COP27 Preparations Underway, The UN Brief Twitter Spaces on Cybersecurity, Climate Change and Human Rights, Internet Governance Forum 2022
Join our Twitter Space on the 28 July at 8 PM, COP27 preparations underway, UN special rapporteur on Human Rights in the context of climate change, IGF met in Geneva
Listen to the recording of our Twitter Space here
Thursday 28 July at 8 PM CET
This one is about how the news media covers cybersecurity, what are the challenges covering this industry, and the impact of the UN processes such as the Government Group of Experts, and the multistakeholder Open Ended Working Group on peace and security in cyberspace.
Both produced reports on norms of behaviour in cyberspace. What are the challenges to make these non-binding regulatory frameworks work in practice, and what is the value of having these on-going fora?
We will try to answer these questions, and others that you might have, it's a fairly interactive discussion. Please sign up below and get a reminder on the day.
Remember you have to be logged-in on the Twitter App on your phone, not the desktop version, it does not work there.
We recommend that you take a look at the GGE and OEWG reports, they can be found at UN Office of Disarmament Affairs (ODA), and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) websites, info and links below, for the full reports and summaries of their reports.
Listen to recording of the Twitter Space.
Listen to the recording of the Twitter Space
Speakers
Michael B. Farrell is editor in chief of CyberScoop magazine. He was media director for Synack Inc., a cybersecurity company, for the past two years.
Farrell was Politico’s cybersecurity editor, overseeing a team of reporters who covered the intersection of policy, politics, and digital security, from May 2018 to March 2020.
Prior to joining Politico, Farrell edited Passcode, The Christian Science Monitor’s vertical dedicated to cybersecurity and digital privacy. During his time at the Monitor, Farrell served as San Francisco bureau chief and Middle East editor during the Iraq War and Arab Spring.
He also reported on technology for The Boston Globe, where he led coverage of the region’s booming innovation economy and explored tech’s growing impact on society.
Dr. Serge Droz is a senior IT-Security expert and seasoned incident responder. After more than twenty years work in different CSIRTs he now works as a senior adviser for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. He studied physics at ETH Zurich and the University of Alberta, Canada, and holds a PhD in theoretical astrophysics. He has worked in private sector and academia in Switzerland and Canada, in different security roles, as well as at the national CERT, in Switzerland.
Serge is a member of the board of directors of FIRST (Forum for Incident Response and Security Teams), in this role he actively participates in discussions relating to cyber security at various policy bodies, in particular related to norm building. He is an active speaker and a regular trainer for CSIRT (Computer Security Incident Response Team) courses around the world.
Laura Kirkpatrick reports on the United Nations, foreign policy, diplomacy as well as foreign and U.S. politics. She is an editor, writer and researcher who has covered international, national and civic social enterprise and development, women's issues and the media for Gannett Publications, PassBlue, ESPN and other media outlets.
Based in Buffalo, N.Y., Kirkpatrick wrote PassBlue's most popular article in 2015, "In New York State, a City Willing to Settle Refugees the Right Way"; in 2017, her story on sexual harassment at the UN was also among the top 5 for the year.
Kirkpatrick also manages social media and audience development for PassBlue.
She received a New Media Editorial Fellowship, on Leadership and Ethics, from Columbia Business School and a graduate degree in journalism from Columbia University Journalism School, and has a B.A. in English, from Hamilton College.
Alexander Urbelis, Esq. is senior counsel in the New York office of law firm Crowell & Moring, and a member of their Privacy & Cybersecurity Group. Alex has more than 20 years of experience in the information security community as a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Chief Compliance Officer, in-house counsel, and private practice litigator.
Alex has a unique skill set that has allowed him to create a bridge between the technical and legal side of cybersecurity. As a result, he is the primary architect of an exclusive DNS (Domain Name Search) monitoring and intelligence platform.
Through this intel platform, Alex advises his clients on identified and early-stage indicators of cybersecurity threats and provides counsel on legal actions and technical defensive remedies to neutralize those threats.
Alex tracks sophisticated cyber adversaries and advanced persistent threats (APTs) through his intel platform and, notably, detected a state-sponsored cyber intrusion attempt targeting the World Health Organization, in March 2020.
For combining legal and technical skill sets with public service, the Financial Times selected Alex as a finalist for its Innovative Lawyers awards for pandemic response in 2020.
Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Alex co-founded an information security, compliance, and related investigative services law firm with a cybersecurity advisory consulting arm.
While working as a partner at his firm, Alex took a secondment to serve as Interim CISO of the NFL, where he managed cyber risk, incident response, and directed information security strategy to protect information assets.
Before founding his firm, Alex served as Chief Compliance Officer for one of the world’s largest luxury conglomerates, the Richemont Group, handling all aspects of worldwide legal compliance, including anti-bribery and anti-corruption efforts, whistle-blowing matters, internal and external investigations, and ensuring that employees and partners adhered to business conduct and corporate social responsibility standards.
In addition to advising clients on a wide range of data security and privacy matters, Alex has assisted the world’s largest technology companies and non-profit organizations with Internet governance matters and the expansion of the global DNS. He has a deep understanding of Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) proceedings, Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) proceedings, and national Dispute Resolution Proceedings (DRPs) to reclaim domain names from threat actors and cybersquatters.
