Geneva Dialogue

Geneva Dialogue session 'Critical infrastructure protection: Who is responsible?' during the WEF 2025
2025-01-21 16:00 - 18:00 (Europe/Zurich) | House of Switzerland in Davos
On 21 January from 16:00 to 18:00 pm CET the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace hosted the session at the Geneva Day at the House of Switzerland in Davos. The session has been organised in an interactive format, including a scenario-based discussion, and explored the roles and responsibilities of non-state actors, such as the private sector, technical community, and civil society in implementing agreed cyber norms related to critical infrastructure protection.
The Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace is an international process initiated by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and implemented by DiploFoundation with support of the Republic and State of Geneva, Center for Digital Trust (C4DT) – EPFL, Swisscom and UBS. The initiative maps roles and responsibilities of relevant actors for implementing the agreed cyber norms, contributing to cyber-stability and security.
Ambassador Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), opened the event by highlighting how the Geneva Dialogue unites people from diverse countries, organizations, and cultures—bringing together large corporations and open-source authors, medical supply companies and academia, and actors from across the globe.
Maya Bundt, Chair of the Cyber Resilience Chapter at the Swiss Risk Association, and Serge Droz, Senior Technical Advisor at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), introduced the topic of agreed cyber norms and the cyber-stability framework through a ‘Socratic dialogue.’ They challenged both the audience and each other with questions about the importance of these diplomatic agreements in today’s geopolitical environment.
Sofia Martinez Gomez, Cybersecurity Consultant at AlixPartners, echoed this message by addressing the challenges that various actors face in securing ICT networks and critical infrastructure. She emphasized the importance of collaboration as a key element in mitigating ongoing cyber risks.
During a scenario-based discussion, participants were invited to reflect on priority steps for critical infrastructure (CI) operators and owners in responding to cybersecurity incidents.
The group engaged in debates, sharing personal experiences that set the tone for the subsequent panel discussion, which featured four experts:

Alina Matyukhina, CSO and Global Head of Cybersecurity for Business Unit, Siemens AG
David Harland, Executive Director, Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD)
Olivier Crochat, Executive Director, C4DT-EPFL
Yoann Klein, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor, Huawei

While the panelists expressed both pessimistic and optimistic views on the current global cybersecurity outlook, they unanimously agreed that the multistakeholder nature of cyberspace demands action from all stakeholders to secure the digital environment.
In his concluding remarks, Florian Schütz, Director of NCSC.ch, emphasized that the Geneva Dialogue continues to focus on clarifying and implementing agreed cyber norms from a non-state stakeholder perspective. He invited interested experts to join the ongoing discussions.
The outcomes of this session and Geneva Dialogue will be published in the second chapter of the Geneva Manual – a comprehensive guidance on non-state actors’ implementation of existing norms. The second chapter will focus on critical infrastructure protection related norms and confidence-building measures (CBMs).The first chapter, announced in 2023, focuses on the implementation of the norms related to supply chain security and responsible reporting of ICT vulnerabilities.

