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Cyber Stability: the Challenges Forward

16 July 2015

On Thursday 9 July, WILPF attended a conference on ‘Cyber Stability and Regime Coherence’ organised by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). During the conference the various panels addressed cyber stability from different angles and explored the difficulties and steps taken in reaching a common understanding of the cyber space. Here there is an overview of the main issues tackled.

Benefits and Risks

Cyber stability is a very important and often debated topic. Cyber resources have the great potential to improve both economic and social well-being and modern society is becoming more and more dependent on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). However, Mr Karsten Geier, Head Cyber Policy Coordination Staff of the German Federal Foreign Office, warned that while traditional military capabilities are not available to the common public, cyber capabilities can be easily accessed by the wider civilian public and, therefore, the risk for misuse is higher.

The Key Role of International Collaboration

On a pessimistic note, according to Mr Karsten Geier, the potential of misuse of cyber capabilities becomes quite worrisome if we think that they might be used to cause damage in the real world and not only in the cyber space. On a brighter note, the international community is taking important steps in approaching this problem.

The work of international organisations and programmes like the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in promoting and enhancing the understanding of the cyber space and cyber-crime is fundamental. Moreover, during this conference the key role played by Groups of Governmental Experts (GGEs) in addressing the questions of how to promote peace and stability in the face of a widespread use of ICTs was underlined.

One of the main messages of this conference is that no State can efficiently tackle cyber security issues alone and cooperation between States both at regional and inter-regional levels is necessary. For example, the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed so far had a key role in promoting the exchange of information and enhancing communication levels and their focus on policy makers. In this effort to reach global cooperation it is crucial not to forget to include States from developing regions, which need to create their own capabilities and approach to cyber security.

A Legal Consensus?

While some steps have been taken to harmonise international law on the issue of cyber security, an overall legal consensus is lacking. There are many difficulties that impact negatively on the effective implementation of existing regulations. In particular, the anonymity of those perpetrating cyber crimes is an obstacle to persecute them. Moreover, as Ambassador Kriangsak Kittichaisaree of Thailand and Member of the International Law Commission of the UN noticed, for example, it is unclear what would justify and regulate responses by States to a cyber-attack. Hence, whether States’ right to self-defense does apply in these cases is still contentious.

Having said that, we might question whether we need a more detailed and newer legislation regulating the cyber space or whether the existing International Law just needs to be reinterpreted. This issue has no easy answer, however Mr Nils Melzer, Senior Adviser, Division for Security Policy, Directorate of Political Affairs, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland, suggests to reinterpret the existing military law in order to apply it to the cyber space. According to Mr Nils Melzer, in this way we can find the gaps in the existing legislation and develop new laws when and if necessary.

The Need For a More Inclusive Process

Given the potential impact of cyber threats on everyone’s life, there is a need for including as much as possible civil society in the debate surrounding the cyber space. In line with this view, Ambassador (RET), Daniel Stauffacher, ICT4Peace, underlined civil society’s role is to provide expertise and ensure transparency and accountability of the process.

Nevertheless, while legitimate national security concerns were raised on non-public aspects of CBMs norms and related issues, there are not enough examples of how governments and regional organisations have tried to make them more inclusive.

What Is Next?

From the discussion, it became clear that there are still many unresolved issues in the realm of cyber stability. As we have seen, international measures have been taken in order to promote national, regional and interregional collaboration. Nevertheless, there is a need for a more collaborative culture or, as Mr Ben Hiller, Cyber Security Officer, OSCE Transnational Threats Department, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), argued ‘coordinative fragmentation’, which consists of both focusing on the individual needs of the different regions and facilitating information exchange and collaboration among the different actors.

In addition to this, the international community needs to decide whether to create a new legal framework regulating cyber space or re-interpreting the existing framework in order to be applied to cyber security. Whatever approach States decide to take, there is a need for a consistent legal understanding of cyber space as the lack of consensus on legal norms, including their diverging interpretation, risks to undermine relationships between States. We believe that States’ future action in the process of creating a safer cyber space will have to be inclusive and give space to a more active participation of civil society.

What Do You Think of Cyber Security?

What Issues Would You Like to See in the Realm of Cyber Stability?

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Berit Aasen

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

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WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.