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ICT for Peace Foundation

ICT4Peace has operated as an independent think tank based in Geneva since 2003. It fosters political discussion and common action to support international and human security in cyberspace. All its activities are focused on the use of ICT to fulfil its key goals: saving lives, protecting human dignity, and promoting peace and security in cyberspace. ICT4Peace acts as an early mover in identifying important challenges, bringing visibility and high-level attention to critical new issues. It carries out policy research examining how to use technologies to support state and human security, and develops capacity building through the ICT4Peace Academy to support the full participation of all stakeholders in ICT discussions, negotiations, and solutions. A description of the concrete areas of its work can be found in this document.

The areas presently covered are deepening the understanding of the ICT-related activities and services provided by private (cyber) security companies and their impacts on human rights, international law, and international security law, norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, including neutrality during cyberwarfare, mis- and disinformation and hate speech, gender and ICT, and AI, peace, and ethics.

Digital policy issues

Network security, cyberconflict, and warfare

An open, secure, stable, accessible, and peaceful ICT environment is essential for all and requires effective cooperation among states, civil society, and the private sector to reduce risks to international peace and security and ensure economic and social development. There are, however, very disturbing trends in the global ICT environment, including a dramatic increase in incidents involving the malicious use of ICTs by state and non-state actors, such as criminals and terrorists. These trends create enormous risks to peace and security in cyberspace for states, but equally to human security and dignity.

In 2011, ICT4Peace called for a code of conduct and norms of responsible state behaviour and confidence-building measures for open, secure, and peaceful cyberspace, and encouraged all stakeholders to work together to identify new cyber threats and develop solutions and agreements at national and global levels. In particular, it advocated against the increasing militarisation of cyberspace. ICT4Peace supported international negotiations at the UN Governmental Group of Experts (UN GGE) and the Open-Ended Working Groups (OEWG I and II) in New York, as well as at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the African Union (AU) with policy recommendations and multiple publications and workshops. In 2014, ICT4Peace launched its capacity-building programmes and in 2020 created the ICT4Peace Academy, in particular for policymakers and diplomats from developing and emerging economies to enable them to develop and implement their national cybersecurity strategies, build computer emergency response teams (CERTS) and meaningfully engage in the UN GGE and the OEWG I 2019–2021 and OEWG II 2021– 2025, but also in bilateral and regional negotiations.

In 2019, at OEWG I in New York, ICT4Peace issued a call to governments to publicly commit not to attack civilian critical infrastructure and proposed a state cyber peer review mechanism for state-conducted foreign cyber operations. See also all ICT4Peace inputs to and comments on OEWG I and the ICT4Peace Submission to OEWG II 2021–2025.

ICT4Peace has highlighted emerging concerns and suggested governance solutions in the fields of AI, lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), and peacetime threats.

Since 2019, ICT4Peace has been advocating for a peer-review mechanism on accountability for more than five years, inspired by the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review process. The organisation is currently engaged in discussions about establishing a permanent mechanism for addressing global cybersecurity challenges.

In 2024, ICT4Peace launched a groundbreaking toolkit titled ‘From Boots on the Ground to Bytes in Cyberspace’, providing comprehensive guidance on the use of technologies by Private Security Companies (PSCs). The toolkit addresses human rights challenges posed by emerging technologies in the private security sector, covering topics including responsible data practices, surveillance ethics, algorithmic bias, and emerging technologies.

ICT4Peace has also expanded its work to address quantum computing as an emerging threat to cybersecurity. In 2024, it published ‘Navigating the Quantum Wave: A Policy Maker’s Guide for the Responsible Governance of Quantum Technologies’, advocating for quantum-resistant cryptography and global ICT infrastructure upgrades.

Capacity development

The ICT4Peace Academy offers custom-tailored courses to meet organisations’ needs in learning more about today’s ICT challenges, including cyber diplomacy, cyber peacebuilding, and cyber (human) security. Drawing from an extensive network of practitioners, including diplomats, technologists, and civil society experts, each customised course offers the latest up-to-date information tailored to an organisation’s particular context and presented in a live and interactive format. ICT4Peace offers advisory services to governments, multilateral initiatives, and the international community to support a peaceful cyberspace and provides a global hub and policy space bringing together actors from the technology community, governments, and civil society.

Regretfully, institution and capacity building in the ICT area for peaceful purposes and peace and security in cyberspace has not been sufficiently recognised as a development issue and/or treated as a development priority by the development community, development partners, or the MDGs or SDGs.

It is hoped that by bringing the discussion around the need for increased cybersecurity institution and capacity building (as expressed inter alia by the UN GGE and OSCE) also into the policy orbit of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), cybersecurity capacity building will be recognised as a development priority by policymakers and more official development assistance (ODA) will flow into this sector in a consistent and coherent fashion. In cooperation with the Estonian and Swiss governments, ICT4Peace has held discussions with the DAC about making cybersecurity capacity building ODA-eligible.

ICT4Peace has also published a thought piece on Digitisation: Curse or Blessing for the Bottom Billion, which makes the case for more cybersecurity capacity building in the context of development cooperation.

The ICT4Peace Academy has expanded its offerings to include specialised courses on understanding the threats of mis-, disinformation and hate speech (MDH) and emerging governance frameworks. The Academy provides workshops on national cyber security strategy building, developing and implementing national legislation, establishing CERTs and CERT-CERT cooperation, as well as specialised workshops for parliamentarians, judiciary, and regulatory authorities.

Content policy

In the area of online content policy, ICT4Peace is engaged in activities related to the use of the internet for misinformation, disinformation, defamation, and hate speech. In today’s information society, the dissemination of false information can have devastating consequences, ranging from violent terrorist attacks to interference in elections to major health crises, as was the case with the COVID-19 pandemic. ICT4Peace’s research and publications on misinformation and hate speech look at the role of social media and other online platforms/apps in spreading mis/disinformation online.

Regarding the prevention of the use of ICTs for terrorist purposes, ICT4Peace co-launched the Tech against Terrorism Platform with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (UNCTED). ICT4Peace organised workshops and produced a number of publications in the aftermath of the Christchurch attack and the Sri Lanka bombing with the main aim of raising awareness and supporting the Christchurch Call Summit Process. At the emergence of COVID-19, ICT4Peace launched a review of the risks and opportunities of ICTs and social media during a pandemic.

In 2024, ICT4Peace launched a podcast series called ‘Digital Distortions’ that examines disinformation and truth decay in contemporary democracies. The podcast is available on SoundCloud, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.

Human rights principles

ICT4Peace has been active in the area of ICTs and human rights, publishing papers, delivering workshops, and supporting other actors in addressing the human rights implications of digital technologies. It coined the term ‘digital human security’.

Many innovations are designed with the embedded gender and other biases of their creators, and even the most helpful technologies remain inaccessible to those who would benefit the most from them, including women, girls, and socioeconomically marginalised populations. ICT4Peace is working with gender-focused NGOs to address gender biases in ICTs.

AI promises to change the very nature of our society, transforming our conflict zones and ushering in a new socio-economic era. While the potential benefits are tremendous, so are the potential risks. This requires careful analysis to inform policy decisions at the international and national levels. Since 2017, ICT4Peace has carried out research, published policy papers, and contributed to international discussions on AI, ethical, and political perspectives on emerging digital technologies.

Social media channels

Facebook @ICT4Peace

LinkedIn @ICT4peace

X @ict4peace

YouTube @ICT4Peace Foundation

International Labour Organization

The ILO is the UN agency for the world of work. It was founded on the conviction that universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based on social justice.

The ILO brings together governments, employers, and workers from its 187 member states in a human-centred approach to the future of work based on decent employment creation, rights at work, social protection, and social dialogue.

The ILO’s tripartite membership drafts, adopts, and monitors the implementation of international labour standards on key world of work issues – ILO Conventions and Recommendations.

The ILO undertakes research and data collection across the range of world of work topics. It publishes flagship reports and a wide range of publications and working papers. Its globally renowned set of statistical databases is maintained and updated with nationally sourced labour market data.

The ILO manages a wide range of development cooperation projects in all regions of the world. Realised in partnership with donor countries and organisations, these projects aim to create the conditions for the delivery of the ILO’s decent work agenda.

Three initiatives are central to the ILO’s current work: the establishment of a global coalition to promote social justice, advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, and its four priority action programmes. The latter focuses on the transition from the informal to the formal economy, just transitions towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies, decent work in supply chains, and decent work in crises and post-crisis situations.

Digital activities

As the ILO covers the full scope of the world of work, digital issues are present across the organisation’s work. The ILO addresses digitalisation through a wide range of topics including digital labour platforms, digital skills knowledge, employability, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, algorithmic management and data governance – and more broadly, the future of work. The ILO Observatory on AI and Work in the Digital Economy showcases the Office’s work in these areas.

The ILO also tracks the effects of digitalisation on specific work sectors, for instance, the postal and telecommunication services sector.

Digital policy issues

Access to data

The ILO has long been a leading resource for policymakers, researchers, and other users of data on the labour markets and all aspects of the world of work. ILOSTAT (a portal to its comprehensive labour statistics) and the ILO Knowledge Portal (offering access to country information and data on labour laws, standards, policies, and statistics) make real-time data available to users around the world. The World Employment and Social Outlook Data Finder provides customised datasets on request for measures such as the global labour force, unemployment, and employment by sector. The ILO also has the Development Cooperation Dashboard with data on labour-related policy areas and the organisation’s field projects, funding, and expenditures. All materials published by the ILO are collected and freely available in Labordoc, the organisation’s digital repository. The ILO’s new Research Repository allows users to easily access our knowledge products by topic and author.

The ILO maintains the World Social Protection Database, the leading global source of in-depth country-level statistics on social protection systems. This database includes key indicators used by policymakers, officials of international organisations, and researchers, and is used for the United Nations’ SDG monitoring. The ILO collects data through the Social Security Inquiry, an administrative survey submitted to governments that dates back to the 1940s. In 2020, the ILO launched the Social Security Inquiry online platform to improve the data compilation process globally.

The ILO also maintains the Employment Policy Gateway, which serves as a comprehensive repository of national employment policy documentation from around the world. As of mid-2024, the Gateway contained 75 national employment policy documents, with 24 undergoing revision at the time of data extraction. The Gateway includes pre-processed variables to facilitate cross-country comparisons of employment policies.

Future of work

The future of work has been a key unifying digital issue in the ILO’s activities for many years. In 2015, the ILO Director-General presented a report to the International Labour Conference proposing a special initiative on the future of work. Since that time, much of the research undertaken by the ILO and many of the published reports have fallen under this rubric. In 2019, the ILO established the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work as part of our Future of Work Initiative. The Commission was composed of representatives from government, civil society, academia, and business and worker representatives.