From words to protection – how do cyber norms guide security of critical infrastructure? Announcing Chapter II of the Geneva Manual
2025-05-14 14:15 - 15:45 | Room 14, International Conference Centre Geneva, Rue de Varembé 17, 1211 Genève, Switzerland
From energy grids to hospital networks, the systems that sustain our lives are constantly under increasing pressure. As threats evolve, so must our defences – not just in code and hardware, but in principles and responsibility.
States have agreed on a global framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. However, agreements alone do not protect critical infrastructure. It’s time to ask the question: how do these norms move from paper to practice? Who ensures that they are upheld, not just by governments, but by the operators, engineers, developers, and researchers behind the world’s most essential systems?
The session titled “From words to protection – how do cyber norms guide security of critical infrastructure?” took place on 14 May 2025 in Geneva, as part of the Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B) organised by the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE). This session marked the launch of Chapter II of the Geneva Manual – a milestone in defining what the UN cyber norms mean for real-world protection of critical infrastructure. Built through the Geneva Dialogue’s global community of experts, this new chapter provides practical guidance for non-state stakeholders navigating a shared, high-stakes digital environment, and highlights challenges, including for states.
Organised by the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace, the session discussed these questions in a multistakeholder approach, engaging representatives from the private sector, academia, civil society, and technical community. Established by Switzerland in 2018 and implemented by DiploFoundation with support of the Republic and State of Geneva, C4DT, Swisscom, and UBS, the Dialogue maps the roles and responsibilities of various actors in the implementation of agreed cyber norms and confidence-building measures (CBMs), and thus contributes to stability and security in cyberspace. The Geneva Dialogue is a global process which engages over 69 organisations and experts representing different stakeholder groups from all over the world.
This session provided a unique opportunity for participants to engage with leading voices in cybersecurity and cyber diplomacy, explore best practices for the protection of critical infrastructure (CI), and contribute to shaping the future of global cybersecurity governance. Ambassador Benedikt Wechsler, Head of the Digital Division at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, opened the session by reaffirming Switzerland’s commitment to an open, stable, and secure cyberspace, as well as the importance of a multistakeholder approach to implementing the agreed framework for responsible state behaviour. He expressed appreciation to all contributors for their continued engagement in the Geneva Dialogue and their efforts to advance the understanding of how cyber norms and CBMs can enhance CI protection.

Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN and Chair of the UN Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG), offered insights ahead of the OEWG’s concluding session under the 2021–2025 mandate. Returning for the second time to announce the next chapter of the Geneva Manual, he emphasized the value of multilateral cooperation and inclusive dialogue, highlighting the importance of integrating perspectives from across sectors to ensure a secure and resilient digital environment.

The session also featured an interactive segment, inviting participants to reflect on practical actions inspired by the Geneva Manual. Insights from the group work during the “Cyber Quest“ exercise sparked thoughtful discussion, moderated by Emmanuella Darkwah, Senior Manager for International Cooperation at Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority. Two expert commentators joined the conversation: Christina Rupp, Senior Policy Researcher at interface, presented a comprehensive analysis of the EU cybersecurity policy ecosystem, highlighting potential governance models for CI protection; and Xiang Zheng Teo, Vice President of Advisory at Ensign InfoSecurity, spoke on the implementation side of cybersecurity, stressing the importance of threat-informed defense strategies and the private sector’s role in national cyber resilience.

The session concluded by underscoring the pressing need for cross-sectoral and international collaboration to address the complex challenges facing global cybersecurity. Participants are warmly invited to continue contributing to the dialogue at genevadialogue.ch and stay informed about future updates and initiatives.

Geneva Dialogue at the African School of Internet Governance (AfriSIG)
2025-05-23 - 2025-05-28 | Es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic of
The African School of Internet Governance is a regular pre-event training that takes place before the African IGF to create awareness and build practical skills in Internet, ICT and Data Governance for civil society, the public and private sectors. This year it was held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania from 23 to 28 May, 2025 and was attended by a wide variety of international and African stakeholders.

Dr Katherine Getao represented the DiploFoundation at the event and delivered a presentation titled “Cybersecurity and Cybercrime in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities.” In her remarks, she highlighted the rapid growth and penetration of digital technologies across Africa, underscoring the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures and effective responses to the increasing risks of cybercrime. She further noted that these challenges also create opportunities—particularly in promoting youth employment and fostering dynamic businesses offering cybersecurity services.

Dr Getao emphasised the importance of African engagement in global policy processes, such as the Geneva Dialogue, which offer platforms for African stakeholders to engage with emerging issues, contribute regional perspectives, and help shape international policies to reflect the continent’s digital realities.

Previously, Dr Getao served as Kenya’s representative to the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts (UNGGE) on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security, contributing to the negotiation of the UN norms for responsible State behaviour in cyberspace.

