SPECIAL EVENT ON CYBERSECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT – 9 December 2011
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will hold a Special Event on Cybersecurity and Development, organized jointly by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the International Telecommunication Union, to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 9 December.
Chaired by the President of ECOSOC, with the participation of the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union and the Chair of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the special event will bring together Member States, the United Nations system, the public and private sector, as well as other civil society organizations that have a particular interest in the areas of cybersecurity and cybercrime.
The event will start with an opening plenary, to be followed by a panel discussion on the theme, “An international framework to combat cybercrime and improve cybersecurity”, with an interactive dialogue and a closing session.
The objectives of the Special Event will be to: (1) build awareness at the international policy level by providing ECOSOC Members with a picture of the current situation and challenges concerning cybersecurity and its links to development; (2) identify a range of best practice policies and initiatives in place around the world to build a culture of cybersecurity; and (3) explore options for a global response to rising cybercrime. The outcome of this meeting could help in advancing ideas on key elements required for a global response and framework to deal with cybercrime and security.
This Event will build on the briefing, which took place on 16 July 2010 during the ECOSOC’s General Segment on emerging threats and challenges and previous discussions in the Second Committee of the General Assembly during its sixty-fourth session, focused on building a global culture of cybersecurity.