Description: This workshop focuses on subtheme 2: “enhancing the digital contribution to peace, development, and sustainability”. Although the digital contribution to peace, development, and sustainability is multifaceted, this workshop examines a core component of internet governance: the growing field of “cyber diplomacy” in the Middle East region. The concept of cyber diplomacy incorporates both how diplomatic organizations tackle digital issues - including internet governance - and how other stakeholders, such as the private sector and civil society, engage in international negotiations and agreements. As such, this workshop brings together experts from civil society, academia, the private sector, and government to share their visions for cyber diplomacy and how it can help to secure peace and accelerate development. This workshop takes the innovative approach of a structured case comparison, bringing together experts from the Middle East - and especially Gulf - region with their counterparts in Europe. Countries in both regions have developed significant cybersecurity capacity in recent years, but there remain substantial gaps in both knowledge and expectation for how diplomatic organizations engage with internet governance issues, and vice versa: how the internet governance community - especially private sector and civil society - works most effectively with diplomats in these regions to incentivize and implement diplomatic initiatives and mechanisms. The workshop will deliver concrete impact for participants, including practical strategies for improving cyber diplomacy capacity in relevant organizations, avenues for cyber diplomacy to contribute more effectively to conflict prevention and mitigation, and a “troubleshooting” guide to overcoming common obstacles in building cyber diplomacy capacity. The session will end with an interactive “quickfire” element, canvassing participants on their views on the major challenges facing cyber diplomacy and asking them to develop short-, medium, and long-term actions for securing peace and accelerating development through cyber diplomacy that they can implement in their organizations.
Open Zoom