She also participated in a dynamic panel discussion on how the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) can be leveraged to advance African priorities. The African School on Internet Governance proved to be a valuable space for promoting the objectives of both the DiploFoundation and the Geneva Dialogue.

Geneva Dialogue at the OSCE Cross-regional Conference on Cyber/ICT Security
2025-05-27 - 2025-05-28 | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The two-day workshop examined the nexus between CBMs and cyber norms, with a specific focus on identifying commonalities in their implementation. The Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace was presented and further discussed as an example of good practice during the session on a multistakeholder approach to cyberspace.
Through expert-led discussions, the event showcased national and regional strategies and challenges, highlighting areas of possible future joint efforts. The conference was organized for policy-makers active in the field of international cybersecurity, particularly national representatives involved in cyber diplomacy negotiations.

Geneva Dialogue session at the Global Digital Collaboration Conference (GDCC 2025)
2025-07-02 10:50 - 11:50
Organised by the C4DT-EPFL, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and DiploFoundation, the session brought together representatives from government, industry, and academia for an open discussion on the evolving relevance of cyber norms and the rules-based international order in safeguarding critical infrastructure. While states have endorsed norms for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, the discussion highlighted persistent challenges in their implementation.
Serge Droz (Swiss FDFA), Roman Zhukov (RedHat), and Imad Aad (C4DT-EPFL) noted that states often lack effective mechanisms to operationalise norms and confidence-building measures (CBMs), placing disproportionate responsibility on the private sector, which owns and operates much of the infrastructure. The gap between commitments and practice—particularly evident in ongoing malicious cyber activities—raised concerns about accountability, especially in the context of armed conflict where roles can quickly shift.
The panel explored how various stakeholders interpret and apply these norms and discussed whether existing frameworks are still adequate for today’s complex and fragmented security environment.
At the same time, the session highlighted important areas of convergence and opportunity. While technical communities and open-source developers may not explicitly engage with UN cyber norms, their day-to-day priorities—security, stability, and resilience—are deeply aligned with the overarching goals of these frameworks.
The Geneva Dialogue was cited as a valuable platform for bridging this gap by translating state-led commitments into shared understanding and actionable practices across stakeholder groups. Positive remarks were made about the potential of cyber norms to support international cooperation on security, even as political, legal, and technical barriers continue to grow.
The conversation reaffirmed that while norms may originate in diplomatic forums, their effectiveness depends on broad-based engagement—from open-source communities to governments—especially as the threat landscape continues to evolve.

From Geneva to Abu Dhabi: Algorithms Redefining War and Peace
2025-09-09
The Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi (8–9 September 2025) has quickly become one of the UAE’s flagship spaces for global dialogue — a place where leaders, experts, and thinkers from around the world debate the big issues shaping our future. Mr Vladimir Radunovic, Diplo’s Director for Cybersecurity and E-diplomacy, will join the panel “Geneva vs Algorithms: Redefining Laws of War and Peace” — a conversation on how algorithmic systems and AI, diplomacy, and international law and norms collide in today’s shifting global security landscape.
With rapid advances in autonomous systems, algorithmic decision-making, and cyberwarfare, the session will explore the applicability and the need to update the global frameworks that govern armed conflict and peacekeeping. We will reflect on the role of international Geneva and the UN overall in shaping rules and norms that can help secure peace in the digital age, while highlighting Geneva’s unique ecosystem of institutions and stakeholders that enables dialogue, negotiation, and the implementation of agreements. Drawing on lessons from initiatives such as the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace, we pointed to what works — and what still needs to be done — in bridging the gap between diplomacy and the algorithmic realities of the modern security environment.
More information is available at: https://hiliforum.ae/en

