Toward Innovative & Inclusive Approaches? Cybersecurity & Capacity-Building

• In Event: Internet Policy and Governance

Abstract

The concept of capacity-building has a long history, especially in the context of international development and, more recently, in environmental sustainability. This paper reports on the final stage of a research project examining ongoing work at the United Nations regarding information technologies and international security that builds on work done in another complex and technology-related policy and governance arena, that of global environmental politics. It provides an updated lens on cybersecurity capacity-building policies and practices with a particular focus on human rights and gender. Filling a gap by utilizing a cross-disciplinary framework from communication sciences, political science, and policy studies, strengthened and in dialogue with recent research in environmental governance and capacity-building, it examines the flow of cybersecurity- related ideas among nation state and nonstate actors at the United Nations. Moving from a modernization lens on capacity-building (developed nation-states providing assistance to other nations in following donor nation-states blueprints) to a 2021 design thinking approach to capacity-building, this paper reports on findings from a case study of one of two working groups dealing with cybersecurity issues at the United Nations, the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG). The UN First Committee created this OEWG (open to any member state wishing to join) in 2018. Its charge was to focus on global cybersecurity challenges and build on cybersecurity norms agreed to by all member state nations in 2015, especially in terms of emerging technologies. Methods include archival and content analysis from 2019-2021 (meetings have been on-line with all documents from state, non-state and regional organizations also posted on-line) in order to track idea flow both within and across regime complexes. These complexes, for example, involve overlaps among the following regimes: environmental governance, human rights, and international development regimes. They are interconnected today in a complicated web of technology-related cybersecurity ideas (pre-norm stage) and norms. Of particular interest are findings that relate to geopolitics, power panoplies, and organizational cultures. Findings include the OEWG recommendations/outcome of ideas put forth by civil society organizations that link to capacity-building and the divide among groupings of nation-states with regard to the inclusion of ideas proffered by civil society groups. Indeed, nation-states such as Russia or China argue for a multilateral approach and that topics such as gender or human rights, or even development, in the context of cybersecurity belong in other parts of the United Nations. On the other hand, many nations call for multi-stakeholder inclusion (in their respective roles) and for inclusion of concepts in OEWG outcome documents that treat human rights, gender, development and consultation with non-state stakeholders including technical experts. Final data analysis will include application of environmental governance research concepts and findings; highlight the outcomes of ideas related to human rights, gender, inequalities/development set forth in the final OEWG document due in summer 2021; and include implications for inclusion and innovation in the twenty twenties’ information/cybersecurity technology and global politics’ capacity-building discussions and efforts.

Author

• Nanette S. Levinson, American University-SIS