Presentation for MUN 2016

1. United Nations
and Cyber
SecurityPeter Pedak
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
4 March 2016

2. Outline of the presentation
• Core of the problem
• Causes of the problem
• Differences worldwide
• Possible solutions
• Sources of information

3. Core of the problem
• New technologies > new problems
• Malicious use by states and non-state
actors (terrorists and other criminals) –
attacks on government networks, banks,
electricity networks etc
• For the UN: war needs to be prevented,
norms of behaviour have to be agreed

4. Causes
• Development of ICTs creates benefits
but also similar threats as in the
physical world
• Different interests of states
• Competion for resources (money,
power), struggle between ideologies
and value-systems (democracy vs.
totalitarianism)

5. Differences
worldwide
• Technologically and economically
advanced countries, “western
democracies“ (NATO, EU etc)
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(RU, CN etc)
• Group of 77, non-aligned movement

6. Main disputable issues
• What are the main threats – crime,
terrorism, war, hidden functions in
ICTs?
• Content vs. form, information security
vs. cybersecurity
• Sovereignty and non-intervention vs.
human rights and fundamental
freedoms

7. Cyber security in the UN
• Russian initiative since 1998
• UN GGE (group of governmental experts
on developments in the field of ICTs in
the context of international security) since
2004
• Currently 20 member states in the Group
• UN – global level of compromise

8. Members of the GGEs
Argentina; Australia; Belarus; Brazil;
Canada; China; Colombia; Egypt;
Estonia; France; Germany; Ghana;
India; Indonesia; Israel; Italy; Japan;
Jordan; Kenya; Malaysia; Mali; Mexico;
Pakistan; Qatar; Russia; South Africa;
South Korea; Spain; UK; US

9. UN GGE 2015

10. Successes and
challenges+ agreement that cyberspace is not a
lawless domain; discussion is continued;
awareness and interest among states
have risen; cyber attacks have not lead to
loss of human lives
- ideological differences remain; limited will
for cooperation; limited preparedness of
states to prevent and to respond to
attacks; need for technological
development and transparency (identify

11. Sources for
information
• http://www.un.org/disarmament/topic
s/informationsecurity/
• https://ccdcoe.org/
• http://ict4peace.org/
• http://www.unidir.org/est-cyber
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z
LG1a7dsQ_Q

12. Thank you!
Peter Pedak
peter.pedak@mfa.ee