Cyber Norms on the Ground: Who Is Responsible for Securing Critical Infrastructure?
2025-10-21 07:00 - 09:00
When everything is critical, who protects it? What do cyber norms actually tell us to do? And how, and by whom?
Dependence on digital infrastructures is continuously increasing, from energy grids to healthcare systems, making them an ever more attractive target for malicious cyber operations. As these risks intensify, the urgency grows to move beyond political declarations toward meaningful, coordinated action.
States have endorsed the UN framework for responsible State behaviour in cyberspace – including norms and CBMs that call for the protection of critical infrastructure. Regional organisations such as the OSCE and ASEAN have agreed to similar CBMs. But who implements these norms and CBMs? Who ensures they are upheld not only by governments, but also by the operators, engineers, developers, and researchers behind the world’s most essential systems?
These questions were discussed at the Geneva Dialogue’s session at the Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) on 21 October. The session presented the Geneva Manual on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace exploring the evolving roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders in implementing cyber norms and confidence-building measures for critical infrastructure protection.
Through a multistakeholder interactive conversation, the session highlighted challenges, shared emerging good practices, and examined how diplomatic agreements are being interpreted, operationalised, and embedded into real-world decisions.
The session was opened by Mr Daniel Klingele, Senior Advisor, International Security Division, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and Mr Christopher Anthony, Director, Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) Division, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA). They framed the discussion on critical infrastructure protection and challenges for international cooperation.

Ms Anastasiya Kazakova, Cyber Diplomacy Knowledge Fellow and Geneva Dialogue Project Coordinator, DiploFoundation, presented the newly launched Chapter 2 of the Geneva Manual (May 2025), which conveys seven key messages from non-state stakeholders on the protection of critical infrastructure. The chapter highlights:

The need to broaden the definition of damage in UN Norm F beyond physical destruction to include service disruptions, collateral effects, and other non-physical harms.
Calls for states to provide clear legal and policy guidance to private entities and CI operators.
The importance of harmonised, risk-based baseline cybersecurity requirements across jurisdictions.
Protection of responsible vulnerability disclosure and the preservation of trusted cross-border technical collaboration, even amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Participants then engaged in a scenario exercise on a hospital cyberattack, later revealed as a supply chain compromise requiring international cooperation.

The exercise was led by Mr Tan E Guang Eugene, Research Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, with contributions from:

Mr Teo Xiang Zheng, Vice President, Head of Advisory, Ensign Infosecurity

Ms Shariffah Rashidah Syed Othman, Deputy Director General, Personal Data Protection Department, Ministry of Digital, Malaysia
Mr Christopher Anthony, Director, Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) Division, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA)

The session concluded with a fireside chat moderated by Mr Vladimir Radunović, Director of Cybersecurity & E-diplomacy, DiploFoundation, featuring Mr Marc Henauer, Senior Political and International Affairs Officer, Swiss National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and Dr Bushra Al Blooshi, Director of Governance and Risk Management for Cybersecurity, Dubai Electronic Security Center. The experts discussed the implications of geopolitical fragmentation: the risks of competing digital ecosystems undermining global cybersecurity, but also the potential for resilience and innovation in a more diverse digital landscape.

From cooperation to fragmentation: Can technology and cybersecurity governance survive the age of geopolitical tension?
2025-11-25 08:30 - 17:15 | Centre International de Conférences Genève, Switzerland
On 25 November, Imad Aad, Technical Project Manager at C4DT – EPFL and member of the Geneva Dialogue Core Group, spoke on the challenges facing international cooperation in cybersecurity amid a rapidly evolving global order and intensifying geopolitical turbulence. The discussion took place during the 30th International Humanitarian & Security Conference, dedicated to “The New World (Dis)order: Global Governance, Institutions and Norms in an Age of Uncertainty.”
Today’s international environment is marked by rising geopolitical tensions, strategic rivalries, and growing fragmentation, all of which erode trust and complicate cooperation across regions. In this context, cyberspace has become increasingly complex and contested, with sophisticated threat actors, accelerated attack cycles, and emerging risks driven by artificial intelligence—ranging from hyper-realistic phishing to deepfake-enabled fraud.
Another significant development is the shift towards framing cybersecurity through the lens of national sovereignty. This trend is driving the emergence of governance models that blend security, economic, and strategic imperatives. It is reflected in regulatory practices focused on data governance, supply-chain resilience, and technology standards that now extend across physical, digital, and economic domains, reshaping how states and industries interact.
As part of his intervention, Imad highlighted the Geneva Dialogue as a concrete and effective case study of cross-regional, multistakeholder cooperation during a time of geopolitical volatility. He underscored how the Dialogue brings together governments, industry leaders, academia,civil society, and technical communities, including experts from open-source community, to build shared understanding, exchange practical experiences, and develop principled guidance for responsible behaviour in cyberspace. In an era where formal political channels are often strained, the Geneva Dialogue demonstrates that inclusive, trust-building platforms can still advance cooperation and create space for constructive engagement across geopolitical divides.
Stephanie Borg Psaila, Director of Digital Policy, Diplo also contributed to the panel discussion, emphasising the vital role of civil society in sustaining and strengthening collaboration among states, the private sector, academia, and other stakeholders despite deepening global uncertainties.

