A/75/123 to, malicious tools, the existence of vulnerabilities and the proliferation of certain tools) have allowed a number of actors to carry out espionage, illegal trafficking, destabilization and sabotage. While some low-intensity threats are not a matter of national security but rather a form of crime, the use of such tools against State information systems, critical infrastructure or businesses can have serious consequences. Issues related to cybersecurity are now an integral part of the power strategies and power relationships that govern international relations; this is both a priority and a prime political issue. France believes that States must retain their monopoly on legitimate violence, both in cyberspace and elsewhere. However, the spread of digital technology as a new tool and sphere of conflict gives the private sector, in particular a number of system actors, a critical role and unprecedented responsibility in safeguarding international peace and security. 2. Efforts of France in the field of cybersecurity at the national and international levels, and views of France on the substance of the concepts mentioned in the reports of the Group of Governmental Experts France has for several years been pursuing a policy and engaging in active diplomacy to preserve, develop and promote an open, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful cyberspace, and address threats to international stability and security. The work of the first five Groups of Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security, in which France participated, enabled progress in the definition of common principles and in the collective understanding of cyberspace, particularly in the areas of international cooperation, standards and the application of international law. Action taken by France in relation to international cooperation, capacity building, and the promotion and development of confidence-building measures France promotes international cooperation on cybersecurity at the bilateral, European and international levels. In order to enhance the cyberresilience of the European Union, France is helping to develop a voluntary cooperation framework for the prevention and resolution of incidents. The framework is based, in particular, on the development of common operational norms and procedures for cooperation among partners; those standards and procedures are tested through pan-European exercises. France has also participated in the creation of a “cybertoolbox” that provides a European framework for a joint diplomatic response to cyberattacks and is based on prevention, cooperation, stabilization and response measures, in particular re strictive measures, related to cyberincidents. France is also participating in the development of the CyCLONe network for the organization of operational cooperation among European national cybersecurity agencies in the event of cybercrises, and in joint e xercises to prepare for cybercrises as a complement to cooperation among those agencies’ computer emergency response teams. Within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, at the initiative of France, the allies adopted, at the Warsaw Summit in June 2016, a commitment to cyberdefence, the “Cyber Defence Pledge”, in which every member State undertook to devote an appropriate share of its resources to strengthening its cyberdefence capabilities, thereby improving the alliance’s overall security. As an active participant in the informal working group on cybersecurity of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), France continues to promote the implementation of the 16 confidence-building measures developed by 20-08285 31/84