The Commission published a landmark report, Work for a brighter future, that called for a human-centred agenda for the future of work and explored the impacts of technological progress in the fields of AI and robotics and on issues such as the gender labour gap and the automation of work. That same year, the ILO issued the ILO Centenary Declaration, which advocated ‘full and productive employment and decent work’ in the context of the digital transformation of work, including platform work. Examining the future of work in its myriad implications remains a primary focus for the organisation to this day.

The ILO has established the ’Global Coalition for Social Justice’ initiative that brings together international bodies and stakeholders to promote coordinated responses at national, regional and global levels. The Coalition aims to implement a human-centred approach to ensure social justice is recognised as key to sustainable global recovery.

In 2024, the ILO co-authored a report with the United Nations titled ‘Mind the AI Divide: Shaping a Global Perspective on the Future of Work’, which addresses the uneven adoption of AI globally and its implications for equity, fairness, and social justice. The report highlights how disparities in digital infrastructure, technology access, education, and training are deepening existing inequalities. The ILO is concerned about an emerging ‘AI ivide’ between high-income nations and low/medium-income countries, particularly in Africa, and advocates for concerted action to foster international cooperation to support developing countries in AI adoption.

The ILO has established the ‘Observatory on Artificial Intelligence and Work in the Digital Economy’, which serves as the leading international knowledge hub on world-of-work dimensions of AI and the digital economy. Launched on 25 September 2024, the Observatory aims to support governments and social partners in understanding and managing the digital transformation of work. The Observatory focuses on four key areas: artificial intelligence, algorithmic management, digital labour platforms, workers’ personal data and digital skills and AI.

The ILO-led AI for Good webinars on AI and work (with ITU) have involved some of the leading thinkers and experts in this area, including the most recent Nobel Prize winner, Prof. Daron Acemoglu.

Automation and AI

The ILO is paying close attention to how automation and AI are changing the labour markets and the ways we work. We have examined the impacts of automation in many publications, for instance, Robotics and Reshoring, Automation and its Employment Effects: A Literature Review of Automotive and Garment Sectors, and the research brief, Who Moves and Who Stays? Recent work has focused on generative AI’s labour impacts, including Generative AI and Jobs: A Global Analysis of Potential Effects on Job Quantity and Quality and Artificial Intelligence in Human Resource Management: A Challenge for the Human-centred Agenda?, as well as a joint ILO–OECD compendium of best practices for human-centred AI in the world of work (2026). AI has been the topic of recent editions of the ILO’s Future of Work Podcast series.

At the governance level, the use of automated systems by digital labour platforms is on the agenda of the International Labour Conference in 2025 and 2026, as part of deliberations on a Draft Convention concerning decent work in the platform economy. The draft Convention includes provisions requiring platforms to inform workers about the use of automated decision-making systems and to ensure human review of decisions affecting their employment. The 114th session of the ILC (June 2026) is expected to adopt the Convention and accompanying Recommendation.

Digital labour platforms and algorhitmic management

A key focus of the ILO research is the effects of digitalisation on labour market evolution and new forms of work. The organisation has been closely tracking the implications of digital labour platforms and algorithmic management for decent work.

The ILO has published some essential references on these new subjects, including the World Employment and Social Outlook report on digital labour platforms. Most other ILO studies also reflect digital issues. For example, recent Global Employment Trends for Youth reports cover inequalities in youth labour markets arising from digital transformation, as well as investment in young people’s skills.

The ILO is working on instruments related to digital platform workers, including developing definitions for terms like ‘digital labour platform’, ‘digital platform worker’, and ‘remuneration’ in the context of digital platforms. The ILO is preparing for a discussion on ‘Realizing decent work in the platform economy’ as the fifth item on the agenda for the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference in 2025.

The ILO is conducting research on the ‘human-in-the-loop’ model in AI systems and AI supply chains, examining how invisible workers power automated systems that are often presented as fully automated. ILO researchers have studied how AI-enabled business models rely on workers with decent work deficits, particularly crowdworkers on digital labour platforms that support AI systems. A survey of these workers revealed that many are highly educated with bachelor’s or postgraduate degrees, often in STEM fields, yet primarily employed in routine data work that does not use their specialised knowledge, with median earnings in developing countries of about USD 2 per hour.

Sustainable development

The ILO is playing a pivotal role in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, most specifically sustainable development goal (SDG) 8 (decent work and economic growth). The ILO is one of the main actors supporting the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions initiative, the UN system’s collective response for addressing the multiple challenges that threaten to erase development progress. The Global Accelerator aims to direct investments to help create at least 400 million decent jobs, primarily in the green, digital, and care economies, and to extend social protection coverage to the over 4 billion people currently excluded. The ILO has also created the Decent Work for Sustainable Development (DW4SD) Resource Platform, which maps the interplay between sustainable development and decent work. The platform provides guidance and working resources to ILO staff, development partners, UN country teams, and other stakeholders. A recent ILO report, Transformative Change and SDG 8, outlines an integrated policy approach that countries can follow to achieve SDG 8.

Capacity development

Capacity development is another digital-related issue at the core of the ILO’s activities. As part of our skills, knowledge, and employability initiatives, the ILO helps governments develop education and training systems to take advantage of new educational technologies and give greater attention to digital skills. We support enterprises and employers in making investments to expand education and training programmes, and workers in proactively upgrading their skills or acquiring new ones.

Examples of the many resources the ILO has produced are Digital Employment Diagnostic Guidelines, Digitalization of National TVET and Skills Systems and Digitalise Your Business: Digital Strategies for Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. These and many more resources are available from the ILO’s Skills and Lifelong Learning knowledge-sharing platform.

The International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) offers a range of training programmes, master classes and specialised courses that focus on AI implications and applications in the workplace, public policy, and development cooperation. Key training activities include a new master’s degree on technology and public policy with the Politecnico di Torino and an AI Forum. ITCILO also partners with the UN Innovation Network to share practices and approaches to capacity building in these areas.

Together with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ILO has developed the SKILL-UP Programme, which assists developing countries in building capacity and improving their digital skills systems, as well as the Skills Innovation Facility. The Facility focuses on identifying and testing innovative ideas and solutions to address current and future skills challenges. In addition, the ILO’s Skills Innovation Network provides a platform for innovators to collaborate and share experiences on developing innovations for skills development.

The ILO also has a Helpdesk for Business on International Labour Standards that provides assistance to businesses on how to align their business operations with labour standards.

Privacy and data protection

In regard to privacy and data protection, the ILO has published a set of principles on the protection of workers’ personal data, which explores trends, principles, and good practices related to the protection of personal data.

The International Training Centre, established by the ILO, provides online courses on a variety of labour issues. The ILO also organises webinars and uses a number of social media accounts.

Digital tools

The following digital tools are available:

Geneva Centre for Security Policy

The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) is an international foundation governed by a 55-member State Foundation Council serving a global community of individuals and organisations. Our mission is to advance peace, security, and international cooperation. We provide the knowledge, skills and network for 360° effective and inclusive decision-making.

The GCSP believes that effective and forward-thinking leaders and organisations need to build a broad picture of what is happening in an increasingly connected world. We unravel the intricacies of geopolitics and help leaders develop new skills and the agility to lead in times of tumultuous change. The GCSP creates an inclusive environment for their global community from 174 nations and across sectors that come together to exchange ideas and develop sustainable solutions for a more peaceful future. Building Peace Together through Education, Dialogue, Policy, Creativity, and Community since 1995.

The GCSP provides analysis that covers several digital topics, including cybersecurity and transformative technologies. Its executive education is offered online and in blended formats. In response to COVID-19, the GCSP launched a series of webinars titled Global Crisis, GlobalRisk and Global Consequences.

Architecture, Building, Office Building, City, Urban, High Rise, Condo, Housing, Metropolis, Hospital, Apartment Building

Digital activities

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

As part of its Transformative Technologies cluster, the GCSP looks at artificial intelligence (AI) and several ‘disruptive technologies’; the term refers to synthetic biology, neuro-morphic chips, big data, quantum computing, 3D and 4D printing, brain-computer interfaces, hypersonic technology, and cognitive enhancement. In particular, the GCSP focuses on the dual-use character of these technologies, their potential use in warfare and the future of warfare, as well as the existing legal provisions among warfare and humanitarian rules in relation to such technologies. Overall, activities as part of this cluster aim to alert policymakers to both the challenges and opportunities associated with these technologies. These aims are also reflected in associated educational activities, such as the course on Transformative Technologies and the Future of Geopolitics.

As part of its Global risk and resilience cluster (GRRC), the GCSP has positioned itself as a thought leader on risks at the nexus of geopolitics and technology. To that purpose, it particularly monitors, analyses, and interprets the impact that emerging technologies such as AI, synthetic biology, neuroscience, quantum computing, and nanotechnologies will have on international politics, geopolitics, warfare, and conflicts. In addition to identifying emerging risks and future trends that will impact international security and warfare, the GRRC also promotes new responses that can be brought to deal with these emerging risks, notably through the concept of resilience.

The GCSP hosts ‘Geneva Security Debates’, which include discussions on AI topics, including a specific debate titled ‘How AI will transform the world: The need for a new strategic compass’. Through these debates, the GCSP engages with the global governance discourse around AI regulation, addressing concepts of ‘safe AI’ and ‘responsible AI’ while examining AI not just as a technological issue but as a strategic priority for nations and an element of potential power competition.

The GCSP is involved in the ‘Normandy P5 Initiative on nuclear risk reduction’, which they co-convene with the Strategic Foresight Group. This initiative, inspired by the Normandy Manifesto for World Peace issued in June 2019, engages with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council on nuclear risk reduction. Since 2021, the GCSP has held multiple experts’ roundtables in Caen, Normandy and Geneva, Switzerland. In December 2023, the GCSP held a roundtable in Geneva to discuss the nexus between AI and nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3). The GCSP has decided to focus its work in 2024 on the AI/NC3 nexus, with support from the Future of Life Institute and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

The GCSP is publishing detailed research on AI in the context of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the law of targeting. This research examines how AI technologies influence international law, particularly focusing on the evolution of IHL based on technological developments. The GCSP is analysing the intersection of AI and military applications, specifically in targeting processes, and producing content that examines the ‘mechanisation’ and ‘objectivisation’ of legal principles through AI technology.

Looking at the Edge: Understanding the Frontiers of Geopolitical Risk

Cybersecurity

The GCSP tackles cybersecurity issues through education and training activities, as well as policy analysis and events. It also provides a platform for dialogue and exchanges on cyber challenges among cyber experts from the public, private, and civil society sectors. The training and education activities cover areas such as cybersecurity strategy formulation, international law relating to cyber issues, cyber diplomacy, and broader capacity-building initiatives (e.g. workshops and student challenges). Policy papers published by the GCSP focus on the nature of cybersecurity, developing norms in the digital era, international legal analyses, and developing holistic solutions. The flagship course is Cyber Security in the Context of International Security; other bespoke courses cater to public and governmental staff and private and non-governmental employees. The GCSP’s flagship annual cybersecurity event is the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge. In partnership with the Atlantic Council, this strategy and policy competition pits over 200 students from around the world in a strategy and policy competition. Teams are judged by experts, high-level policymakers, thought leaders from industry and the public sector (including NATO and the EU), and government representatives. The challenge normally takes place at the GCSP headquarters in Geneva, but in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 competition took place entirely online.

