The 19th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) took take place from 15—19 December 2024, in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Advancing the Cyber Programme of Action (PoA) project, implemented by the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), was represented on-site to actively engage in discussions on critical cyber governance issues.
About IGF 2024
The theme for IGF 2024 was “Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future”. The program was structured around four main themes:
- Harnessing innovation and balancing risks in the digital space
- Enhancing the digital contribution to peace, development, and sustainability
- Advancing human rights and inclusion in the digital age
- Improving digital governance for the Internet We Want
Context
Governance in cyberspace remains one of the most pressing global challenges, marked by its complexity and the interconnectedness of the issues at hand. Central to these challenges are areas such as international cooperation, ensuring stability in cyberspace, and building resilience—all of which demand robust, inclusive, and sustained dialogue.
United Nations (UN)-led processes such as the Group of Governmental Experts (GGEs) and the current UN Open-Ended Working Group on the Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies 2021-2025 (OEWG), have served as crucial platforms for dialogue and international cooperation to address these challenges. As the mandate of the OEWG nears its conclusion, there is growing momentum to explore how its progress can be advanced through a future, permanent UN mechanism for the security of and in the use of information and communications technologies.
In alignment with this ongoing dialogue, the EUISS organised a series of five 20-min fireside chats on 16-19 December 2024 at the margins of the IGF 2024. These sessions offered a dynamic, engaging, and informal setting for addressing key issues in cyberspace governance, while fostering conversations on how international collaboration can evolve to meet emerging challenges.
Fire-side chats
The fireside chat series covered four main topics, each addressing a crucial aspect of cyberspace governance:
- Strengthening International Cooperation in Cyberspace: Reflecting upon and examining pathways to enhance collaboration and partnerships across nations, regions and sectors to address shared cyber threats effectively.
- Ensuring Stability in Cyberspace: Discussing the role of global norms, confidence-building measures, and cyber capacity-building in fostering a secure and predictable digital environment.
- Building Resilience Against Global Cyber Threats: Highlighting strategies to bolster resilience and ensure the continuity of critical systems in the face of increasing cyber risks.
- A future, Permanent UN Mechanism: Exploring how a future, permanent UN institutional framework for ICT security could sustain cooperation, stability and resilience.
Each fireside chat featured one-on-one conversations between Pavlina Pavlova, as moderator, and an expert speaker, allowing for candid exchanges beyond the constraints of formal panel discussions. Attendees gained fresh insights and deeper perspectives on the multifaceted challenges shaping the future of cyber governance. The intimate setting fostered innovative thinking, fresh perspectives, and actionable solutions, contributing to the broader global discussions on cooperation, stability, and resilience in cyberspace.