Disarmament in Review
UNIDIR Cyber Policy Portal
The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) recently launched a Cyber Policy Portal that serves as an interactive, ‘at a glance’ reference tool for policymakers and experts. Through a single site, users can access concise yet comprehensive cybersecurity policy profiles of all 193 UN Member States, as well as regional and international organizations and multilateral frameworks.
The Portal is an invaluable resource for Member States as they prepare for the two cyber processes starting in 2019–the Open-Ended Working Group and the Group of Governmental Experts.
Individual profiles summarize and link key cyber strategy documents, responsible agencies, legislation, and multilateral agreements as well as major cooperation initiatives and other activities. While governments are increasingly making their cybersecurity strategies and policies publicly available, policy-makers and experts seeking to develop an overview of national and international cybersecurity policies often still face the challenge of needing to piece together data from disparate sources.
The UNIDIR Portal improves access to this critical information in a single, user-friendly tool. Launched in January 2019, it has already been used in over 150 countries. Search filters and a compare function allow easy analysis of progress across States and regions. Additional features include sharable and printable profiles, and feedback mechanisms to allow timely updates.
All data is from open source and voluntarily submitted material with links to primary official sources accessible within the Portal. Updates can be submitted via the Portal or to SecTec-UNIDIR@un.org
Check out this short video to learn more.
UNIDIR Cyber Stability Conference 2019, 6 June 2019
UNIDIR’s annual Cyber Stability Conference will take place on Thursday, 6 June 2019, in CR-4, United Nations HQ, New York.
With the establishment of an Open-Ended Working Group and a sixth UN Group of Governmental Experts in 2019, the conference is an extraordinary opportunity for diplomats and staff from Permanent Missions and capitals, policy and industry experts and other stakeholders to take a deep dive into the current state of discussions on global cyber security policy norms and multilateral efforts to tackle digital security threats.
This year’s theme – “Strengthening Global Engagement” – will help participants:
- understand how global digital technology and policy developments impact States, economies, industries and security ecosystems;
- assess the risks of mounting cyber threats, and the potential costs of failure to agree on effective international cybersecurity cooperation mechanisms; and
- identify incentives and pathways to be engaged in multilateral and multi-stakeholder cybersecurity policy debates.
Further details about the Conference, including the agenda, can be found here.
Registration is required for this event.
- If you already possess a valid UNHQ grounds pass, please submit your registration request via email to unidir@un.org with your name and affiliation.
- For those requiring a UNHQ grounds pass for the conference, please complete the registration form here. Without registration, you will not be able to enter the conference facility.