The GCSP has a specific ‘Global Cyber and Security Policy’ topic area with the tagline ‘Think Cyber, Act Global’. They offer comprehensive expertise in advisory, training, crisis management, and security policy related to cyber issues. The GCSP Cyber specifically focuses on enhancing awareness of threats, facilitating risk management, and aiding in the development of a cyber strategy aligned with organisational goals. They recognise cybersecurity as vital for multiple sectors: governments, private and public sectors, academia, NGOs, and civil society.

The GCSP offers comprehensive cyber-related services, including cyber crisis management and strategic advisory. Their cyber crisis management training focuses on equipping boards, executives, and teams with practical knowledge for risk mitigation, including components on cyber situational awareness and business continuity management. The GCSP conducts cyber simulation exercises to give teams hands-on experience responding to cyber incidents and offers strategic advisory services that include vulnerability assessments and practical security solutions.

The GCSP Cyber is described as a ‘dialogue hub’ that convenes and participates in high-level discussions with international organisations and partners. The organisation conducts continuous monitoring of the global cyber landscape and contributes to the development of national and international cyber policies. The GCSP researches offensive operations in cyberspace for cybersecurity purposes, with the goal of informing deterrence and defence strategies.

The GCSP is involved in a joint Sino-European Expert Working Group on the Application of International Law in Cyberspace (WG IL) alongside the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), the EU Cyber Direct, and Xiamen University. This working group provides a platform for exchange between European and Chinese legal experts on international law in cyberspace. The GCSP has published reports titled ‘Countermeasures in Cyberspace’ and ‘Jurisdiction in Cyberspace’ as part of this collaborative research and dialogue project. The European side of these reports was sponsored by the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs.

Capacity development

Many of the GCSP’s activities fall into the category of capacity development activities. The GCSP offers courses and other educational and training programmes related to the internet and digital policy, such as cybersecurity, transformative technologies, and strategic foresight.

In addition to capacity building through its executive education programmes, the GCSP leverages its considerable intellectual and networking resources (i.e. its fellows and alumni) to engage with communities worldwide and foster trust between regions. The GCSP’s cybersecurity dialogues aim to remove barriers to communication and encourage the uptake of the opportunities today’s digital landscape has to offer.

In partnership with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the GCSP convenes the Track 1.5 dialogue process to ensure there is as much communication as possible between parties that are often in conflict with one another. This process provides a platform and a mechanism for the exchange of ideas to build consensus on topics as diverse as international norms, agreement on legal paradigms, and regional socio-economic development.

Several other events organised by the GCSP also have a capacity development focus; one example is the annual Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, a student competition in international cybersecurity strategy and policy. The challenge was held entirely online in 2022 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the publications produced by the organisation can help inform various stakeholders about the challenges and concerns in the area of cyber governance.

The GCSP offers online courses, webinars, and an online dialogue series.ries.

Social media channels

Facebook @thegcsp

Instagram @thegcsp

LinkedIn @thegcsp

Podcasts

X @TheGCSP

YouTube @Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)

Geneva Science-Policy Interface

The Geneva Science-Policy Interface (GSPI) is an independent platform based at the University of Geneva, dedicated to fostering engagement between the research community and policy professionals from Geneva-based international organisations. Its mission is to promote science-informed solutions to complex global challenges addressed in multilateral spaces.

The GSPI seeks to increase the capacity of Geneva-based international institutions to tackle complex, multidimensional policy issues through increased access to scientific expertise. It also works to advance the professionalisation and recognition of the science-policy field of practice in Geneva and beyond.

Its activities focus on brokering collaborations, creating learning opportunities and generating new insights into science-policy practices.

Key programmes include the Impact Collaboration Programme (ICP), an annual call providing new opportunities for science-policy initiatives through small grants, network mobilisation, and expert guidance.

The GSPI also develops resources and training programmes for scientists, Geneva-based policy professionals, and knowledge brokers seeking to engage more effectively in science-informed policymaking.

Hosted at the University of Geneva, the GSPI is also supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and backed by a network of leading research institutions in Switzerland and Europe.

Digital activities

As a bridge between science, policy, and implementation actors, the GSPI addresses a wide range of digital challenges. With data at the core of evidence-based policymaking, many of its activities explore digitalisation and the use of digital tools across key domains such as health, migration, development, and the environment.

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

The MapMaker project, a collaboration between the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH Zurich), has enabled the development of an online visualisation tool to inform data-driven decision-making on marine biodiversity conservation at the international level.

Digital standards

Together with the Geneva Health Forum (GHF), the GSPI has established a working group including key humanitarian actors to harness knowledge and best practices around the digitisation of clinical guidelines for the management of childhood illness in primary care in low and middle-income countries. In line with the efforts of WHO, and the principles of donor alignment for digital health, the working group has developed recommendations on how digitalisation can improve the management of childhood illness. In September 2021, the results of this work were shared with experts and the public, providing a platform for discussions on the lessons learned and future trends in the field.

Emerging technologies

In 2018, the GSPI organised policy discussions on the use of drones as part of humanitarian action. The conversation centred on the practical use of drones to deliver humanitarian aid and what can be done by stakeholders such as policymakers, the private sector, and NGOs to maximise the opportunities and reduce the risks of such technologies.

At the 2019 Digital Day, together with the University of Geneva, the GSPI organised a discussion exploring what experience and know-how Geneva-based organisations could share to empower and protect users in the context of the digital revolution.

With a number of other partners, the GSPI co-organised a discussion at the 2019 WSIS Forum on aerial data produced by drones and satellites in the context of aid and development. The session explored the interplay between international organisations, NGOs, and scientists and how they can work together to help monitor refugee settlements, provide emergency response in case of natural disasters, and scale agriculture programmes.

Data governance

The REDEHOPE project of the University of Geneva and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has led to the development of an online diagnostic tool to help countries identify and visualise issues in their housing data ecology, and access appropriate datasets to formulate more robust, evidence-based housing policies at the country level.

Sustainable development

In 2020–2021, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention (BRS) secretariat benefited from the support of ETH Zurich to develop an online platform to identify and signal the need for evidence and information to the scientific community in the field of chemical and waste management.

Another project addressed the hurdles facing policy actors in accessing and making sense of data in migration research. The project partners (the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Graduate Institute) developed an interactive digital toolkit for policy officials to support them in leveraging migration research for evidence-based policymaking. The toolkit, based on IOM’s flagship publication, the World Migration Report, was launched in June 2022.

ICP 2021 brought support to the development of interactive analytical tools providing information about all UN sanctions to inform both humanitarian practitioners and sanction policy actors on practical ways to safeguard principled humanitarian action in areas under a sanction regime. This project is a collaboration between the Graduate Institute and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

In 2022, the collaboration between ETH Zurich and IOM sought to bring more effective policy expertise in migration management to address migrants’ needs and increase social cohesion between migrant and local communities. The collaboration developed a toolbox to be used by IOM and its partners to facilitate the use of the Immigration Policy Lab (IPL) Integration Index, a survey tool for governments, nonprofits, and researchers to measure the integration of immigrants around the world.

In 2024-2025, the GSPI is supporting a new project titled ‘Shaping environmental policy in the pan-European region applying foresight methodologies’, which aims to increase the anticipatory capacity of UNECE and its member states to build coherence among future policies and help set priorities for the environmental policies in the pan-European region.

Human rights principles

The GSPI has supported the collaboration between the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and OHCHR’s B-Tech project. Some of the new fast-evolving technologies, such as cloud computing, AI, facial recognition technologies, and the internet of things (IoT), can have profoundly disruptive effects on sociopolitical systems and pose significant human rights challenges. This initiative provided authoritative guidance and resources for implementing the UNGPs in the technology space and placing international human rights law (IHRL) at the centre of regulatory and policy frameworks. Aimed at policymakers, the technology sector, and all those working on AI regulation, the policy research carried out in this project (see the resulting Working Paper, 2021) brought fresh insights into how current initiatives on the regulation of AI technologies could incorporate the protection and respect for human rights. The paper also called on states to adopt a ‘smart mix’ of mandatory and voluntary measures to support their implementation, and how this applies to the AI sector.

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Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva Graduate Institute)

The Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva Graduate Institute) is an institution of research and higher education at the postgraduate level dedicated to the study of world affairs, with a particular emphasis on the cross-cutting fields of international relations and development issues.

Through its core activities, the Institute promotes international cooperation and contributes to the progress of developing societies. More broadly, it endeavours to develop creative thinking on the major challenges of our time, foster global responsibility, and advance respect for diversity.

By intensely engaging with international organisations, NGOs, governments, and multinational companies, the Institute participates in global discussions and prepares future policymakers to lead tomorrow’s world.

In 2022, the Institute launched a new Competence Hub on digital technologies. The Tech Hub brings together a diversity of internal and external expertise to explore technologies from a human-centred and human-biotype-centred perspective. The focus will be the exploration of current and future technological innovations from a social science perspective, with an interest in the socio-political, governance, and geopolitical consequences of the current technological revolution. It will progressively structure different kinds of activities as well as welcome and foster research projects.

This transdisciplinary and horizontal initiative enables the Institute to forge and express its own unique voice on the digital turn and its consequences. It has indeed a particular role to play in the exploration of all those questions that need a transdisciplinary social science and humanities perspective and are by nature profoundly inter-transnational. The reality is that the Institute is already producing research and knowledge on those questions and diffusing them through teaching and events.

Digital activities

As part of its main strategy, the Institute seeks to develop digitally driven innovation in teaching and research, as well as IT services. At the same time, as a research institution focusing on global challenges and their impacts, the digital turn has become one of its fundamental and policy-oriented research areas.

In terms of research, a growing number of researchers and PhD candidates analyse the impact of digitalisation on international relations and development issues. A few examples of research topics are cybersecurity, hybrid threats and warfare, surveillance technologies, internet governance, digital diplomacy, digital health, digital rights, digital trust, digital economy, the future of work, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, AI and humanitarian law, and AI and peace negotiations, among others. The Institute has also developed expertise in using digital technologies as new research methods, including computational social scientific methods and big data analytics.

