IGF 2022 WS #451 Confidence Building Measures for Africa: Global Perspectives

Organizer 1: Nils Berglund, EU Institute for Security Studies
Organizer 2: Patryk Pawlak, EU Institute for Security Studies
Organizer 3: Sandro BAZZANELLA, African Union Commission
Organizer 4: Adil Ismail Sulieman, The African Union Commission

Speaker 1: Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 2: Szilvia Toth, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 3: moliehi makumane, Government, African Group
Speaker 4: Gerardo Isaac Morales Tenorio, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

Moderator

Patryk Pawlak, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Online Moderator

Sandro BAZZANELLA, Intergovernmental Organization, African Group

Rapporteur

Nils Berglund, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Format

Round Table - U-shape - 90 Min

Policy Question(s)

How can regional organisations like the African Union facilitate the development and implementation of confidence building measures for cyberspace that respond to the region’s specific needs?

What might regional CBMs look like in an African context, and how could they contribute to strengthening the international cyber capacity building agenda?

Connection with previous Messages:

SDGs

16.10
16.a
17.8


Targets: 16.10 - Building confidence building measures for cyberspace can contribute to ensuring public access to information and the protection of fundamental freedoms in accordance with national legislation and international agreements, particularly by building capacity to implement the 11 norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
16- a - Building confidence building measures for cyberspace can strengthen relevant national institutions by building points of contact and facilitate international cooperation for building capacity at all levels. They also prevent violence and conflict through reducing the risks of misperception or miscalculation in cyberspace, which pose a serious threat to international peace.
17.8 - By contributing to the safety and security of citizens online and building resilience, confidence building measures for cyberspace can help create the preconditions for the development of sustainable digital growth and transformation.

Description:

The safety, security and accountability of the internet is dependent on trust and cooperation among all stakeholders, and efforts to build confidence and transparency play a crucial role in preventing the outbreak of conflict and preserving the benefits of a peaceful cyberspace for citizens.

At the multilateral level, the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts (UN GGE) on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security has recommended actions towards the development of confidence building measures in cyberspace, as well as a range of proposed CBMs for states to consider. Yet over the course of the last decade, regional organisations have emerged as uniquely well suited to facilitate the development and implementation of confidence building measures. By focusing on practical approaches in a shared regional context and working through an already well-established framework for international cooperation, regional organisations like the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Organisation of American States (OAS) have done the foundational groundwork for enhanced communication, transparency and collaboration. Moreover, these regional CBMs have increased local ownership and capacity to implement norms and multilateral agreements, which has served to strengthen international peace and security. While their impact has been tangible, the development and implementation of regional CBMs has been limited to only a few regions, and their expansion presents an opportunity for the international community to share best practices and increase collaboration.

This session is co-organised by the EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative – EU Cyber Direct project and the African Union Commission in cooperation with the Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA). It aims to draw out concrete recommendations on the role of regional organisations in the creation and implementation of confidence building measures, based on the experiences and expertise of regional groups as well as the broader multistakeholder community. In particular, by bringing together representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the African Union Commission (AUC), the workshop will feed into the national and regional policy discussions around the creation of confidence building measures at the African Union level, and consider the role of such organisations in strengthening resilience as well as peace and security in cyberspace.

Expected Outcomes

The discussion during this session will be structured around the input paper prepared in advance to the meeting.

This session aims to draw out concrete recommendations on the role of regional organisations in the creation and implementation of confidence building measures, based on the experiences of different stakeholders and regional groups. Thus, it will feed into the national and regional policy discussions around the creation of confidence building measures at the African Union Level, in particular by presenting a research product on the topic.

The session will also serve as an opportunity to strengthen communication channels between different regional groups as well as the wider multistakeholder community on the topic of confidence building measures in cyberspace.

A summary report will also be published after the session in order to ensure a wide dissemination of the ideas.

Hybrid Format: The organisation team will have an online facilitator to monitor the chat box for any questions or comments from the audience, who will also be able to mute and unmute selected online participants who would like to take the floor after using the ‘raise hand’ function. There will also be an onsite facilitator as part of the organising team who will be responsible for taking questions or giving the floor to members of the onsite audience. The facilitators will communicate vie a separate communication channel in order to ensure smooth and adequate audience participation. In addition to the description above the organisers will ensure that time for questions and comments from participants will be distributed equally among online and offline participants. The orgainsation team may use the free online tool Slido (sli.do) to facilitate the audience responses to initial policy questions posed, at the discretion of the confirmed moderator and panelists.

Online Participation



Usage of IGF Official Tool.