Remarks by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin at side-event “25 Years of Discussions on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies under the Auspices of the United Nations"
Distinguished delegates,
I have the pleasure to welcome you at the side event organized by
the Russian Federation to commemorate the 25th anniversary of discussions on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) under the auspices of the United Nations.
25 years ago, in 1998, Russia submitted its first draft resolution entitled “Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security” to the First Committee of the UN General Assembly. Through this document, adopted by consensus, the UN Member States expressed their concern about the possible use of ICTs for purposes inconsistent with the objectives of maintaining international security and stability, for perpetrating crimes and acts of terrorism and called for developing universal measures to counter existing and potential threats in the field of information security.
Ever since, the Russian Federation has advocated for shaping a system of international information security based on the prevention of conflicts in information space and its non-militarization, peaceful use of ICTs, as well as respect for the principles of sovereign equality of States and non-interference in their internal affairs. This approach, as reflected in annual UNGA resolutions, has always enjoyed overwhelming support of the UN membership. Given the complexity and specifics of ICTs, including their transborder nature, anonymity and vulnerabilities, in 2003, States agreed to create a specific mechanism for dealing with the whole range of issues of ICT security.
At the initial stage, relevant discussions under the UN auspices were streamlined in the format of groups of governmental experts (GGE), which included representatives of a limited number of States selected on the basis of fair geographical representation. Within its six iterations, the GGEs developed an initial set of rules, norms and principles of responsible behaviour of States, enshrined in the UN General Assembly 73/27. At the same time, it became clear that many more States wanted to take part in these deliberations directly related to their national security interests.
Upon initiative of the Russian Federation and with the support of the majority of the UN Member States, in 2018, an Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on ensuring international information security was created. This represented a major milestone in the relevant UN discussions. The Group was the first universal, inclusive, transparent and genuinely democratic negotiation mechanism on issues of ICT security in the UN that granted every State a chance to have a say and participate on an equal footing in the decision-making process through the principle of consensus. With the adoption of its substantive final report in 2021, no doubt was left regarding the efficiency of this format.
To ensure the continuity of the process, a new OEWG on security of and in the use of ICTs 2021-2025 was launched, chaired by the distinguished Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Burhan Gafoor. After two years of extensive and in-depth negotiations, the current OEWG has already produced concrete outcomes, reflected in two consensual Annual Progress Reports (APR) in 2022 and 2023. Among them is the establishment of a global intergovernmental Points of Contact Directory for cooperation between competent national authorities in detecting, preventing and eliminating consequences of computer attacks, as well as responding to computer incidents, which Russia has long advocated for.
We believe it is crucial to consolidate the constructive results of the OEWG’s work so far and to safeguard its central and irreplaceable role in the global decision-making on security in the use of ICTs. With this in mind, Russia will submit an anniversary draft resolution in the First Committee of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
Our text is largely based on the respective UNGA resolutions of previous years and includes important provisions from the OEWG APRs, in particular on countering the development of ICT capabilities for military purposes and the use of harmful hidden functions in ICT products, promoting supply chain security. The document takes into account the aspirations of the international community for practical steps towards strengthening ICT security that should be discussed within the OEWG, in accordance with its mandate as set out in UNGA resolution 75/240. This implies, as a priority, to further develop rules, norms and principles of responsible behaviour of States in the use of ICTs, including the consideration of legally-binding ones, as recently agreed by the Group. Further progress is needed on other aspects of the agenda, namely the applicability of international law, confidence-building measures, capacity-building and regular institutional dialogue.
Russia is and will continue to be a responsible and constructive participant of this process. We stand ready to discuss all relevant initiatives of States within the OEWG in a single-track format, avoiding politicization.
As the OEWG continues its deliberations, enjoying support and commitment by broad UN membership, it is important to look beyond 2025, to ensure that the legacy of this Group and its predecessors is further developed and implemented. In particular, this refers to the elaboration of an international legal framework in this field, in line with the consensual GA resolution 76/19 noting the possibility of developing additional binding obligations. This year, Russia and a group of cosponsors (Belarus, DPRK, Nicaragua, Syria and Venezuela) presented a Concept of a relevant UN Convention in the OEWG, as well as in the General Assembly, as its official document. It consolidates the outcomes of the 25-year UN discussion on ICT security and serves as “food for thought” for the elaboration of a future instrument. The objective is to create a comprehensive legally-binding framework for the prevention and settlement of conflicts in the global information space, as well as for peaceful development and cooperation between States in this domain. We firmly believe that the draft convention should be developed under the United Nations auspices taking into account the opinions of all Member States within the framework of a negotiation mechanism established for this purpose.
An important experience for the OEWG are lessons learnt and decisions taken at the Ad Hoc Committee to elaborate a comprehensive convention to counter the use of ICTs for criminal purposes. We received support of 87 countries in a collective effort to establish this mechanism. The negotiations continue, hard and tense. We believe it is important to ensure that the document is not crafted in line with the legislation of just a group of States, but rather takes into account the interests of the whole international community. Only in the latter case will it serve the call of the resolution 74/247 to prepare a truly comprehensive convention against the use of ICTs for all criminal purposes with no exception, including terrorist and extremist objectives. It is of paramount necessity to ensure strict fulfillment of the Ad Hoc Committee’s mandate and to seize the unique chance to create a forward-looking, future prove and really action-oriented instrument.
Thank you for attention.