In terms of teaching, its Master’s, PhD, and executive education courses are increasingly focused on the effects of digitalisation on society and the economy, and more generally, the global system. Some examples of courses are Digital Approaches to Conflict Prevention, Digital Innovation in Nature Conservation, Internet, Technology and International Law, Introduction to Digital Social Science Research, Technology, Society and Decision-making, The Politics of Digital Design, AI and Politics, Internet Governance and Economics, Technology and Development, and Digital Diplomacy and Power Relations on Cyberspace. Digital skills workshops are also organised for students to provide them with basic digital competence for their future professional or academic life, including big data analysis, introduction to programming with R and Python, and data analysis in various contexts.

Over the years, the Institute has developed a performing IT infrastructure with secured data storage space and digital platforms (e.g. Campus, Moodle, TurntIn, Zoom, MyHR, Salesforces, Converis) to provide seamless services as well as dematerialised/paperless processes (e.g. student applications, course registration) for students, staff, and professors.

The Institute has developed digital tools (e.g. app for students, responsive website) and used digital services (e.g. social media, Facebook, Google ads) for many years in its student recruitment and communication campaigns.

Digital tools are also part of the pedagogical methods to improve learning. Flipped classrooms, MOOCs, SPOCs, and podcasts, to name a few, are used by professors in Master’s and PhD programmes, as well as in executive education. The Institute also supports professors in developing pedagogical skills and in using digital tools. Workshops are offered to all faculty members at the end of the summer to prepare them for hybrid teaching and the use of new technological tools in the classroom.

The Institute also organises workshops, seminars, film screenings, and other events on the digital turn, ranging from the digital divide and the governance and regulatory aspects of data to cybersecurity.

Digital policy issues

Some of the Institute’s prominent research initiatives are listed under the respective digital policy issues sections.

Artificial intelligence

Conflict and peacebuilding

The faculty carries out a number of digital policy-related research projects, some of which focus on AI in particular. For example, the project titled Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) and War Crimes: Who is to Bear Responsibility? aims to clarify whether and to what extent the requirements for ascribing criminal responsibility for the commission of an act – and in particular, the key concepts of culpability theories – can be applied to the use of LAWS in combat operations. This analysis will serve to identify lacunae and inconsistencies in the current legal framework in the face of the advent of military robotics.

This project explores how the increasing digitalisation of peace processes affects international peace building efforts that take place in a global environment characterised by friction between liberal and authoritarian approaches. To make sense of these dynamics, the project draws on the concept of apomediation, to suggest that solutions to conflict are no longer simply supplied by human agents, but through a complex entanglement of human-machine networks.

The Intrepid Project aims to develop a general understanding of how policy announcements by state agencies are interpreted by journalists in ways that send signals, indicate intent, and otherwise provoke economic and political reactions. Machine learning (ML) techniques and the semantic and syntactic properties of announcement texts are then used to develop models of the announcement interpretation process.

Global Health

A number of projects carried out by the Institute’s members address the relationship between digital technologies and health. For instance, the Modelling Early Risk Indicators to Anticipate Malnutrition (MERIAM) project uses computer models to test and scale up cost effective means to improve the prediction and monitoring of undernutrition in difficult contexts.

The Institute hosted the new Digital Health and AI Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) (new HealthAI) directed by former Ambassador of India and Visiting Lecturer at the Institute Amandeep Gill. I-DAIR aims to create a platform to promote responsible and inclusive AI research and digital technology development for health. This platform is supported by the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA).

The project Governing Health Futures 2030: Growing up in a Digital World, hosted at the Global Health Centre (GHC), explores how to ensure that digital development helps improve the health and well-being of all, and especially among children and young people. It focuses on examining integrative policies for digital health, AI, and universal health coverage to support the attainment of the third sustainable development goal (SDG).

Interdisciplinary approaches

Questions about the potential impact of the internet are now routinely raised in relation to political events and elections in most places. The project on the Digital Infrastructuring of Democracy asks how the digital infrastructuring of democracy unfolds through regulatory and political processes, with a heuristic focus on both its transnational dimension and its specific reverberations in democracies of the Global South. The project concentrates on one thematic controversy related to each aspect of infrastructure: the accountability of algorithms for code, data protection for content, and encryption for circulation.

Taking stock of the centrality of AI in society and in the citizen-government relation, this project hosted at the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy seeks to engage with youth in Switzerland to explore the future role of AI in democracy through storytelling and narrative foresight. It will give a voice to the citizens of tomorrow and collaborate with art schools to design participatory AI art.

The Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy at the Geneva Graduate Institute is running the ‘Stories of the Future’ project, an Agora project supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation that aims to foster knowledge and literacy about AI in Switzerland. The project has conducted nearly 150 workshops in schools across Switzerland, where approximately 80 students wrote stories set in 2050 about a world permeated by AI. The project also organised a fictitious trial of AI in Zurich and during Democracy Week in Geneva, exploring AI’s impact on democratic processes.
The Centre is also collaborating with the Kofi Annan Foundation on a project titled ‘Understanding the Links Between Multilateralism and Democracy to Tackle Global Challenges More Effectively,’ which included a roundtable mentioned above, focused on AI.

Future of work

Focusing on the Global South, the project African Futures: Digital Labor and Blockchain Technology strengthened empirical knowledge on changing trends in employment in the region by way of a two-pronged approach to the increasingly interconnected global division of labour: (1) App-based work mediated by online service platforms and (2) the use of blockchain technology in mining sites for ethical sourcing, traceability, and proof of origin.

The emergence of AI and digitally mediated work represents a fundamental challenge for most developing economies. Coupled with jobless economic growth, rising human productivity, and the exponential increase of the available labour pool, few jobs can be said to be safe from automated labour. This project examines the impact of digital work and automation in the Global South, from blockchain technology to ride-sharing apps, to inform debates on automation, computerisation and non-standard forms of work.

Inclusive finance

Projects carried out by the Institute’s members also address the role of digital technologies in enhancing financial inclusion. The project Effects of Digital Economy on Banking and Finance studies digital innovations and how fintech extends financial services to firms and households, and improves credit allocation using loan-account level data, comparing fintech and traditional banking.

Digital tools

Digital collections that allow free access to historical documents, texts, and photographs on international relations from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.
Two free online courses (MOOCs) on globalisation and global governance.
Podcasts showcasing professors’ and guests’ expertise (What matters today, In conversation with, Parlons en).
Podcasts are also integrated into the curricula of several international history and interdisciplinary Master’s courses to encourage students to use social network platforms to popularise their findings.

The Institute has a facility called ‘The Fab’, which hosts events such as book launches on AI and technology topics.

The Centre for Digital Humanities and Multilateralism (CDHM) is involved in digitisation projects, including work on the archives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and research on digital archival practices.

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CyberPeace Institute

The CyberPeace Institute is an independent and neutral non-governmental organisation (NGO) that strives to reduce the frequency, impact, and scale of cyberattacks, to hold actors accountable for the harm they cause, and to assist vulnerable communities.

The institute is a Geneva-based NGO, also working in close collaboration with relevant partners to reduce the harm from cyberattacks on people’s lives worldwide and provide assistance. By analysing cyberattacks, we expose their societal impact and how international laws and norms are being violated, and advance responsible behaviour to enforce cyberpeace.

At the heart of the Institute’s efforts is the recognition that cyberspace is about people. We support providers of essential services to the most vulnerable members of society, ultimately benefiting us all, like NGOs and the healthcare sector. Attacking them can have a devastating impact on beneficiaries and patients, putting their rights and even lives at risk.

To deliver on this mission, we rely on donations and the generosity of individuals, foundations, companies, and other supporters. This support enables us to assist and support vulnerable communities, including NGOs, to enhance their resilience to cyberattacks.

The Institute also provides evidence-based knowledge and fosters awareness of the impact of cyberattacks on people to give a voice to and empower victims to highlight the harm and impact of cyberattacks. We remind state and non-state actors of the international laws and norms governing responsible behaviour in cyberspace, and advance the rule of law to reduce harm and ensure the respect of the rights of people.

Digital activities

Founded in 2019, the CyberPeace Institute focuses on assessing the impact of cyberattacks from a human perspective, prioritising the rights and well-being of individuals. Our analysis is grounded in evidence, examining how cyberattacks affect people’s lives and linking these impacts with the technical realities of cyberthreats. We also evaluate these impacts in the context of legal violations, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the harm caused.

The Institute advocates for a human-centric, evidence-based approach to the analysis of cyberattacks, recognising it as critical to achieving meaningful redress, repair, and justice for victims. We approach our work collaboratively, engaging in research, analysis, assistance, mobilisation, and advocacy to drive change. By working closely with vulnerable communities, we gain valuable insights into their cybersecurity needs and deliver trusted, free cybersecurity assistance to those who need it most.

A key element of the Institute’s digital activities is its commitment to providing free cybersecurity support to organisations that serve the most vulnerable. The CyberPeace Builders programme connects the nonprofit sector with the cybersecurity industry, enabling threat intelligence sharing, volunteering, and funding. This programme enhances the cybersecurity of NGOs by offering tailored assessments, threat alerts, specialised training, and expert volunteer support, all designed to help these organisations defend against cyberattacks and mitigate digital risks.

The CyberPeace Tracer platform plays a crucial role in tracking and analysing cyberattacks targeting vulnerable communities. By leveraging AI, the platform provides invaluable insights into cyberattacks, helping organisations identify potential threats and build digital resilience. This data-driven tool enables civil society to monitor, detect, and respond to cyber threats, ensuring their operations remain secure and their missions uninterrupted.

In addition to providing direct support, the CyberPeace Institute actively engages in global cybersecurity policy discussions. The Institute participates in international coalitions and debates, aiming to influence the development of laws, rights, and norms in cyberspace. By advocating for responsible behaviour and accountability, the Institute helps protect the rights of vulnerable communities in the digital world, fostering cooperation and promoting ethical guidelines for cyberspace governance.

The Institute’s commitment to research and analysis is reflected in its ongoing efforts to monitor the evolving cybersecurity landscape. The Institute publishes reports on a wide range of topics, including the impact of cyberattacks on vulnerable communities, cybersecurity risks for NGOs and critical sectors, emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing, and the intersection of cyberattacks and disinformation. The Institute also explores legal frameworks, capacity building, cyber resilience, and threat intelligence, offering actionable insights and recommendations to enhance cybersecurity and protect human rights in the digital age.

The CyberPeace Institute also runs the CyberPeace Institute Academy, an educational initiative aimed at building cybersecurity capacity within vulnerable sectors. The Academy offers free training and resources designed to improve the cybersecurity knowledge and skills of individuals and organisations working in the nonprofit and humanitarian sectors. Through its courses, workshops, and certifications, the Academy helps strengthen the digital resilience of organisations, empowering them to respond to cyber threats effectively.

Digital policy issues

Critical infrastructure

Cyberattacks against critical infrastructure have been on the rise, from attacks against hospitals and vaccine supply chains to attacks on the energy sector. When such disruptions occur, access to basic services is at risk. It is vital that there is an increase in the capacity and ability to improve resilience to cyberthreats in critical sectors, such as healthcare. The CyberPeace Institute urges stakeholders in diplomatic, policy, operational, and technical areas to increase their capacity and resilience to cyberthreats.

