Delivered by Mr Gert Auväärt, Chargé d’Affaires
Mr President, Excellencies, distinguished speakers and listeners,
First, allow me to express my appreciation to Indonesia for convening this timely Arria-formula meeting of the Security Council. We are honoured to co-sponsor this event which continues to draw the Security Council’s attention to the implications of cyber threats to international peace and security. I also thank the briefers for their insightful interventions.
During the ongoing global pandemic, reliance on critical infrastructure is greater than ever. This meeting is held at a critical time when a number of States have to manage a high rate of COVID-19 patients. At the same time, over the course of the first half of 2020, healthcare facilities across the globe reported an increasing number of incidents targeting their infrastructure. Needless to say, in a global health crisis, medical services and medical facilities have become the critical infrastructure that all our societies rely on.
In addition to ensuring access to health services, it is now necessary to address possible humanitarian consequences that may stem from inadequate protection of critical infrastructure or irresponsible behaviour of malicious actors in cyberspace. Globally, there are vast differences between how states mobilise their expertise and resources to ensure cyber resilience. During a global pandemic, it is important to raise awareness about cyber threats and share best practices. Cooperation with other countries is one of the central elements on how Estonia has approached the question of critical infrastructure protection beyond its borders. Estonian experts – government as well as private sector – have been working on a number of projects that facilitate dissemination of best cyber resilience practices regionally and globally. I myself have co-led the EU Cyber for Development programme in Mauritius in my previous capacity of director of international relations of the Estonian national cyber security agency RIA. Many international and regional organisations, such as the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the OAS, ASEAN, African Union, have been active in sharing best practices and building capacities to address cyber threats globally.
Mr President,
Achieving a global, free, open, stable, peaceful, and secure cyberspace requires also a shared understanding of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
It has been agreed in the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts 2013 report that international law applies to cyberspace. This also includes important bodies of international law, such as international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The GGE 2015 report highlights two important norms that claim that “a State should not conduct or knowingly support ICT activity contrary to its obligations under international law that intentionally damages critical infrastructure or otherwise impairs the use and operation of critical infrastructure to provide services to the public”. The same report also claims that States should take appropriate measures to protect their critical infrastructure from ICT threats. Estonia fully supports these agreed upon norms and calls for their implementation. On 22 May, Estonia organised a Security Council Arria formula meeting on Cyber Stability, Conflict Prevention, and Capacity-Building that addressed responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
In conclusion, the topic of critical infrastructure protection and bolstering cyber resilience requires effective international cooperation, implementation of norms and capacity building. On 20 April, Estonia condemned malicious cyber activities against the medical sector and called for respecting norms of responsible state behaviour and for the upholding of international law in cyberspace. It is now more important than ever to uphold the norms, abide by the international law in cyberspace and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
I thank you for your attention.
Arria meeting, co-hosted by Indonesia, Belgium, Estonia and Viet Nam, as well as ICRC is available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbBchZEG5D8