FIRST Good Practice Webinar Series Session 4 - Cyber Diplomacy: Strengthening Collaboration Among National CSIRTs Confirmation
2025-11-27 15:15 | Online Zoom
On 27 November, Anastasiya Kazakova, Cyber Diplomacy Knowledge Fellow at Diplo and Geneva Dialogue Project Coordinator, delivered a presentation on recent developments in the UN cyber negotiations and discussed practical avenues for African security teams to strengthen their engagement in cyber diplomacy. The session took place as part of the FIRST Good Practice Webinar Series (Season 4), a programme designed to explore how technical cooperation, information sharing, and diplomatic engagement can reinforce trust and operational collaboration among national and sectoral CSIRTs.
The series was delivered courtesy of the FIRST Africa Regional Liaison initiative, made possible through the generous support of UK International Development as part of the Africa Cyber Programme.
The Webinar Series, led by Lawrence Muchilwa, Africa Regional Liaison at FIRST, aimed to examine how cyber diplomacy is increasingly shaping effective CSIRT-to-CSIRT cooperation, as well as to identify the diplomatic and operational factors that enable trust, interoperability, and coordination among national CSIRTs. In doing so, the series also works to generate practical recommendations for strengthening regional and international partnerships in cyber incident management.
In her intervention, Anastasiya highlighted the key outcomes of the current UN Open-Ended Working Group negotiations and explained how African security teams can contribute more actively to cyber diplomacy processes. She emphasised the importance of bringing technical expertise into national deliberations on cyber norms, participating in international dialogue platforms, and using multistakeholder initiatives to support capacity-building and regional resilience.
The webinar also featured presentations from two additional speakers. Ellah Hamwaka, Incident Response Officer and former representative of Malawi to the UN OEWG on ICT security, shared insights from her involvement in shaping national positions on cyber stability, norms, and cooperation. Emmanuella Darkwah, Senior Manager for International Cooperation, drew on her experience participating in the UN OEWG on Developments in ICTs in the Context of International Security, highlighting the value of CSIRT perspectives in multilateral cybersecurity discussions. Together, the speakers underscored the growing need for stronger engagement between technical and diplomatic communities and stressed the potential for African CSIRTs to play a more influential role in shaping responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.

Shared code, shared risk: How are security responsibilities allocated?Security and governance of open source software: Geneva Dialogue Masterclass #1
2026-03-04 13:00 - 15:00 | Online Zoom
Cyber stability is increasingly tested by geopolitical fragmentation, rapid technological change, and tightly coupled digital supply chains. Open source software sits at the centre of these dynamics: widely embedded in critical digital infrastructure, globally developed, and governed through models that were not designed for today’s security, policy, and geopolitical pressures.
In 2026, the Geneva Dialogue will focus on stress-testing cybersecurity practices and agreed cyber norms under real-world conditions. Through a scenario-based engagement framework, the Dialogue brings together policymakers, private sector actors, technical communities, and civil society to examine how responsibilities, incentives, and governance arrangements hold up when systems are under strain, with insights from Costin G. Raiu, Mika Lauhde, and Roman Zhukov.
This masterclass opens the first thematic cycle of 2026, dedicated to the security and governance of open source software. Its purpose is to establish a shared analytical baseline: how OSS functions as a systemic dependency; how security responsibilities are distributed across maintainers, vendors, users, and public authorities; and where current governance approaches struggle to manage risk, accountability, and resilience at scale. The session is designed to bridge policy and technical perspectives and to frame the key questions that will be explored in depth during the subsequent scenario-based consultation.