The Institute advocates for capacity building aimed at enabling states to identify and protect national critical infrastructure and to cooperatively safeguard its operation. This includes capacity building, implementation of norms of responsible behaviour, and confidence building measures. In strengthening efforts to protect critical infrastructure, the Institute calls for the sharing of lessons learned between countries to assist those with less capacity and fewer capabilities.

NGOs in civilian-critical sectors, for example, water, food, healthcare, energy, finance, and information, need support and expertise to help them strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities. While these NGOs provide critical services to communities and bridge areas not covered by public and private actors, they lack the resources to protect themselves from cybersecurity threats.

Examples of the Institute’s work in this regard:

Calls to governments to take immediate and decisive action to stop all cyberattacks on hospitals and healthcare and medical research facilities, as well as on medical personnel and international public health organisations.
Capacity building is essential for achieving cyber preparedness and resilience across sectors and fields, and activities focus on providing assistance and capacity building to NGOs that might lack technical expertise and resources.
Publication of the strategic analysis report Playing with Lives: Cyberattacks on Healthcare are Attacks on People, and the launch of the Cyber Incident Tracer (CIT) #Health platform that bridges the current information gap about cyberattacks on healthcare and their impact on people. This is a valuable source of information for evidence-led operational, policy, and legal decision makers.
Analysis and evaluation of cyberattacks and operations targeting critical infrastructure and civilian objects in the armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation through the publicly accessible Cyber Attacks in Times of Conflict Platform #Ukraine and a two-part video series to offer visual representation of key findings further developed in our quarterly analytical reports.
A data-driven platform named The CyberPeace Tracer that leverages AI to map and analyse cyberattacks against civil society, providing them with insights to mitigate risks and vulnerabilities while building accountability.
Participation in the INFINITY project to transform the traditional idea of criminal investigation and analysis. INFINITY has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020. Its concept is based around four core research and technical innovations that together will provide a revolutionary approach and convert data into actionable intelligence.
Participation in the UnderServed project, an EU-funded initiative to address the lack of adequate cybersecurity measures for vulnerable sectors, including humanitarian, development, and peace non-governmental organisations. The primary objective of the project is to establish a comprehensive platform for reporting and analysing cyber threats. This platform is tailor-made for NGOs vulnerable to cyberattacks, which often lack the resources to effectively mitigate such threats.

Network security

The nonprofit sector is the safety net of humanity. Nonprofits around the world provide critical services to the most vulnerable, but this does not stop threat actors from attacking them.

Malicious actors are already targeting NGOs in an effort to get ransoms and exfiltrate data. These NGOs often lack the budget, know-how, or time to effectively secure their infrastructures and develop a robust incident response to manage and overcome sophisticated attacks.

With this in mind, the Institute launched its CyberPeace Builders programme in 2021, a unique network of corporate volunteers providing free pre- and post-incident assistance to NGOs supporting vulnerable populations.The CyberPeace Builders programme connects the nonprofit sector to the cybersecurity industry in various scalable and innovative ways to maximise social impact.

Through threat intelligence sharing, volunteering and funding, experts, companies, and donors are meaningfully helping nonprofits. This initiative brings support to NGOs in critical sectors at a level that is unequalled in terms of staff, tools, and capabilities. It assists NGOs with cybersecurity whether they work locally or globally and supports them in crisis-affected areas across the globe.

The CyberPeace Builders programme has grown significantly, now including over 1,300 cyber volunteers who have assisted more than 450 nonprofits worldwide. In 2024, the programme completed over 1,000 missions and logged 2,442 volunteer hours and has since expanded to The Hague (Netherlands) and launched the US Cyber Resilience Corps.

Several major corporate partners have joined the CyberPeace Builders initiative, including: Adobe, CapGemini, HPE, Inditex, Logitech, Marsh, Mastercard, Microsoft, Okta, Rapid7, Splunk, WithSecure, and Zurich.

The Institute established new partnerships with ISC2 and launched an upgraded matchmaking system in January 2025. The CyberPeace Tracer platform builds on the work of the CyberPeace Builders to provide nonprofits with tailored, real-time threat intelligence. The platform tracks and analyses cyberattacks targeting nonprofits, providing them with useful insights to strengthen their digital resilience while building accountability.

Capacity development

The Institute believes that meaningful change can occur when a diversity of perspectives, sectors, and industries work together. To address the complex challenges related to ensuring cyberpeace, it works with a wide range of actors at the global level including governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, philanthropies, policymaking institutions, and other organisations. The Institute contributes by providing evidence-led knowledge, emphasising the need to integrate a genuine human-centric approach in both technical and policy-related projects and processes, and by highlighting the civil society perspective to support and amplify existing initiatives.

Training

The CyberPeace Institute is providing comprehensive training for NGO boards and staff, foundations, and volunteers designed to empower organisations with vital tools for safeguarding their missions.

The Institute established a ‘CyberPeace Academy’, focused on building digital resilience and in partnership with Microsoft, launched the ‘Cyber School Initiative’, an 8-week fully virtual cybersecurity training course that successfully certified 99 participants in the 2024 cohort with a 95% success rate. The programme attracted a diverse group of participants (152 women, 48 men) and is specifically designed to help refugees, students, returning job seekers, and others interested in diversifying their professional skills.

The Cyber School curriculum consists of eight thematic modules covering: foundations, internet and ICT fundamentals, information security basics, governance, risk management, and AI integration with cybersecurity. The curriculum was developed to align with in-demand topics from recruiters in the cybersecurity sector, with Zarc Okere as the Lead Trainer.

The Institute has developed the General Cybersecurity Assessment (GCSA), a self-assessment tool to help civil society organisations evaluate their cybersecurity maturity level. The GCSA is rooted in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework but is tailored for non-technical professionals. The assessment consists of 9 categories with 30 questions and takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Each question is connected to at least one of 34 missions available within the CyberPeace Builders programme.

After completing the assessment, organisations receive a two-page report with a colour-coded matrix showing their cybersecurity maturity, their score, comparison with other organisations in the programme, and recommendations for the top five missions with volunteers. The assessment can be repeated to track progress over time, with organisations able to reassess after six months into the programme.

Interdisciplinary approaches

To contribute to closing the accountability gap in cyberspace, the Institute seeks to advance the role of international law and norms.

It reminds state and non-state actors of the international law and norms governing responsible behaviour in cyberspace and contributes to advancing the rule of law to reduce harm and ensure the respect of the rights of people.

Contribution to UN processes

In 2021–2022, the Institute contributed to and commented on various UN-led processes (notably the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Advancing Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace in the Context of International Security (UN GGE) and the Working Group (WG) on the Use of Mercenaries as a Means of Violating Human Rights and Impeding the Exercise of the Rights of Peoples to Self-Determination).
Since its inception, the Institute has closely followed the work of the UN Open-Ended Working Group (UN OEWG) on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security, advocating recognition of the healthcare sector as a critical infrastructure and raising concerns about the lack of commitment towards an actionable and genuine human-centric approach.
In the Open-Ended Working Group on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies 2021–2025 (OEWG II), the Institute set out three key action areas and related recommendations, and is contributing its expertise in relation to the protection of humanitarian and development organisations from cyberattacks.
The Institute issued a Statement at the Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes (Cybercrime Convention).
Moreover, the Institute sought to advance the Cyber Programme of Action (PoA) by offering recommendations concerning the range, organisation, and approaches for stakeholder participation.
The Institute also welcomed the call for civil society organisations to contribute to the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and provided a set of recommendations.

Participation in international initiatives: The Paris Call working groups

The Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace is a multistakeholder initiative launched by the French government at the Paris Peace Forum in November 2018. The Call itself sets out nine principles promoting and ensuring the security of cyberspace and the safer use of information and communications technology (ICT).

To operationalise these principles, six working groups were created in November 2020 to work on various issues that relate to them. The Institute co-led WG5 with colleagues from Geopolitics in the Datasphere [Géopolitique de la Datasphère] and The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS).
The work of this group led to the Final Report published during the Paris Peace Forum 2021. It presents a methodology to facilitate understanding of how the implementation of normative, legal, operational, and technical measures, or the lack thereof, contribute to stability in cyberspace and ultimately to cyberpeace.
The Institute contributed to WG3: Advancing the UN negotiations with a strong multistakeholder approach, leading to the publication of the final report on Multistakeholder Participation at the UN: The need for greater inclusivity in the UN dialogues on cybersecurity.
The Institute chaired the session ‘Unpacking the Cyber Mercenaries’ Phenomenon’ at the 6th edition of the Paris Peace Forum.

At the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, in May 2022, the CyberPeace Institute joined Access Now, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and Consumers International to call on decision makers to take action and initiate a moratorium limiting the sale, transfer, and use of abusive spyware until people’s rights are safeguarded under international human rights law.

This is in addition to a call made in 2021, in which the Institute joined more than 100 civil society organisations calling for a global moratorium on the sale and transfer of surveillance technology until rigorous human rights safeguards are adopted to regulate such practices and guarantee that governments and non-state actors do not abuse these capabilities.

EU processes

At the Institute, we conduct an evaluation of best practices in implementing EU regulations, focusing on their evolution and development to ensure effective execution. Simultaneously, we analyse EU mechanisms like the EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox, aimed at countering malicious cyber activities and bolstering resilience, while providing targeted observations and recommendations.

We contributed to the Joint Letter of Experts on Cyber Resilience Act to shed light on the vulnerability disclosure requirements, which are believed to be counterproductive.
We offered recommendations to the working group of the ITRE Committee (EU Parliament).
We led the workshop for the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) on The role of cyber in the Russian war against Ukraine: Its impact and the consequences for the future of armed conflict, which was then published as a working paper.
We provided positions and recommendations on the EU AI Act (unpublished yet).

Digital technology plays an important role in conflict mediation and global peacebuilding. It can extend inclusion, allowing more women or people from marginalised groups to take part in or follow the mediation process. It can make mediation faster and more efficient and can allow mediators to draw on resources from around the world.

However, digital technology brings risks, too. It can increase polarisation, for example, and allow disinformation to spread to more people, more quickly. It can increase vulnerability to malicious actors, spying, and data breaches. These risks can undermine trust in the process.

Mediators work in low-trust, volatile contexts and do not always have the knowledge to assess the risks posed by digital technology. The new online platform helps to raise awareness of those risks, as well as offers training on how to deal with them. The Digital Risk Management E-Learning Platform for Mediators was created in 2021 by the CyberPeace Institute, CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, and the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDPPA) Mediation Support Unit.

