Welcome to the Geneva Dialogue Cyber Quest

This online role-play simulation is designed for diplomats and professionals like you, directly engaged in shaping global cybersecurity policy through the UN Open-ended Working Group on Cyber, and other related processes.

Learning should be an interesting process. It should combine theory and practice. It should be collective. And – it should be fun! 

The goal of this game is to connect cyber-norms and confidence-building measures (CBMs) to the practice – a case of a severe cross-border cyber incident! What can we do to minimise consequences? Or – what should we have done better to mitigate risks?

Importantly, this game is on the one hand self-paced – you can play it whenever you want. On the other, it can be collective: at the end of the game, you have the option to connect to other players and discuss the challenges and hard choices with them over a (real or virtual) coffee.

The game is based on the outcomes of the Geneva Dialogue, including the Geneva Manual and insights from regular consultations with stakeholders (private sector, academia, civil society, and technical community) on the implementation of agreed cyber norms and the identification of best practices within the global multistakeholder community. The first chapter of the Geneva Manual covers the implementation of agreed norms on ICT supply chain security and the responsible reporting of ICT vulnerabilities. The second chapter, set to be announced later in 2025, will focus on norms and CBMs related to critical infrastructure protection.

If you would like to learn more about the Geneva Dialogue and the Manual, please contact us at genevadialogue@diplomacy.edu

  • Start by reading the comic book in each phase of the game. 
  • Then, you will be asked a question – single-choice, as well as open-ended questions. 
  • Before responding to each question, you will be offered several options of help: 
  1. to consult the Geneva Manual, 
  2. to remind yourself of Cyber-norms and Cyber-CBMs (i.e. Confidence Building Measures),
  3. to query the Geneva Dialogue artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. Keep in mind, though, that the AI Assistant may make mistakes—use it wisely to generate ideas and learn, rather than to prepare final responses. The assistant is developed by Diplo solely for learning processes and is based on proprietary and open-source models. 
  • Once you feel comfortable, you can provide your response. Remember: there are no right or wrong answers – we all learn from each other! 
  • Upon submitting your response(s) in each phase, you will be able to see how other players have responded. 
  • Then, you will move to the next phase of the scenario, where the story escalates: again, read the comic book, consult sources, and respond to questions. 
  • At the end, you will be asked to optionally leave your name, affiliation and contact email. If you decide to share your details, these will be added to the list of players – the list will be visible only to the other players who have left their details, to allow all of you to meet and discuss further in the corridors of the OEWG or cyberspace. 

Note that, even if you choose to leave your personal details, your responses will remain anonymous – they are in no way connected to you; the game only collects information about the responses, not the respondents. 

Finally, if you leave your contact email, we will gladly inform you about the future similar endeavours of the Geneva Dialogue.

Now, sit down, relax and – enjoy the game!

This exercise is developed by the Geneva Dialogue, drawing on insights from a global community of companies, organizations, and cybersecurity professionals. Their key findings are captured in the Geneva Manual on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace. Learn more at: https://genevadialogue.ch/