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Security Council – Meeting in Arria – Formula on “Cyber Stability, Conflict Prevention and Capacity Building”

Statement delivered by Italy at the Security Council – Meeting in Arria Formula on “Cyber Stability, Conflict Prevention and Capacity Building”—

 

Mr. President,

thank you for organizing this important and timely meeting We strongly commend the Estonian Presidency for this initiative and for the outstanding technical capabilities demonstrated.

While Italy aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union representative, I wish to add some additional remarks in my national capacity.

Mr. President,

Cyber attacks by State and non-State actors are on the rise. Essential services are increasingly at risk of malicious activities. Urgent action is therefore needed to ensure the stability of cyberspace. Thereby our advice is to look at these challenges in a holistic way, by recognizing that, ultimately, cyber security cannot be addressed separately from old and emerging threats to world stability and peace. In this respect, we praise the work carried out by the OEWG on cyber security and by its chair and we sincerely hope it will be able to conclude its mandate with a positive, significant outcome.

Mr. President,

Italy reaffirms its commitment to be guided in its use of ICTs by existing international law, as well as through adherence to norms, rules and principles of responsible States behavior in cyberspace, as articulated in successive UN GGE reports. In this regard, the OEWG should encourage increased cooperation and transparency to share best practices on how UN GGE norms are applied, also through regional organizations and institutions, to facilitate raising awareness and to effectively implement agreed norms of responsible behavior.

By the same token, Confidence Building Measures are vital to build trust. In this respect, let me underline the crucial role of regional fora in addressing specific local challenges. As a founding member of the OSCE Italy is committed to the full implementation of its set of CBMS which can also serve as a model also for other regional organizations.

Mr. President

Increasing global resilience is crucial for cyber security.

In this respect, we are called upon to ensure higher coherence and coordination in the various capacity building initiatives taking place at the regional, sub-regional and bilateral level, in order to assist all Member States to perform their functions effectively, efficiently and sustainably. The UN can play a significant role in this matter, by developing, in agreement with Member States and regional organizations, a systematic monitoring, reporting and verification system. The UN should also support regional organizations and Member States in setting up short and long-term goals, as well as in defining the purpose and principles of the capacity building initiatives.

I will conclude, Mr. President, by recalling that 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of UNSC Res 1325, women, peace and security. Recalling the holistic approach I was mentioning earlier – we should collectively devise strategies to make sure that SDG n. 5 is also pursued with a view to bridging the gender digital divide, and to mitigating the consequences they suffer from malicious activities in cyberspace.

I thank you.