As part of the integration and engagement with the stakeholder ecosystem in Geneva, the Institute is a member of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services (CCIG). Various academic collaborations are ongoing through participation in conferences, workshops, and lectures, namely with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Centre for Digital Trust EPFL (C4DT), the University of Geneva (UNIGE), and the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID). In 2020, the Institute formed a strategic partnership with the SwissTrust Valley for Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity.

The Institute and its staff have received several awards for innovative and continuous efforts promoting cyberpeace including the 2020 Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), the second prize for Innovation in Global Security, and the Prix de l’Economie in 2021 from CCIG.

DiploFoundation

DiploFoundation (Diplo) is a non-profit organisation established in 2002 by the governments of Malta and Switzerland. It has offices in Malta, Switzerland, Serbia, and the USA. With the mission to increase the power of small and developing states to influence their own futures and development, Diplo’s main activities are dedicated to developing capacity, organising meetings and events, delivering courses, conducting research, publishing analyses, and experimenting with technological tools.

Over the years, Diplo has successfully trained over 7,500 alumni from 208 countries and territories, including individuals working in governments, the private and civil sectors, media, and academia.

The Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) is an initiative supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), and the Republic and Canton of Geneva. It is operated by Diplo.

Digital activities

The GIP engages actors, fosters meaningful dialogues on digital governance, and monitors digital policy processes in Geneva and beyond. The GIP also provides a neutral and inclusive space for digital policy debates, recognised as a platform where different views can be voiced and the risks and vulnerabilities of technology addressed.

Concretely, GIP activities are centred on two pillars: 1) the physical platform in Geneva that hosts events and delivers training and 2) the GIP Digital Watch Observatory, which monitors and tracks the latest updates, overviews, instruments, resources, events, and actors across 7 baskets of over 50 internet governance and digital policy topics, trends, and processes.

Apart from the GIP, Diplo also operates a Diplo Academy that delivers a wide range of courses primarily dedicated to diplomats and government officials; long-running courses cover subjects in internet governance, AI, cybersecurity, e-diplomacy, science diplomacy, and tech diplomacy.

Diplo hosts an AI lab that develops in-house AI solutions that can be used in research, courses, training, and other projects. Its notable projects include an AI reporting system, AI assistants, and other internal tools.
Diplo is also advancing on conferencing technologies through the ConfTech project, providing resources guiding event planners through the how-to of hosting hybrid meetings.

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

Diplo’s research on and analysis of AI stretches from the most pertinent policy and governance issues to reflections on AI development in general. For instance, Diplo pooled together resources on national AI strategies and international negotiation processes on AI governance; in the Stronger Digital Voices from Africa report, Diplo also included a specific section analysing how African countries approach frontier technologies like AI. Across the seven baskets of digital issues covered by the Digital Watch Observatory, Diplo experts also highlighted the policy implications AI brings to a given issue, allowing domain experts from different fields to comprehend the impact of AI technologies.

Under the banner of HumAInism, Diplo experts also offer their timely reflections on AI development in the form of blog posts, policy briefs, and reports, exploring the nexus of governance, diplomacy, technology, philosophy, linguistics, and arts.

Specifically, in exploring the interplay of AI and diplomacy, Diplo provided detailed analyses of how AI technologies might affect the field of foreign policy and diplomacy; commissioned by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Diplo wrote a report titled Mapping AI’s challenges and opportunities for the conduct of diplomacy.

Dedicated to upskilling diplomats, students, and other professionals, Diplo Academy launched the AI Campus in 2024, containing a series of modules introducing the technical foundations, applications, governance and regulation mechanisms, and philosophical aspects of AI.

Cybersecurity

The Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace (GD) was launched in 2018 by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in cooperation with the GIP, with the support of other stakeholders. The GD maps the roles and responsibilities of non-state actors in contributing to a more secure cyberspace in the context of international peace and security. It is an ongoing process that identifies and brings together existing efforts, good practices, and possible gaps, making recommendations to overcome such gaps. It also serves as a platform in Geneva and beyond for different stakeholders to engage and discuss topics on responsible behaviour in cyberspace.

In 2023, a major achievement of the GD was the publication of the Geneva Manual on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace. Launched during a dedicated event hosted in Geneva in December 2023, the Manual offers possible guidance for the international community in advancing the implementation of existing norms and establishing good practices. The inaugural edition of the Manual focuses on two norms related to supply chain security and responsible reporting of ICT vulnerabilities. The Geneva Dialogue and Geneva Manual were included in the written and verbal statements to the UN Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the security of and in the use of information and communications technologies in December 2023. From January 2024, the GD focuses on the existing norms and confidence-building measures (CBMs) related to critical infrastructure protection.

Capacity development

As per Diplo’s stated mission to support small and developing states in participating in digital policy negotiations and discussions, Diplo develops and hosts a wide range of training, courses, and events in both Geneva and across the world. The Geneva office is Diplo’s main outreach post where Diplo engages with diplomatic communities in the International Geneva. Diplo hosts monthly briefings for Geneva-based diplomats who cover science, technology and innovation issues; its in-house experts dissect the most recent digital policy negotiation processes and provide space for diplomats to ask questions and form opinions. Diplo also partakes in multiple events in and around Geneva, supporting other diplomatic or international organisation actors with its network of experts in the fields of cybersecurity, AI, digital infrastructure, data governance, digital economy, etc.

From 2023 to 2024, Diplo, with the support of the United States Mission to International Organizations to Geneva, ran the Policy Meets Tech series to help bridge gaps between technology and policy in digital governance. Dedicated to missions of small and developing countries, the series included events in which experts ‘opened the black box’ of technical subjects like the internet, AI, quantum computing, virtual reality, satellites, and cryptography.

In the lead-up to the UN Summit of the Future and the adoption of the Global Digital Compact, Diplo delivered two rounds of training on digital governance issues for New York-based diplomats and hosted a two-day expert-guided diplomatic dialogue in Geneva to facilitate honest and transparent exchanges of information and opinions among diplomats, providing both background information of the GDC and clarifying technical details.

Apart from more Geneva-based and globally-focused events, Diplo also delivers more country-tailored training on demand; taking requests from governments all over the world, Diplo curates a series of activities and lectures for diplomats or governmental officials according to their needs. For instance, with the support of various partners, Diplo has long been building digital governance capacities in the Caribbean and African regions.
Lastly, Diplo Academy is Diplo’s online learning platform, offering a wide range of courses covering different facets of diplomacy and the most topical digital policy domains. The faculty consists of high-ranking practising and retired diplomats, as well as renowned academics in the fields of digital policy, diplomacy, and international relations. Since 1994, Diplo Academy has run more than 500 courses and trained more than 7500 alumni from 208 countries working in governments, civil society, the private sector, media, and academia.

Digital tools

AI assistants

Believing in walking the talk, Diplo experiments with digital technologies and builds its own AI tools for research and educational purposes. Its AI lab has developed DiploAI, a domain-specific AI system that was fine-tuned for diplomatic and policy-relevant texts; it enables Diplo researchers to build customisable AI assistants for courses, diplomatic training, and research. For example, using the retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) technique, a Diplo researcher is able to customise an AI assistant based on a third-party large language model (LLM) by providing the latter with a curated dataset trained on global digital governance documents and various countries’ official statements. Diplo’s guiding principles in building such assistants are grounded in the pursuit of AI solutions that are open-source, inherently bottom-up, and traceable by showing the basis on which AI assistants generate answers.

Diplo also implements the same principles when incorporating smart searching features into its main website (diplomacy.edu); on the site, a publicly available AI assistant takes users’ queries and guides them to the right Diplo resources.

Conferencing technologies

In experimenting with AI tools to meet the diplomatic needs of reporting from events and meetings, Diplo takes conferencing technologies to another level. During a UN Security Council special session, Diplo deployed its human-AI hybrid system, generating just-in-time reports of country statements and key questions. The hybrid system leverages AI’s real-time transcription and summarisation capability along with human quality control. The system has been tested during larger international conferences and events, such as the 78th UN General Assembly, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2023, the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) eWeek 2023, and the World Economic Forum 2024.

Digital footprint

Started as a mapping exercise to understand the significance of major Geneva actors’ digital presence in the world, the Geneva Digital Footprint application shows the visibility of more than 200 Geneva-based actors on Google’s search engine. The application evaluates how visible Geneva-based actors’ website domains are in 50 cities worldwide as users enter 500 plus keywords pertinent to the digital policy discussions, such as trade, healthcare, emerging technologies, humanitarian aid, etc. The application is updated frequently, its rich repertoire of data serving as a basis for the 9th Geneva Engage Awards and other analyses on Geneva’s overall importance in the field of digital.

Colour of flags

Diplo’s AI lab developed a simple game of guessing the pattern of the country flag colour compositions and generating new flags for countries based on such patterns. The game is developed to show the logic behind AI algorithms, which are broadly based on ‘probabilistic calculations’ and ‘pattern recognition’, in the simplest way possible to reduce barriers for non-technical background diplomats and policymakers who must negotiate about the governance of AI technologies. The Colour of Flags is physically playable as a card-based board game and digitally available as well.

Other tools

For more of Diplo’s publicly available tools, please check the AI and Technology page under HumAInism.

Social media channels

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LinkedIn @diplofoundation

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Contact @ geneva@diplomacy.edu

Ecma International

Ecma International is a global standards development organisation dedicated to the standardisation of information and communication systems. Established in 1961, Ecma has been a pioneer in providing a framework for the collaboration of standardisation and open source. The work is driven by Ecma members to address market requirements, providing a healthy competitive environment where competition is based on the differentiation of products and services and where vendors and users can rely on the interoperability of technical solutions.

Areas of work include the development and publication of standards and technical reports for information and communications technology (ICT) and consumer electronics (CE), with a broad scope of standardisation topics including hardware, software, communications, consumer electronics, the internet of things (IoT), programming languages, media storage, and environmental subjects. Ecma’s pragmatic, flexible, member-driven model is effective in enabling technical committees to form and iterate rapidly on internationally recognised open standards.

Digital activities

For over 60 years, Ecma has actively contributed to worldwide standardisation in information technology and telecommunications. More than 420 Ecma standards and 110 technical reports have been published, covering areas such as data presentation and communication, data interchange and archiving, access systems and interconnection and multimedia, programming languages, and software engineering and interfaces, two-thirds of which have also been adopted as international standards and/or technical reports.

One of the first programming languages developed by Ecma, FORTRAN, was approved in 1965. ECMAScript® (JavaScript), with several billion implementations, is one of the most used standards worldwide.

Digital policy issues

Digital standards

A large part of Ecma’s activity is dedicated to defining standards and technical reports for ICTs (hardware, software, communications, media storage, etc.). This work is carried out through technical committees and task groups focusing on issues such as information storage, multimedia coding and communications, programming languages, open XML formats, and product-related environmental attributes. Our members are committed to Ecma’s success and progress and follow best practices and efficient processes for the development and approval of standards, making Ecma a respected and trusted industry association. Ecma has close working relations – such as liaisons, cooperation agreements, and memberships – with European and international standardisation bodies as well as with some forums and consortia. Our long-established relationships with other standardisation organisations are well maintained and enable us to publish our specifications as international standards. A list of Ecma standards is noted below.

