GGE in 2014/2015 In 2014 and 2015, a new GGE convened. The Group agreed on a substantive consensus report (A/70/174) on norms, rules or principles of the responsible behaviour of States in the cyber-sphere as well as confidence building measures, international cooperation and capacity building, which could have wider application to all States. It also addresses how international law applies to the use of information and communications technologies and makes recommendations for future work. Its findings include: • In their use of ICTs, States must observe, among other principles of international law, State sovereignty, the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, and non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States. • Existing obligations under international law are applicable to State use of ICTs and States must comply with their obligations to respect and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. • States must not use proxies to commit internationally wrongful acts using ICTs, and should seek to ensure that their territory is not used by non-State actors to commit such acts. • The UN should play a leading role in promoting dialogue on the security of ICTs in their use by States, and in developing common understandings on the application of international law and norms, rules and principles for responsible State behaviour. In December 2015, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted resolution 70/237, which welcomed the 2015 report of the Group and called upon Member States to be guided by the report in their use of information and communications technologies. GGE in 2016/17 In 2016 and 2017, a new Group was formed to exchange of views on developments in the field of ICTs in the context of international security. The Group built on the reports of previous groups and considered the following issues: existing and emerging threats; capacity-building; confidence-building; recommendations on the implementation of norms, rules and principles for the responsible behaviour of States; application of international law to the use of information and communications technologies; and conclusions and recommendations for future work. No consensus was reached on a final report (A/72/327). New ways forward in 2019-2021 In December 2018, the General Assembly established two processes to discuss the issue of ICT security during the period of 2019-2021. Through resolution 73/27, it established an Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG), which will be comprised of the entire UN membership. The Group will convene for the first time in 2019 and report back to the General Assembly in 2020. As a new element, the OEWG will hold informal consultations with industry in advance of its first session. During the same session, the General Assembly established another GGE in resolution 73/266. The GGE will also hold its first meeting in 2019 and is to submit its final report to the General Assembly in 2021. The group will be comprised of 25 members and its Chair will hold consultations with the wider membership in between sessions. The mandate also includes consultations on the subject to be held with regional organizations, such as the African Union, the European Union, the Organization of American States, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Regional Forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. UN Office for Disarmament Affairs The Office for Disarmament Affairs has provided substantive support to the expert Groups and has acted as the secretariat assisting in the preparation of the Groups’ reports. For more information: www.un.org/disarmament/ict-security January 2019