Skr. 2016/17:213 Threats and vulnerabilities Cyberattacks constitute a growing challenge. States will therefore want to develop international cooperation in order to reduce their vulnerability and enhance their resilience, including those of the EU and NATO for cyber security and cyber defence. Cyber security must also be taken into account in the context of emerging threat scenarios that are characterised by a combination of open and covert instruments used in an antagonistic and destabilising manner, which also explicitly encompasses and concerns civil society as a whole. International cooperation thus also increasingly encompass the broader issue of influence campaigns and disinformation, with a potential impact on democratic processes, traditional media and social media. The Government is pursuing developed cooperation within the EU, OSCE and with NATO, and in relation to selected strategic partner countries that share Sweden’s interests. Cooperation on the conditions in Sweden’s surrounding region have special priority, e.g. the Swedish-Finnish, Nordic and Nordic-Baltic cooperation. International standards are an important issue in the area of cyber security. Developed and negotiated within Europe and in other international contexts, standards are a prerequisite for cross-border solutions. Human rights and global development Human rights apply universally, including online. The Government maintains that a rights-based approach should be a starting point of discussions concerning the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation. Privacy and security in the cyber area are a prerequisite for enabling individuals to exercise their rights and freedoms and to make use of the possibilities of information technology. Access to an open, free and secure internet constitutes an important instrument for the global enhancement of human rights, democracy, the rule of law and development. The internet opens new channels for people to communicate, interact and express their opinions and to promote their interests in a globalised world to an extent that has not previously been possible. Greater access to information and knowledge also promotes gender equality. Digital transformation and developments in information technology are increasingly a significant engine for economic and social development, not least in terms of creating conditions for the independence of poor people and women and their opportunities for work, and for innovative solutions to development problems in education, finance, agriculture, health and the environment. The Government will work to      enhance Sweden’s overall action as a stakeholder within relevant international processes (including the UN, EU, OSCE and in partnership with NATO) and in cooperation with like-minded countries (in the Nordic region, the surrounding region, within the EU and with global partners), counteract tendencies towards the fragmentation of the internet and the restriction of global flows, counteract a state-led administration of the internet and safeguard the roles and responsibilities of non-state actors, enhance international cooperation on cyber security and cyber defence in order to manage threats and vulnerabilities, enhance international cooperation on the application of international law and the prevention of conflicts, e.g. through the establishment of voluntary standards and confidence-building measures, 26