GOAL FOUR: International Cooperation NEW ZEALAND PROTECTS AND ADVANCES ITS INTERESTS ON CYBERSPACE ISSUES INTERNATIONALLY International engagement is essential for cyber security. The trans-boundary nature of cyberspace means the outcomes of international debates will affect how New Zealanders use and access the online world. International cooperation underpins the other goals of the Strategy. New Zealand supports the maintenance of a global Internet which ensures that all users are able to access, create and share information regardless of their location. This openness underpins the unique value of cyberspace, allowing it to act as an enabler of social and economic development. The benefits of connectivity depend on continuation of an open, innovative and secure cyberspace and, to ensure this, we need international partnerships. This includes developing norms and rules of the road, engaging in discussion about how international law applies online, and contributing to international debate on technical Internet governance and the evolving role states play in cyberspace. New Zealand needs to be active in these discussions to protect our interests. This involves deepening policy cooperation with a broad range of traditional and non-traditional partners, including other governments, industry and civil society. This will provide operational benefits, an opportunity to broaden support for key tenets of our vision for cyberspace and contribute to international cyber stability. New Zealand has recently become a member of the Freedom Online Coalition: a group of governments committed to working together to support Internet freedom and protect fundamental human rights online. Sharing threat information and best practice with international partners helps New Zealand to assess the cyber threat and put in place systems to address it. Cooperation and joint operations with international partners are essential to mitigating threats to New Zealand. Cybercrime investigation and prosecution requires close international law enforcement cooperation and raises complex jurisdictional issues. Improving confidence and understanding of cyber security issues is an important component of international stability. With particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region, New Zealand contributes to building cyber security capability in developing states, assists in the development of confidence building measures and cooperates on emergency responses to cyber incidents, including through exercises. New Zealand is one of 42 founding members of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), launched at the 4th Global Conference on Cyber Space in the Hague in 2015. The GFCE is intended to give momentum to global cyber security capacity building. Being recognised as a cyber secure country is important for New Zealand’s international credibility – including the ability of businesses to be internationally competitive and the attractiveness of New Zealand as a place to store data. New Zealand will need to work with key trading partners to ensure any cyber security measures put in place are not an impediment to New Zealand businesses. 10 New Zealand’s Cyber Security Strategy Action Plan 2015