G7 foreign ministers adopt the ‘Dinard Declaration on the Cyber Norm Initiative’

The foreign ministers of G7 countries adopted the ‘Dinard Declaration on the Cyber Norm Initiative’, following a discussion on defence of democracies against foreign interference and on the responsible behaviour of states in cyberspace. The initiative’s aim is to encourage voluntary exchange of information, best practices, and lessons learned on implementation of voluntary, non-binding norms of responsible state behavior.  In a joint communique, the ministers committed to countering malicious cyber activities of North Korea and bolstering capabilities in order to address cybersecurity threats from Russia. They also encouraged China to uphold its commitments not to engage in malicious cyber activity, including cyber-enabled intellectual property theft with the intent of providing advantages.