Statement by Dr. Vladimir Shin, Deputy Director of the Department of International Information Security of the MFA of the Russian Federation, in explanation of position on the draft decision “Open-ended working group on security of and in the use of ICTs 2021–2025 established pursuant to General Assembly resolution 75/240” in the First Committee of the 77th Session of the UNGA
Distinguished Mr. Chair,
Distinguished colleagues,
We would like to make a brief explanation of position on draft decision L.54 “Open-ended working group on security of and in the use of ICTs 2021–2025 established pursuant to General Assembly resolution 75/240”.
We welcome the adoption of the document submitted by Singapore without a vote. We fully support the efforts of the Chair of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG). Largely due to the wise leadership of Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, even amidst today’s tense geopolitical circumstances, the OEWG managed to complete the first year of its activities by adopting the first annual progress report.
The Russian Federation joined the consensus with reservations, which are set out in the collection of speeches on the grounds of the approval of the document. We view it as a summary of discussions that took place, and its consideration will be continued at subsequent sessions of the OEWG. At the same time, the report contains important provisions that allow to create a basis for shaping an international legal regime for regulating the use of ICTs and for developing interstate cooperation in this realm.
We consider it fundamentally important to consolidate the success achieved and to continue elaborating specific agreements within the framework of the OEWG in fulfillment of its mandate. One of the practical outcomes of the Group’s work could be the creation of a global intergovernmental directory of Points of Contact, which will facilitate the establishment of mutual connections among authorized agencies of States on ICT-security issues. We submitted a relevant concept paper to the OEWG. We look forward to a substantive discussion of this and other constructive proposals of States on the agenda during the intersessional meeting of the Group scheduled by the Chair for December.
One of the key conditions for ensuring the effectiveness of further work of the OEWG and of the UN as a whole, in our view, is unhindered participation of representatives of States with the necessary competence and authority. Unfortunately, on a systemic basis, we are confronted with blatant violations by the United States of its obligations of the country hosting the UN headquarters. Washington’s unscrupulous actions are harmful not only and not so much Russia, but to the global Organization as such; they undermine the possibility of furthering its activities on an open, truly democratic and inclusive basis.
Thank you for attention.
