Ireland’s observations on the pre-draft of the report of the OEWG on developments in the
field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security
Ireland thanks the Chairman of the OEWG on developments in the field of information and
telecommunications in the context of international security, his team, the United Nations
Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament
Research (UNIDIR) for their work to date. We value the opportunity presented by the
Chairman to comment on this comprehensive initial pre-draft report. This approach reflects
the fairness, transparency and inclusivity that have been key features of the OEWG since the
first substantive meeting in September 2019. This has encouraged strong engagement from
Member States and promoted extensive discussion, facilitating greater mutual
understanding on core issues; in this regard the pre-draft report correctly recognises (para
43) that the OEWG could be considered to be a confidence-building mechanism in its own
right.
Ireland recognises the immediate and urgent need for Member States to focus on the
unprecedented challenges currently faced by the global community in the face of the
COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to future engagement with the Chairman and other
Member States to support and advance the OEWG process.
Ireland supports the submission from the European Union (EU) on the pre-draft report and
would also like to make the following initial general observations on elements of the report
in advance of the next meeting of the OEWG:
Stakeholder engagement
The participation of a broad range of key non-Governmental stakeholders has also been an
important and welcome component of the OEWG process to date and the critical and multifaceted role played by these stakeholders in promoting a safe and stable cyberspace is
evident throughout this pre-draft report. Ireland values the engagement of nonGovernmental stakeholders in its work in all UN fora. The OEWG intersessional stakeholder
meeting that took place from 2-4 December 2019 (which Ireland was delighted to sponsor),
and other stakeholder participation, have greatly enriched discussions at the OEWG. Ireland
considers that enhanced participation by stakeholders in future OEWG meetings is
necessary and should be formalised. Ireland also suggests that the valuable stakeholder
input to OEWG discussions to date could be more strongly reflected throughout the predraft report. References to the different roles played by key stakeholders (civil society,
academic, technical and industry) in promoting a safe cyberspace would also be welcome.
We suggest that consideration be given to incorporating the summary report of the
December OEWG intersessional meeting into the pre-draft report or annexing it. We would
also propose that the pre-draft report include a reference to the calls made by Ireland and
other Member States during interventions for greater stakeholder engagement at OEWG
meetings.
1