In July, the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) reached consensus on a permanent mechanism to address responsible state behavior in cyberspace. Following six rounds of time-bound groups of governmental experts (GGEs) and two open-ended working groups (OEWGs), this new process under the First Committee—addressing disarmament and international security—will commence in March 2026 with an organizational session at the UN headquarters in New York. The single-track “Global Mechanism” was agreed upon with relative ease after no delegation broke consensus on the third draft presented by the chair as a compromise package. The swift decision reached in the morning of July 11 stood in sharp contrast to several years of last-minute suspense preceding each interim report, created by Iran and Russia’s insistence that their views be featured more prominently.
The UN’s Permanent Process on Cybersecurity Faces an Uphill Battle | Lawfare