Emerging technologies and cybersecurity: Can governance adapt to speed, scale, and uncertainty? Geneva Dialogue Masterclass #2
2026-05-04 14:00 - 16:00 | Online Zoom
Cyber stability faces growing pressure from geopolitical fragmentation, rapid technological change, and interconnected digital supply chains. Emerging technologies — AI, advanced automation, and quantum computing — are accelerating cyber capabilities, reshaping how vulnerabilities are discovered, defences are built, and operations conducted. Some compress decision timelines; others challenge foundational assumptions about encryption and systemic risk. As capabilities evolve, responsibilities across developers, deployers, infrastructure operators, and states become harder to delineate, and existing governance frameworks struggle to keep pace.
In 2026, the Geneva Dialogue stress-tests cybersecurity practices and agreed cyber norms under real-world conditions, bringing together policymakers, the private sector, technical communities, and civil society through a scenario-based engagement framework.
This masterclass is part of a series under the 2026 Geneva Dialogue work programme to stress-test cyber norms. It aims to establish a shared analytical baseline: how technological acceleration is reshaping capabilities and redistributing risk — and where existing governance approaches may fall short under conditions of systemic transformation.
It follows the first masterclass in the series, Shared Code, Shared Risk: How Are Security Responsibilities Allocated?, which examined security responsibilities in open-source software supply chains.
The session requires registration.
Its findings will directly inform the third chapter of the Geneva Manual on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace.

Cyber stability under pressure: A reality check for cyber norms in an era of AI-driven cyber risks
2026-05-08 10:00 - 12:30 | Online and Geneva
Time: 08:00-10:30 UTC / 10:00–12:30 CEST
On-site registration: RSVP to genevadialogue@diplomacy.edu, and also register for the Geneva Cyber Week, before 30 April
2026 Geneva Cyber Week
Cyber stability is under increasing strain — not only from more sophisticated attacks, but from the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into both the tools used to carry them out and those used to defend against them. The same technology that makes defenders faster also makes attackers faster. The same AI model that helps a security team identify weaknesses in their own systems can help an adversary find them first.
At the same time, several major AI providers have revised the terms governing how their models may be used, including in some cases terms that previously restricted military and national security applications. Governments in a number of jurisdictions have actively sought to expand their access to commercial AI capabilities for defence and intelligence purposes. There is evidence that criminal and APT groups — including those allegedly affiliated with states — are increasingly adopting commercial AI tools to automate cyber attacks at greater scale, while reducing the investment in time and human resources required. Commercial AI security products, including those being procured by critical infrastructure operators, are built on underlying models whose permitted uses and governance terms may not be fully visible to the organisations deploying them.
This raises fundamental questions: when the same AI tools serve both attack and defence, what does “responsible use” actually mean in practice? Who sets the boundaries, and what happens when those boundaries are moved? How do existing cyber norms hold up when the technology they are supposed to govern has changed faster than the norms themselves?This scenario-based session takes place during the Geneva Cyber Week and is open to both onsite and online participants. It brings together experts and decision-makers from across stakeholder groups — including public policymakers, critical infrastructure operators, technology providers, cybersecurity practitioners, AI governance specialists, compliance and risk professionals, and civil society and academic experts.
The session will be held under the Chatham House Rule.
Its findings will directly inform the third chapter of the Geneva Manual on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace. To join online, please RSVP at genevadialogue@diplomacy.edu.
