Cybersecurity and Sustainable Development – A Global Path Forward

Development cooperation is one of the most important foreign policy tools for promoting and protecting our interests. An open, free and secure cyberspace is essential for economic development, as well as for promoting political and social participation. 

Sweden is stepping up our international engagement in the field of cyber diplomacy. Digitization means significant opportunities for global development. Based on democracy, human rights and the principles of the rule of law, we are committed to ensure that this potential is taken advantage of by promoting digitization and cyber security with coherent action in trade, security policy and development cooperation.  

For the last year Sweden has engaged in various regions of the world to address cybersecurity and sustainable development. In collaboration with ITU, GFCE and Microsoft, we will launch a report presenting the findings “Mainstreaming cybersecurity in Development”. The report summarizes a series of workshops and engagement held across the globe. 

Summary

This compendium encapsulates the key findings and insights derived from a series of workshops which took place between July 2023 and February 2024, and which focused on the interplay between cyber resiliency and sustainable digital development. 

The initiative has been spearheaded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), and Microsoft. 

Discussions delved into overcoming integration challenges, such as funding and timelines, the imperative of expanding awareness about cyber resilience, including both technical and policy considerations, as well as the need to continue building a pipeline of skilled cyber professionals. 

The importance of multistakeholder cooperation, cross-sector partnerships, and innovative collaboration strategies were underscored to combat cyberthreats effectively. Supply chain security emerged as a significant concern, alongside the necessity to balance human-centric cyber resilience with security needs at various levels. The workshops also navigated the policy landscape and touched upon technical standardization, advocating for unified frameworks and terminologies to foster economic development goals.