, non-governmental
organisations, and academia. We will encourage the UN GGE to consider input of such
actors.
As a member of the OEWG and GGE, Switzerland will continue to advocate for the
promotion of international cyber stability that is based on the application of international
law, voluntary norms, rules and principles of responsible state behavior, confidence
building measures, and capacity building.
2. How the two groups can work best together
Switzerland participates in both UN processes and is fully committed to both of them.
Switzerland welcomes the multi-stakeholder approach of the OEWG and believes that this
is key for the success of the OEWG. It offers a unique opportunity to build wider
understanding of the topic.
Switzerland’s view is that the two processes should work in parallel to ensure coherence.
The two processes should be mutually reinforcing and there should be a functioning
information exchange between them.
Both processes should build on progress made over the last years and should not fall
behind what has already been achieved by the past UN GGEs.
A key task is to avoid contradiction, fragmentation or duplication in the activities of the two
processes. Until now, the UN membership has progressed in a unified and cohesive
manner on cybersecurity issues and it is crucial that this is maintained.
Both processes have very similar mandates and will to a large amount address the same
topics. With a view to increasing efficiency, it could therefore be useful to clarify, which
process could yield results faster in certain areas. These results would then be fed into
the other process.
3. General positions on agenda items
3.1 Existing and potential threats
Switzerland increasingly observes a stronger diversification, specialization and
professionalization with regard to cyber operations. Operations conducted through the
cyber domain have become more targeted, complex and sophisticated; their execution
requires high skills and expertise. This, in turn, increases the risk of miscalculation and
misunderstanding between states.
Switzerland is concerned by the fact that cyberspace is increasingly becoming a sphere
of power projection. Thus, States are using cyberspace to advance national security
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