Technical committees (TCs) and task groups (TGs), covering issues such as access systems and information exchange between systems (TC51), information storage (TC31),

product-related environmental attributes (TC38), ECMAScript® language (TC39), office open XML formats (TC45), and ECMAScript^® modules for embedded systems (TC53). Additional technical committees include acoustics (TC26), software and system transparency (TC54), web-interoperable server runtimes (TC55), and communication with artificial intelligence (AI) agents (TC56).

In addition, ECMA-425 was published in December 2024, specifying a statistical background correction for information technology and telecommunications equipment noise measurements.

Future of standards

The participation in Ecma of many leading global companies ensures not only the acceptance of Ecma standards in European and international standardisation but also their worldwide implementation.

Ecma’s goal in the next decade is to continue to play a key role in the extraordinary development of IT, telecommunications, and consumer electronics by disseminating new technologies and delivering first-class standards to our members, partners, and the standard-user community. Ecma aims to continue to bring in major contributions, move technology from members to mature standards, and collaborate with the world’s major standards development organisations (SDOs).

In December 2024, Ecma established Technical Committee TC55, tasked with defining, refining, and standardising a ‘minimum common API’ surface, along with a verifiable definition of compliance with that API. This is intended to improve interoperability across multiple ECMAScript environments, expanding beyond web browsers, specifically web servers. In addition, Ecma established TC56, a natural language interaction protocol for communication with AI agents. The scope is to specify a common protocol, framework and interfaces for interactions between AI agents using natural language while supporting multiple modalities.

Digital tools

Conferencing technologies

Ecma maintains a pragmatic approach to meeting participation. Our General Assembly typically takes place as a physical meeting to allow in-person discussions and interaction among members. For members who cannot participate in person, remote attendance is possible with videoconferencing and other digital tools.

Ecma’s technical committees hold either physical, hybrid, or virtual meetings depending on their specific needs.

Ecma meetings are typically held outside of Ecma’s HQ. As a general principle, members are encouraged to host meetings. Invitations are by a technical committee member who host the meeting at a facility of their choice.

For meetings, consensus building, and voting, Ecma focuses on being efficient and effective. The meeting place and mode are decided upon by the committee.

Social media channels

LinkedIn @ecma-international

X @EcmaIntl

Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development

The Broadband Commission is a high-level public-private partnership fostering digital cooperation and developing actionable recommendations for achieving universal meaningful connectivity as a means of advancing progress on the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Established in 2010 by ITU, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and Mr Carlos Slim Helú of Mexico, its mission is to boost the importance of broadband on the international policy agenda and expand broadband access to every country. Today, the Commission is composed of more than 50 Commissioners representing a cross-cutting group of top CEOs and industry leaders; senior policymakers and government representatives; and experts from international agencies, academia, and organisations concerned with development.

The Commission is leveraging the strength of its membership and collective expertise to advocate for meaningful, safe, secure, and sustainable broadband communications services that reflect human and children’s rights.

Digital activities

The Commission develops policy recommendations and thought leadership focused on the use of broadband connectivity to accelerate progress towards achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and universal and meaningful connectivity. To mobilise efforts to bring the life-changing benefits of digital transformation to everyone, the Broadband Commission puts broadband connectivity at the forefront of global policy discussions.

The Commission’s efforts are detailed in our flagship annual collaborative State of Broadband Report , and throughout the year, take the form of thematic Working Groups and their publications, regular meetings, and advocacy activities on the margins of other key events such as SDG Digital, GSMA MWC, HLPF, WSIS, and UNGA.

The Broadband Commission outlines its seven objectives in its 2025 Broadband Advocacy Targets. These targets reflect ambitious and aspirational goals and function as a policy and programmatic guide for national and international action in sustainable and inclusive broadband development.
Each year, the Commission hosts Working Groups to dive deeper into prominent issues affecting broadband access, affordability, and use. Working Groups are proposed and led by Commissioners, with the support of external experts. The outcome of the discussion and research of these groups is a consensus-based collaborative report which provides policy recommendations for achieving the issues examined, in alignment with the Commission’s targets and elements of the UN 2030 Agenda.

Digital policy issues

Digital infrastructure

The Commission promotes the adoption of best practices and policies that enable the deployment of broadband networks at the national level, especially among developing countries. The Commission engages in advocacy activities aimed at demonstrating that broadband networks are fundamental to modern societies and the achievement of the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). Each year, the Broadband Commission publishes a State of Broadband Report, providing a global overview of the current state of broadband network access and affordability and use, an update on the Commission’s 7 Advocacy Targets, and insights/impact stories from Commissioners on multistakeholder actions for accelerating the achievement of universal meaningful connectivity.

The most recent report, ‘The State of Broadband 2024: Leveraging AI for Universal Connectivity’, offers an initial overview of how AI applications are already shaping development in areas as diverse as e-government, education, digital health, digital finance, and the environment. The report highlights how AI can potentially help connect the 2.6 billion people still not connected to the internet, while also discussing challenges associated with AI, risks and implications for the digital divide. The report reviewed how AI solutions can accelerate progress on broadband advocacy targets aimed at getting everyone online and achieving the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The Commission has launched a number of working groups focused on connectivity infrastructure and financing, including the World Bank-led Digital Infrastructure Moonshot for Africa and the Working Group on 21st Century Financing Models for Sustainable Broadband Development. These initiatives aim to provide governments and policymakers, as well as the private sector and development partners, with a set of holistic policy recommendations to accelerate broadband connectivity, close digital gaps, and foster innovative financing and investment strategies to achieve the Commission’s targets for broadband and to provide universal and affordable access to the internet. The Working Group on School Connectivity has also identified a set of core principles to help governments and other interested stakeholders to develop more holistic school connectivity plans.

The Commission has established specific Advocacy Targets to assess progress in broadband access and identify remaining connectivity gaps. The Commission tracks progress on the Targets in its annual flagship State of Broadband Reports. Advocacy Target 1 focuses on making broadband policy universal by 2025, calling for all countries to have a funded National Broadband Plan or include broadband in their Universal Access and Service Definition. As of 2022, 155 countries have a national broadband plan or strategic document emphasising broadband, which is a decrease from 165 in 2021. The Commission notes that implementation and operationalisation of existing national plans are key challenges, especially for boosting broadband access in rural areas.

Access, skills and use

When advocating for the rollout of broadband infrastructure and bridging the digital divide, the Commission underlines the increasing importance of internet access and adoption as an enabler of inclusive sustainable growth and development.

The Commission pays particular attention to aspects related to infrastructure deployment in developing countries, inclusive and relevant digital content creation and education, connectivity for small businesses, and access to broadband/internet-enabled devices.

Recent broadband reports covering these topics include the Commission’s working groups on Connectivity for MSMEs, Smartphone Access, and Data for Learning. These working groups aim to advance progress on the Commission’s 2025 Advocacy Targets on micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), universal connectivity, and digital skills development.

The Broadband Commission Working Group on Connectivity for MSMEs, co-chaired by the GSMA and the International Trade Centre (ITC), has released the ‘Making Digital Connectivity Work for MSMEs’ report, identifying a five-part framework for addressing barriers and challenges to MSME connectivity, including: Access (secured connectivity, devices, and digital services); Affordability (services and devices must be affordable); Knowledge and Digital Skills (awareness of tools and skills to use them); Relevance (awareness of benefits and ecosystem of platforms); and Safety and Security (trust in online services and addressing risks).

The Broadband Commission has also developed the compilation of impact stories from its members on their impressive work to narrow the gender digital divide. The 2024 International Impact Story Compilation is focused on Advocacy Target 7, which emphasises that ‘gender equality should be achieved across all targets’ by 2025. This entails eliminating gender disparities in broadband policy, affordability, online access, skills development, e-finance, MSME connectivity, and more. By prioritising gender equality within its advocacy efforts, the Commission aims to foster an environment where everyone can fully participate and benefit from the opportunities afforded by broadband connectivity.

Sustainable development

The Commission advocates for actions to be taken by all relevant stakeholders with the aim of closing the digital divide, a crucial step towards achieving the SDGs. The Commission’s annual State of Broadband Report looks at the progress made in implementing broadband networks in various countries around the world, which it regards as an essential element in addressing the digital divide. In addition, the Working Group on Smartphone Access examines the smartphone access gap and provides strategies for achieving universal smartphone ownership so that all communities may benefit from access to digital services.

In support of SDG Digital, an event hosted by ITU and UNDP with the aim of bringing digital SDG solutions to scale, Broadband Commissioners offered insights into various use cases for digital technologies to accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs, highlighting the crucial importance that everyone plays in harnessing the power of digital for a brighter future.

Interdisciplinary approaches: Digital cooperation

The Commission prepared a contribution to the Global Digital Compact, calling for the Compact to be anchored in the vision of a connected, inclusive, and sustainable world and expresses the need to ensure consistency between existing multilateral and multistakeholder forums and mechanisms, avoiding duplication and ensuring that efforts complement, build on, and reinforce existing frameworks and successful activities, which have proven to be impactful.

Through its various Working Group initiatives and the advocacy of our Commissioners, the Broadband Commission is an exemplary initiative of SDG 17: ‘Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development’ in action. The Commission’s policy recommendations advocate for global digital cooperation, providing considerations for all sectors to enhance collaboration to reach the goal of universal meaningful connectivity.

The Commission is also contributing to other UN processes, actively participating in key United Nations initiatives and conferences, working to elevate broadband to the forefront of the international policy agenda, for example, with annual inputs to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) or WSIS.

Digital tools and initiatives

Resources

The Broadband Commission’s website, social media, and various online channels feature landmark reports, which are available for free:

The Broadband Commission has also been instrumental in launching the following global initiatives and is an active participant in:

Social media channels

Facebook @broadbandcommission

Flickr @Broadband Commission

LinkedIn @broadband-commission

X @UNBBCom

YouTube @Broadband Commission

Commission on Science and Technology for Development

The Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) is a subsidiary of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It was established to advise the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on science and technology issues through analysis and appropriate policy recommendations. It is the focal point of the UN for science, technology, and innovation for development. Under the mandate given by ECOSOC, the CSTD leads the follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and advises ECOSOC accordingly, including through the elaboration of recommendations aimed at furthering the implementation of the WSIS outcomes. The UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is responsible for servicing the CSTD.

