On 19 July 2023, the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, delivered opening remarks to the second workshop of the capacity-building program on international law in cyberspace co-organized by the African Union Commission, Global Affairs Canada, the AU Legal Counsel, and the AU Commission on International Law. The objective of the program is the development of a common African position on the application of international law in cyberspace.
Noting the drastic impact of information and communications technologies, the Legal Counsel echoed the call expressed by the Secretary-General in the recent Global Digital Compact on an “Open, Free and Secure Digital Future for All” to “collectively address the risk of digital harms and maximize the potential for common good.”
The Legal Counsel also recalled some of the key findings and recommendations of both the Group of Governmental Experts on advancing responsible State behaviour in cyberspace in the context of international security and the Open-ended working group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security. Drawing from these, he also highlighted the need for Member States to arrive at a common understanding of both the existing challenges and the desirable legal frameworks.
