Joint Statement on the occasion of the inaugural U.S.-Sweden Cyber and Digital Dialogue

The United States and Sweden held their inaugural bilateral Cyber and Digital Dialogue on May 2, 2024, in Washington, DC.  The United States and Sweden affirmed their ongoing partnership on cyberspace and digital policy issues.  Both sides reiterated their commitment to promote an open, free, global, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet and stable cyberspace, and to protect and respect human rights online.

U.S. and Swedish officials exchanged views on the importance of strengthening the security of the ICT ecosystem and protecting privacy, intellectual property rights, and respect for human rights.  This includes promoting the development and deployment of secure and trusted 5G networks in advanced and emerging economies to help ensure countries, companies, and citizens can trust the firms that provide ICT equipment, software, and services are not subject to authoritarian regimes that can force them to share personal data without judicial recourse.  Both sides recognized the progress made in open radio access networks, including on industry scale, security, cost efficiency, sustainability and performance.  Both sides decided to further strategic collaboration on trusted connectivity, including through exploring opportunities to leverage the co-financing arrangement between the U.S. Export-Import Bank and Sweden’s export credit agency EKN.  Both sides also decided to further collaboration in promoting open and transparent digital ecosystems and trusted digital infrastructure in partner countries, taking into account the recently extended collaboration between development agencies Sida and USAID on Alleviating Poverty through Science, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. 

Both sides reiterated the importance of cooperation on shared principles for the research and development of 6G and FutureG wireless communication systems.  Both sides welcomed the recent Memorandum of Understanding on Scientific and Technological Research Cooperation between the U.S. National Science Foundation, Sweden’s Innovation Agency Vinnova, and the Swedish Research Council, to promote cooperation on next generation networks including 6G, as well as research areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning; chemical sensing; quantum information sciences; and STEM education.  The United States and Sweden plan to explore further opportunities to advance bilateral collaboration in advanced wireless, including 6G. 

Both sides discussed a range of digital policy issues, including cybersecurity of cloud services, AI governance, and secure and trusted data flows, emphasizing their importance in supporting strong transatlantic digital cooperation and a competitive and innovative digital economy.  U.S. and Swedish officials welcomed discussions on the UN Global Digital Compact, which Sweden and Zambia co-facilitate.   

The Cyber and Digital Dialogue included exchanges on trust, privacy, and accountability in cyberspace and identified further action to strengthen cooperation to investigate, prevent, disrupt, deter, and otherwise respond to malicious cyber activity.  Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the UN Framework of Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace, grounded in the application of international law, adherence to voluntary norms, and implementation of cyber confidence building measures.  Both sides also continue to promote establishing the UN Cyber Programme of Action to advance and support states in the framework’s implementation.  Both sides discussed further coordination to advocate for third countries to enact legislation in line with the provisions of the Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe (Budapest Convention) and engage in accession to the treaty.  U.S. and Swedish officials reaffirmed the importance of bilateral and multilateral collaboration to address cybercrime, including through the UN Ad Hoc Committee process.  Acknowledging the rise in cyber threats, both sides discussed deepening their collaboration in enhanced cyber resilience, including bolstering information sharing between law enforcement and Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), conducting cyber exercises, addressing AI and other emerging technology-related cybersecurity risks, and tackling challenges related to quantum-resistant cryptography.  Both sides discussed ways to continue cybersecurity assistance to Ukraine, including through the Tallinn Mechanism.

Both sides stressed the importance of information integrity and exchanged views on how best to advance it.  Officials also discussed ongoing collaboration on countering the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware and noted the importance of ensuring that the development and use of AI is rights-respecting. 

Nathaniel Fick, Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the U.S. Department of State, and Andrés Jato, Ambassador for International Cyber and Digital Affairs at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, launched the dialogue with opening remarks that highlighted the importance of U.S.-Sweden cooperation on cyber and digital issues.  On the U.S. side, the dialogue was chaired by Steve Lang, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Information and Communications Policy for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the U.S. Department of State, and Liesyl Franz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cyberspace Security for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the U.S. Department of State.  The United States was also represented by the Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the National Cyber Director, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the International Trade Administration, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security.  Sweden was represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, the National Security Council, and the Embassy of Sweden to the United States.