Digital activities

The CSTD reviews progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the WSIS outcomes at regional and international levels. It also discusses science, technology, and innovation (STI), including frontier technologies, many of which are digital technologies and are largely linked with digitalisation. Based on thematic reviews and discussions, the CSTD prepares draft resolutions for ECOSOC. These draft resolutions tackle issues ranging from access to the internet and information and communications technologies (ICTs) and frontier technologies to the use of these technologies in achieving sustainable development. Sustainable development is particularly linked to the 2030 Agenda and the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), including topics in recent years related to climate action (SDG 13), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), Industry 4.0 (SDG 9), and partnerships (SDG 17). Digital technologies play a role in all SDGs. At each of its annual sessions and intersessional panels, the CSTD addresses two priority themes regarding the use of STI, including digital technologies, in different areas related to the various SDGs.

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

Within the work of the CSTD, AI is placed under the term ‘frontier technologies’, which also includes big data analytics, biotech and genome editing, and the internet of things (IoT).

As part of its work on assessing the impact of technological change on inclusive and sustainable development, the CSTD is also exploring the role of frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). At its 23rd session in 2020, the CSTD focused its work on digital frontier technologies, such as AI, big data, and robotics, which offer opportunities to accelerate progress in achieving the SDGs, while also posing new challenges (e.g., disrupting labour markets, widening digital divides, and raising ethical questions). For 2021, the CSTD chose another digital technology – blockchain for sustainable development – as a priority theme. In 2022, the CSTD deliberated on industry 4.0 technologies (such as AI, big data, IoT, and robotics) for inclusive development. For 2023, the themes were the use of STI solutions, especially digital technologies, to achieve SDG 6 on water and sanitation, as well as technology and innovation for cleaner and more productive and competitive production (including digital Industry 4.0 technologies). In 2024, CSTD’s work focused on data for development and global cooperation in STI for development (which includes cooperation on digital infrastructure and digital technologies). For 2025, the theme was Diversifying economies in a world of accelerated digitalization, examining the shift from export-oriented industrialisation to technology-led transformation.

At CSTD28 (April 2025), AI featured prominently across sessions, including in the draft resolution on WSIS outcomes implementation, which contained multiple references to AI, and in the presentation of UNCTAD’s Technology and Innovation Report 2025: Inclusive Artificial Intelligence for Development. Side events addressed inclusive AI for development and data, AI, and human rights. Several delegates called for CSTD to be strengthened as an intergovernmental forum for key digital policy decisions, including on data governance and AI, while also reviewing progress on the Global Digital Compact.

CSTD29 (April 2026) took ‘STI in the age of AI’ as its priority theme, supported by a Secretary-General report (February 2026) offering recommendations for developing countries and the international community, including on inclusive national AI strategies, ethical AI ecosystems, open science and innovation, and enhanced policymaker foresight on AI. The session also considered two draft resolutions for submission to ECOSOC – one on WSIS outcomes implementation, which acknowledged AI divides, called for international partnerships on AI capacity building, and welcomed the establishment of the Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, and one on STI for development, which underlined the importance of ethical, safe, and inclusive AI deployment in accordance with international human rights law.

The CSTD Working Group on Data Governance (WGDG) is also directly relevant to AI governance. The multistakeholder group is working on recommendations towards equitable and interoperable data governance arrangements, with its April 2026 synthesis note identifying AI governance as deeply interdependent with data governance – covering issues such as training data provenance, bias mitigation, benefit-sharing from AI-driven services, and the adequacy of IP regimes for the age of large language models. A draft report is expected by December 2026, for submission to CSTD in April 2027 and to UNGA 81.

In 2018, UNGA resolution A/RES/73/17 requested the Technology Facilitation Mechanism and CSTD, through ECOSOC, to consider in a coordinated manner the impact of rapid technological changes, including AI, on the achievement of the SDGs. AI has since featured regularly at intersessional panels, with delegates raising issues such as AI misuse risks, the importance of multistakeholder approaches to AI governance, the need for better representation of developing countries in AI governance discussions, and calls for increased international cooperation on ethical AI guidelines, technology transfer, and capacity building. The 2025–2026 intersessional panel (November 2025) took ‘STI in the age of AI’ as its theme, feeding directly into the Secretary-General report for CSTD29.

Previous priority theme reports and other key resources include:

Diversifying economies in a world of accelerated digitalization (2025)
Data for development (2024)
Ensuring safe water and sanitation for all: A solution through science, technology and innovation (2023)
Industry 4.0 for Inclusive Development (2022)
Harnessing blockchain for sustainable development: prospects and challenges (2021)
Harnessing rapid technological change for inclusive and sustainable development (2020)
CSTD Dialogue, which brings together leaders and experts to address the question: ‘What must be done to ensure that the potential offered by science, technology, and innovation (STI) towards achieving the SDGs is ultimately realised?’ This dialogue also aims to contribute to ‘rigorous thinking on the opportunities and challenges of STI in several crucial areas including gender equality, food security and poverty reduction’.
Articles on the webpage explore AI-related issues, such as the role of AI in health, a principled approach to AI (written by actors from different stakeholder groups), and Investing in AI-driven innovation for social good.
A hybrid of a physical and online side event on AI strategies, organised during the 25th CSTD.
A side event on the multifaceted implications of AI, organised during the 26th CSTD.
Technology and innovation for cleaner and more productive and competitive production (2023).

Access

In the CSTD’s work, disparities related to access to the internet are referred to as the ‘digital divide’.

During its annual sessions and intersessional panels, as well as in its draft resolutions for ECOSOC, the CSTD tackles aspects related to the digital divide and outlines the need for further progress in addressing the impediments that developing countries face in accessing new technologies. It often underlines the need for coordinated efforts among all stakeholders to bridge the digital divide in its various dimensions: access to infrastructure, affordability, quality of access, digital skills, gender gap, and others. To this aim, the CSTD recommends policies and actions to improve connectivity and access to infrastructure, affordability, multilingualism and cultural preservation, digital skills and digital literacy, capacity development, and appropriate financing mechanisms. There is an annual follow-up to the progress made on WSIS implementation, which is a critical international process for evaluating progress in overcoming the digital divide in internet access within and across countries. There is also a 20-year review of WSIS, called WSIS+20, to be held in 2025 in the General Assembly. The CSTD has been undertaking a series of global and regional open consultations to gather inputs from multistakeholders for its report on WSIS+20 to be submitted, through ECOSOC, to the General Assembly in 2025.

Sustainable development

As the UN focal point for STI for development, the CSTD analyses the impact of digital technologies on sustainable development (assessing opportunities, risks, and challenges), including from the perspective of the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’. The CSTD also works to identify strategies, policies, and actions to foster the use of technology to empower people and ensure inclusiveness and equality. In addition, it acts as a forum for strategic planning, sharing good practices, and providing foresight about emerging and disruptive technologies.

UNGA Resolution: Impact of rapid technological change on the achievement of the sustainable development goals
ECOSOC resolutions related to science and technology for development
GA resolutions on science, technology and innovation for development
The impact of rapid technological change on sustainable development (2019). The paper was prepared by UNCTAD – which services the CSTD – in response to the UNGA resolution 72/242, requesting the CSTD to give due consideration to the impacts of key rapid technological changes on the achievement of the SDGs.

Capacity development

Capacity development is one of the recurring themes that appear in draft resolutions prepared by the CSTD on the implementation of and follow-up to the WSIS outcomes. The CSTD often emphasises the need for countries and other stakeholders to focus on capacity development policies and actions to further enhance the role of the internet as a catalyst for growth and development. Strengthening the capacity of stakeholders to participate in internet governance processes is another objective the CSTD has been calling for, especially in regard to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

Articles on the webpage explore issues related to capacity development, such as enhancing the participation of women and girls in STEM careers (written by actors from different stakeholder groups).
Project on using digital technologies for development: CropWatch Innovative Cooperation Programme
Project of Harnessing space technological applications in sustainable urban development

Interdisciplinary approaches: Internet governance

The CSTD was mandated to review the IGF process and suggest improvements. To this aim, the Working Group on Improvements to the IGF was established and in 2012 a report recommending a number of action items regarding the IGF was delivered. The CSTD was also entrusted with the mandate to initiate discussions about enhanced cooperation in internet governance. It convened two working groups on enhanced cooperation (2013–2014 and 2016–2018); although consensus seemed to have been reached on some issues, a divergence of views persisted on others and the Working Group could not reach consensus on recommendations on how to further implement enhanced cooperation as envisioned by the Tunis Agenda.

Report of the Chair of the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation (2018)
CSTD working group to examine the mandate of WSIS regarding enhanced cooperation as contained in the Tunis Agenda (2014)
Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation (2016–2018)
Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation (2013–2014)

In addition, with the rich experience and expertise accumulated through the nearly 20 years’ review of WSIS engaging multistakeholders, the CSTD has been given an important role in the Global Digital Compact (GDC). For example, the GDC requested the CSTD to establish a dedicated Working Group on Data Governance and report on its progress to the General Assembly, including on fundamental principles of data governance at all levels as relevant for development.

Digital tools

UNCTAD is in charge of servicing the CSTD. As such, digital tools used by UNCTAD (e.g. platform for online meetings, social media for communications purposes) are also employed for CSTD-related purposes. For example, the 23rd and 24th CSTD annual sessions, as well as the intersessional panel of the 24th CSTD were purely virtual, using the Interprefy platform. The intersessional panel and the annual session of the 25th CSTD were hybrid, combining online and in-person participation. The online platforms used were Interprefy and Zoom, respectively. CSTD meetings have returned to a more conventional in-person format, but digital platforms remain widely in use for the work of the CSTD.

Sustainable development

Digital policy issues

Network security, cyberconflict, and warfare

Capacity development

Content policy

Human rights principles

Social media channels

Digital activities

Digital policy issues

Access to data

Future of work

Automation and AI

Digital labour platforms and algorhitmic management

Sustainable development

Capacity development

Privacy and data protection

Digital tools

Social media channels

Digital activities

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

Cybersecurity

Capacity development

Social media channels

Digital activities

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

Digital standards

Emerging technologies

Data governance

Sustainable development

Human rights principles

Social media channels

Digital activities

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

Conflict and peacebuilding

Global Health

Interdisciplinary approaches

Future of work

Inclusive finance

Digital tools

Social media channels

Digital activities

Digital policy issues

Critical infrastructure

Network security

Capacity development

Training

Interdisciplinary approaches

Participation in international initiatives: The Paris Call working groups

EU processes

Social media channels

Digital activities

Digital policy issues

Artificial intelligence

Cybersecurity

Capacity development

Digital tools

AI assistants

Conferencing technologies

Digital footprint

Colour of flags

Other tools

Social media channels

Digital activities

Digital policy issues

Digital standards

Telecommunications infrastructure

Network security

Sustainable development/Digital and environment

Programming languages such as ECMAScript (JavaScript) and C#

Software engineering and interfaces

Data-related standards

Future of standards

Digital tools

Conferencing technologies

Social media channels

Digital activities

Digital policy issues