Addressing International Cyber Peace and Security • Stimson Center
On June 20th, 2024, the Republic of Korea (ROK) will organize a High-Level Open Debate on cybersecurity as the signature event of its UN Security Council (UNSC) presidency. This follows on from ROK’s co-hosting of an Arria-formula meeting in April 2024 with Japan and the United States. The Arria-formula meeting focused largely on the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape, while also creating an opportunity for states and briefers to comment on how the UNSC’s role in addressing cyber threats can be enhanced.
The focus of June’s Open Debate will be on the “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Addressing Evolving Threats in Cyberspace”. It is anticipated that the meeting will build on April’s Arria-formula meeting by continuing to consider cyber threats but in this instance ROK is also encouraging states to look ahead and consider the way forward: what are the specific roles and actions that the Security Council undertake to address the challenges emanating from cyberspace, how are cyber threats interlinked with other agenda items of the Security Council, and how can the Council avoid duplicating work undertaken in other parts of the UN system?
Since 2016, several Arria-formula meetings have considered cyber security in the context of international peace and security, hybrid warfare, its implications for critical infrastructure protection, and preventing civilian impact. Other meetings have considered adjacent issues such as emerging technologies, the role of social media in inciting discrimination, hostility, and violence, and more recently, artificial intelligence. Cyber has also surfaced in relation to discussions about operations against Georgia and as part of regional meetings in the Middle East.
In 2021, Estonia convened the Council’s first High-Level Open Debate on the topic with the objective of contributing to a better understanding of the growing risks stemming from malicious activities in cyberspace and their impact on international peace and security as well as addressing the global efforts to promote peace and stability in cyberspace.
While these meetings and efforts have proven highly beneficial, deeper and more regular…
