UNGA81 First Committee cluster debate On Other Disarmament Measures and International Security
Statement delivered by Mr. Ott Laido, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Estonia
New York, 22 October 2026
Thank you, Chair.
Estonia aligns itself with the statement just delivered by the European Union. In addition, we would like to highlight the following points in our national capacity.
Estonia welcomes the July 2025 consensus on the Open-Ended Working Group’s final report. We now have the UN Global Mechanism as the agreed forum for substantive discussions on ICT security.
We also support the short procedural resolution proposed by the Chair of the Global Mechanism. We hope it will be adopted by consensus.
We should avoid duplication. Instead, these discussions belong within the Global Mechanism where we can work towards concrete results.
The agreed UN framework for responsible State behavior in cyberspace guides this work. We now need to implement this framework, strengthen cooperation and support capacity-building.
Chair,
As cyber threats evolve, international law becomes even more important for peace and security in cyberspace. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shows how cyber operations can be used alongside conventional military force.
By combining cyberattacks with missile and drone strikes, disinformation campaigns, and other hostile acts, Russia seeks to disrupt civilian life and damage essential infrastructure.
This pattern of behavior erodes respect for the UN Charter and risks turning cyberspace into a domain of conflict rather than cooperation.
Cyberspace is not a legal vacuum: all States must comply with international law, including the UN Charter, international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Chair,
Emerging technologies are reshaping the security environment.
AI, in particular, can enable malicious cyber activities on a much larger scale. It can make cyberattacks easier to launch, speed up their planning and allow for more targeted and persistent operations.
Estonia supports continued UN engagement, on the responsible use of AI. Addressing AI-related cyber risks requires evidence-based policies and international cooperation. It also requires transparency, a risk management-based approach and meaningful human oversight.
The Global Mechanism could also discuss these risks through its consensus-based processes. Such discussions should follow the agreed procedures without prejudging outcomes or duplicating existing AI governance efforts.
Estonia will continue working with all partners to defend these principles and ensure that technology advances peace rather than fuels conflict.
I thank you.