2.3. Norms, confidence building measures, and capacity building

2.3.3 Capacity building

🎯 What are the main cyber capacity building principles set by the UN?

Capacity building is the third pillar of the international cyber stability framework. There is general agreement on the importance of capacity building, and both the UN processes and various regional organisations develop specific measures and principles.

UN OEWG report of 2021 recommends that capacity building should be a sustainable process, comprising specific activities by and for different actors, results focused and with a clear purpose, evidence-based, politically neutral, transparent, accountable, and without conditions, and undertaken with full respect for the principle of State sovereignty. Further, it should be based on mutual trust, with voluntary participation, demand-driven and tailored to specific needs, correspond to nationally identified needs and priorities, undertaken in full recognition of national ownership, and protecting confidentiality of national policies and plans. Finally, capacity building should respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, be gender sensitive and inclusive, universal, and non-discriminatory.

UN GGE report of 2021 further calls for capacity building to be voluntary, politically neutral, mutually beneficial and reciprocal in nature, and suggests it should help states to: develop and implement national policies and strategies, strengthen CERTs, improve resilience of the critical infrastructure, build competences and capacities to respond to incidents, deepen common understanding on how international law applies to cyberspace, and implement voluntary norms.

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