A. Introduction Ireland welcomes the introduction, including the references (paragraph 5) to the OEWG building on the consensus achieved in earlier reports. We support the emphasis placed in the introduction on the urgent need to address the digital divide and digital gender divide and the recognition that “developments in ICTs have implications for all three pillars of the United Nations’ work: peace and security, human rights and sustainable development”. B. Existing and Potential Threats and Challenges Ireland supports the recognition in the pre-draft report that measures to promote responsible state behaviour in cyberspace should remain technology neutral and humancentric. This section of the report could highlight more explicitly that the focus of the OEWG should be on actor behaviour and the responsible use of technology, rather than the technology itself. While recognising the challenges highlighted in paragraph 19 regarding categorisation, Ireland attaches a high priority to the protection of critical infrastructure, and the human costs of malicious cyber activity against critical infrastructure including during global crises. In this regard, we note with concern reports of cyberattacks against health, medical and related services during the current pandemic. The recognition that a multi-fora, multi-stakeholder approach to addressing threats and challenges is welcome but we suggest that this be given greater prominence in this section. C. International Law Ireland believes strongly in the applicability and centrality of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, international humanitarian law (IHL), and international human rights law, to cyberspace. Ireland supports the reference in paragraph 25 of the predraft report that recalls the view that IHL is fully applicable in cyberspace and that IHL applicability in cyberspace should not be misunderstood as legitimizing the use of force between States in this domain. Ireland also supports the references in paragraph 26. Ireland notes the intention to reflect and record the important contributions made by all Member States during OEWG meetings in this pre-draft report. During the first and second OEWG meetings, Ireland and the majority of other Member States (and most stakeholders during the intersessional meeting) outlined their reservations on proposals to adapt existing international law and the drafting of a new legal instrument. The next draft of the report could seek to better reflect the levels of consensus (or disagreement) on this and on other areas of discussion. D. Rules, Norms and Principles for Responsible State Behaviour Ireland welcomes the acknowledgement in the opening paragraph of this section on the importance of norms and the consensus agreed by the General Assembly that all states should be guided in their use of ICTs by the 2015 report of the Group of Government 2