Launched in spring 2018, the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace aims to map the roles and responsibilities of actors in contributing to greater security and stability in cyberspace in the context of international peace and security.
It strives to identify good practices and possible gaps in existing efforts; and put forward recommendations for overcoming such gaps. The dialogue aims to provide a platform in Geneva through which different stakeholders can engage in discussions on responsible behaviour in cyberspace.
In 2021, the dialogue will focus on the roles of the business in securing their digital products and the overall supply chain. It will endeavour to:
- develop common policy baseline requirements for boosting the security of digital products, and look into approaches for broad implementation of the agreed baseline requirements;
- enhance the feedback loop between corporate efforts and cybersecurity processes that develop norms, regulations, policies and standards, and support businesses to follow and contribute to those processes at international and regional levels.
The Geneva Dialogue will unfold in two tracks in 2021. Track 1 will tackle discussing baseline requirements for security of digital products, while Track 2 will tackle connecting corporate practices with global policy processes.
The dialogue is currently led by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and implemented by DiploFoundation.
Timeline of the dialogue
Geneva Dialogue 2018—2020
The first phase of the Geneva Dialogue started in June 2018 and lasted until April 2019. In its first phase, the dialogue analysed the roles and responsibilities of states, industry actors, civil society, and academic and tech communities in contributing to greater security and stability in cyberspace. It resulted in the Final Report, supported by the Baseline Research and the draft Framework Documents.
The first phase was led by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in cooperation with the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP), the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), ETH Zurich, and the University of Lausanne.
The dialogue entered its second phase in 2020. It focused on the roles and responsibilities of the business sector. It aimed to:
- convene global business sector actors to discuss responsible behaviour in cyberspace;
- assist the business sector to develop its capacities to understand, follow, and meaningfully contribute to international policy and diplomatic processes; and,
- facilitate dialogue among global businesses towards shaping principles and an action plan contributing to the global efforts at the UN and elsewhere.
As a result of the discussions and a number of written contributions, the Geneva Dialogue published an output document entitled ‘Security of digital products and services: Reducing vulnerabilities and secure design: Good practices.’
The second phase of the dialogue is led by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and implemented by DiploFoundation.