JUNE 2020
Public Consultation: responsible state behaviour in cyberspace in the context of international security
Summary of public submissions on developing best practice guidance on implementation of
the 11 norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace articulated in the 2015 GGE Report
(A/70/174i), as endorsed by the UN General Assembly (A/RES/70/237ii)
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade conducted a public consultation process to inform Australia's
engagement in the 6th UN Group of Governmental Experts on Advancing responsible State behaviour in cyberspace in the
context of international security (GGE) and the inaugural UN Open Ended Working Group on Developments in the field of
information and telecommunications in the context of international security (OEWG).
Below are verbatim excerpts from those public submissions which provided examples and suggestions of best practice
implementation of one, some or all of the agreed norms of responsible state behaviour set out in the 2015 GGE report
(A/70/174), as endorsed by the UN General Assembly (A/RES/70/237). Full versions of these submissions can be found on
DFAT’s website.iii The examples below represent the views of the organisations that submitted them and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government. Examples of Australian Government implementation of each
norm can be found in Australia’s OEWG Paper from September 2019.iv Commentary and examples of best practice
implementation of the norms from Australia’s representative to the GGE are also available on DFAT’s website.v
Norm
Examples of best practice implementation of the Norm
Taking into account existing and emerging threats, risks and vulnerabilities, and building upon the assessments
and recommendations contained in the 2010 and 2013 reports of the previous Groups, the present Group offers the
following recommendations for consideration by States for voluntary, non-binding norms, rules or principles of
responsible behaviour of States aimed at promoting an open, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful ICT environment:
(a) Consistent with the
purposes of the United
Nations, including to
maintain international
peace and security,
States should
cooperate in
developing and
applying measures to
increase stability and
security in the use of
ICTs and to prevent ICT
practices that are
acknowledged to be
harmful or that may
pose threats to
international peace
and security
Australian
Strategic
Policy
Institute,
International
Cyber Policy
Centre
Global
Partners
Digital
Implementation of norms are demonstrated by states’ actions, capabilities, and
strategic policy direction. As this norm deals with promoting inter-state cooperation
on matters of international ICT security, examples of implementation include:
-
States’ participation in cybersecurity forums as part of existing bilateral,
multilateral or multi-stakeholder frameworks. Examples include political forums
like ASEAN, ASEAN Regional Forum, East Asia Summit and the Pacific Island
Forum; as well as technical and sectoral forums like ICANN, ISO, ITU and FIRST
and INTERPOL, Freedom Online Coalition and the Bern Group for intelligence
cooperation respectively.
-
States’ (active) participation in the current OEWG and UNGGE, and/or their
informal and intersessional meetings
-
States conducting bilateral, trilateral or multilateral cyber policy dialogues, like
the Australia-Indonesia dialogue, or the Japan-ASEAN dialogue
-
States possessing operational capacities in the form of Ministries of Foreign
Affairs and/or National Cybersecurity Agencies to engage in international
cooperation and to be part of international dialogues
-
States’ policy documents (like Australia’s International Cyber Engagement
Strategy), recorded interventions at the OEWG and/or statements by Cabinet
ministers about matters of international cybersecurity.
There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between the efforts to maintain
international peace and security and human rights. Any measures to increase
stability and security in the use of ICTs should therefore be humancentric and
rights-respecting. Specifically, when it comes to regulatory and policy frameworks in
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