As an appellate lawyer, Alex has represented U.S. service members and civilians in claims for torture compensation before the U.S. Supreme Court and has successfully argued for Convention Against Torture protection for potential deportees in the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Alex’s federal service includes working for the US Army JAG Corps, the Office of General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency, and as a Research Associate at Dartmouth College’s Institute for Security Technology Studies, a national center for cybersecurity and counterterrorism research and analysis.
Alex is regularly called upon by the media to comment on legal and technical matters, and his published writings range from scholarly works, to legal journals, to a series of op-editorials for CNN.
OEWG on Cybersecurity Meets in New York
25 to 29 July
For more info click here.
Organised by the Disarmament and Peace Affairs Branch, UN Office of Disarmament Affairs in New York
The open-ended working group on security of, and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025, will convene for its third substantive session to continue its work on issues related to information security in the context of international security.
Who will be opening the session:
Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
Chair of the open-ended working group, Ambassador of Singapore to the UN
Agenda item 3: organization of work
Agenda item 5: discussions on substantive issues contained in paragraph 1 of General Assembly resolution 75/240
– Chair’s presentation of draft annual progress report
Website and past meetings’ documents.
Group of Governmental Experts to Meet on LAWS
GGE on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems meets in Geneva from 25-29 July.
The session will be broadcast live on https://media.un.org/en/webtvEdit.
COP27 Preparations Underway
The Sharm el-Sheik Climate Change conference will take place from 6-18 November 2022. The Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt will host the 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27), to address international cooperation for climate change mitigation.
COP 27 Information for participants section launched.
On this page you will find important information to help you plan your attendance at the COP in Sharm el-Sheik.
Host country information
Visit the COP27 host country website
The COP 26 Presidency and the incoming-COP 27 Presidency are committed to ensuring a transparent and inclusive process in the lead-up to COP 27 to be convened in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from 6 – 18 November 2022.
Throughout the year, the Presidencies will engage at ministerial, head of delegation and technical levels, as appropriate, on issues critical to the delivery of work in 2022 and the success of COP 27.
Regular multilateral consultations at the level of heads of delegation will provide an opportunity for Parties to engage informally on specific issues and make progress in preparation for Sharm el-Sheikh.
Visit the Road to Sharm el-Sheik informal consultations page
Upcoming: Africa Climate Week 2022
29 August to 2 September in Gabon
Last year, regional collaboration emerged as a driver of global progress. The Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26 recognised Regional Climate Weeks as a platform for governments and stakeholders to strengthen credible and durable response to climate change. Working together opens opportunity to advance climate action, address social inequalities and invest in development that is good for humanity and nature. ACW 2022 is a collaboration platform to explore:
Resilience against climate risks
The transition to a low-emission economy
Partnerships to solve pressing challenges
ACW 2022 is hosted by the Government of Gabon. The event is organized by UN Climate Change in collaboration with global partners UN Development Programme, UN Environment Programme and the World Bank Group. Partners in the region include the Africa Union, the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
UN Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change
The UN Human Rights Council has appointed a Special Rapporteur on the protection and promotion of human right in the context of climate change
Change in the Earth’s climate, and the ensuing adverse effects, have led to economic, social, cultural and environmental consequences and have negative implications, both direct and indirect, for the effective promotion and protection of human rights and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. It is therefore essential to contribute towards ongoing efforts at all levels to address the adverse impact of climate change on the enjoyment of human rights, in the light of scientific data and assessments, and in a well-integrated manner that advances progress towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as towards the promotion, protection, realization and enjoyment of human rights by everyone everywhere.
About the mandate
The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change established by the UN Human Rights Council at its 48th session in October 2021 (RES/48/14).
Current Special Rapporteur
Mr. Ian Fry is the first Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. He was appointed by the Human Rights Council at its 49th session in March 2022 and started his mandate on 1 May 2022.
Mr. Fry is an international environmental law and policy expert. His focus has primarily focussed on mitigation policies and loss and damage associated the Paris Agreement, Kyoto Protocol and related instruments.
He worked for the Tuvalu government for over 21 years and was appointed as their Ambassador for Climate Change and Environment 2015-2019.
Latest thematic reports
A/50/39: Report on initial planning and vision for the mandate
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Internet Governance Forum 2022
Second Open Consultations and Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) meeting took place in Geneva in early July
Experts and UN officials met in Geneva to draft the program of the upcoming IGF that will take place in Ethiopia later this year from Nov 28 to Dec 2.
Check their website too for updates.
Preparing IGF 2022
The 17th IGF, under the overarching theme Resilient Internet for a Shared Sustainable and Common Future, will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 28 November to 2 December 2022. The meeting programme is guided by five themes drawn from the Global Digital Compact in the UN Secretary-General's Our Common Agenda report.
A Fully Hybrid IGF
The 17th annual IGF will be hosted in a hybrid format. The meeting will aim at accommodating the participation of stakeholders present onsite in Addis Ababa or participating online in an equitable manner. This hybrid approach also extends to the session organizing teams (organizers, speakers, moderators and rapporteurs) who will participate online or onsite.
IGF Themes
The IGF 2022 programme will be organized according to the following five themes:
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