The XVIII International Forum will be held on September 16-18, 2024, in Moscow at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The theme of the Forum is “Cooperation between states in ensuring international information security. Current Challenges”.
The Forum is organized by the National Association for International Information Security (NAIIS, Russia) with the assistance of the office of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Ministry of Justice and other interested federal executive authorities.
Over 250 leading scientists and experts from around the world are expected to take part in the Forum in person and online.
The Forum Organizing Committee is headed by: Chairman of the Supervisory Board of NAIIS, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Oleg V. Khramov; President of NAIIS Boris N. Miroshnikov and Director of the Department of International Information Security of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on international cooperation in the field of information security Artur R. Lyukmanov.
The Forum will gather heads of committees of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, senior executives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Ministry of Defense of Russia, the FSB of Russia, the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Ministry of Justice of Russia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and other federal executive bodies, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the office of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, as well as representatives of international organizations, Russian and international experts involved in the study of current issues of the formation of an international information security system.
The international community is going through a difficult period of transformation of the world order and the emergence of a multipolar world against the backdrop of the ongoing process of formation of a global information society.
There are persistent threats of malicious use of ICTs for military-political, terrorist and other criminal purposes, which manifest themselves in undermining sovereignty, violation of territorial integrity, interference in internal affairs of the sovereign states, computer crimes, computer attacks on national information resources and critical information infrastructure.
The work of the open-ended Ad Hoc Committee to elaborate, under the auspices of the UN, a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes is now complete. For the first time in history, a universal treaty has been adopted that will lay a long-term foundation for international cooperation between law enforcement agencies in their fight against ICT crimes. The document envisages the creation of a network of specialized contact centers operating 24/7 to provide assistance in prevention of crimes and criminal investigation. Russia and like-minded states managed to enshrine in the text of the treaty the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, primarily the sovereign equality of states and non-interference in their internal affairs. Much work remains to be done to implement the taken decisions.
The work of the of the UN Open-ended working group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021–2025 is nearing completion. At the initiative of Russia, a register of contact points (functioning since May 2024, more than 100 states have joined) for the exchange of information on computer attacks/incidents was launched within the framework of the OEWG, as the first universal measure. In July 2024, following the eighth session of the Group, the participating states adopted a consensus decision to establish a single negotiating mechanism on information security in the UN after 2025 and agreed on its key parameters.
In new geopolitical realities the SCO and BRICS are more actively participating in the formation of a structural basis of a multipolar world. Coordination of approaches of their member states to issues of ensuring international information security is of key importance for building a secure global information space. Specialized working groups aimed to find solutions to these issues operate in both formats with active Russian participation.
The framework of the Forum provides for a plenary session and 5 round tables, as well as other events that will facilitate communication between participants and exchange of opinions.
The plenary session will consider the following issues:
- current threats to international information security in the context of formation of a multipolar world;
- possible formats for dialogue between states on the issues of forming an international information security system in a multipolar world;
- the concept of the UN Convention on ensuring International Information Security and its role in promoting the formation of an international information security system;
- cooperation between states on implementation of provisions of the comprehensive international convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes;
- countering the use of ICTs for interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, and for dissemination of the ideology of Nazism, extremism and terrorism;
- cooperation between states on the resolution of international disputes related to incidents in the ICT environment;
- cooperation of experts within the framework of the International Information Security Research Consortium;
- directions for the development of public-private partnerships in the SCO and BRICS for strengthening international information security;
- cooperation between the SCO and BRICS states on training personnel in the field of information security.
- In addition, 5 round tables will be held on the following topics:
- cooperation between states, primarily members of the SCO and BRICS, in the formation of regional and transregional systems of international information security;
- “digital” sovereignty of states as the basis for the formation of an international information security system;
- public-private partnership in the formation of an international information security system in the context of development of the market for trusted ICT products of friendly states, including the SCO and BRICS;
- ensuring the equality and independence of states in the global network of mass information distribution, countering the threat of information wars;
- challenges of developing cooperation between states in the field of countering the use of ICTs for criminal purposes.
The results of the Forum will inform recommendations on priority areas of expert assistance in the formation of an international information security system.
The conference proceedings will be published in two languages in printed and digital form.
