ITU - Cybersecurity Gateway - International / Intergovernmental Organizations

International / Intergovernmental Organizations

The lack of security impacts every individual economy and the society at large. As information systems and networks are global by nature, international collaboration and cooperation is critical in moving forward and realizing a truly global culture of security for information systems and networks.

In the international arena, more linkages and coordination are clearly needed between all stakeholders. While there is urgency in tackling cybersecurity issues, there is also a need for pragmatic simple steps towards international cooperation and capacity building from current national experiences through an inclusive dialogue involving all actors and international organizations that have a role and expertise in cybersecurity issues.

A necessary next step involves identifying the specific roles of different stakeholders relative to the following themes: legal measures, technical and procedural measures, organizational structures, capacity building and international cooperation.

The Role of the International OrgANIZA- TIONS AND the InternatIONAL Community

Most of the challenges related to protecting information systems are non-technical. Instead, they revolve around the management of highly complex systems, where interdependencies, magnitudes and consequences of disruptions are not yet well understood.

Organizations in the international community, whatever their specific area of expertise and mandate, have a special role in sharing information on good practices, and creating open and accessible fora for the exchange of ideas and extensive collaboration.

The nature of the internet has made it painfully clear that without international cooperation, coordination, and collaboration the true impact of the initiatives undertaken will not be fulfilled.

The strategy for a solution must identify those existing national and regional initiatives, work with all relevant players to identify priorities and bring partners together with the goal of proposing global solutions to address the global challenges we face today.

Working with key partners on issues where a common understanding can be reached is the only way to address these global issues and build a safe and secure information society for all nations and peoples.

Alongside partners from governments, industry, regional/international organizations and academic and research institutions,

ITU has therefore established a global framework for dialogue and international cooperation aimed at proposing strategies for solutions to enhance security and confidence in the information society.

The UN General Assembly Resolution 56/183 (21 December 2001) endorsed the holding of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in two phases.

The first phase took place in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003 and the second phase took place in Tunis, from 16 to 18 November 2005.