information available through conventional means.Īccording to the Central Intelligence Agency, “reduced to its simplest terms, intelligence is knowledge and foreknowledge of the world around us-the prelude to decision and action by US policymakers.”Įspionage is a set of intelligence gathering methods. information about “things foreign” that is collected by clandestine means,

Since 1998, there have been annual reports by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly with the views of UN Member States on the issue of ICTs in the context of international security.Intelligence is the collection of information that have military, political, or economic value.Īccording to the Aspin–Brown Commission (that was chartered by US Congress in October 1994 to conduct a comprehensive review of American intelligence), “it is preferable to define intelligence simply and broadly as information about “things foreign”- people, places, things, and events - needed by the government for the conduct of its functions.” The resolution requested a report of the Secretary-General on the proposal, taking into account the views submitted by States (A/78/76).

In 2022, a General Assembly resolution entitled “Programme of action to advance responsible State behaviour in the use of information and communications technologies in the context of international security” was adopted for the first time as A/RES/77/37.

Norms, rules and principles of responsible behavior of States.

How international law applies in the use of ICTs.

The work of the GGEs and OEWGs have focused on the following overarching topics: The dedicated webpage for this OEWG is available here . This OEWG will meet regularly through 2025. In 2020, the General Assembly through resolution 75/240 , established a new five-year OEWG on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies. The final report and the recommendations contained therein were endorsed in General Assembly decision 75/564. The Group adopted a report by consensus at its final session in March 2021 ( A/75/816 ). The Group began its work in 2019 and held intersessional consultative meetings with industry, civil society and academia. In December 2018, through resolution 73/27 , the General Assembly established an Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) , which is open to all Member States. The webpage including documents from this GGE is available here.īelow is a list of the substantive reports agreed by past GGEs. The sixth and last GGE, which met between 20, agreed its report by consensus, which provided an additional layer of understanding on the normative framework for responsible behaviour of States in cyberspace in the context of international security. Each GGE built on the work done by the previous one, making significant cumulative progress on the issues at hand. Since then, several intergovernmental processes have been established to address the security of and use of ICTs in the context of international security.īeginning in 2004, six Groups of Governmental Experts (GGE) have studied the threats posed by the use of ICTs in the context of international security and how these threats should be addressed.įour of these Groups have agreed on substantive reports with conclusions and recommendations that have been welcomed by all UN Member States. It was then adopted without a vote by the General Assembly as resolution 53/70. The issue of information security has been on the UN agenda since 1998, when the Russian Federation introduced a draft resolution on the subject in the First Committee of the UN General Assembly. International ICT-security at the United Nations The misuse of ICTs poses a risk for all States and may harm international peace and security. The global ICT environment is facing a dramatic increase in the malicious use of ICTs by State and non-State actors. The benefits are enormous, but they do not come without risk. Cyberspace touches every aspect of our lives.

Few technologies have been as powerful as information and communications technologies (ICTs) in reshaping economies, societies and international relations.

Cyber espionage 2012