UN Youth Champions for Disarmament exchange perspectives with Women in Cyber Fellows

On 30 March 2022, three of the UN Youth Champions for Disarmament gathered with the Women in Cyber (WIC) Fellows to exchange perspectives on new and emerging technologies, with a focus on cyber issues.

During the hybrid meeting, the UN Youth Champions discussed key topics relating to Disarmament and Cybersecurity with the WIC fellows, who have been selected from applicants from the global south including countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Women in Cyberspace and International Security Fellowship is a joint initiative of the governments of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, aiming to promote greater participation of women in discussions at the United Nations on international security issues related to responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.

The hybrid meeting forms part of the WIC fellows’ in-person visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where they have been participating in the meetings of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on the use of ICTs in the context of international security.

Ms. Soo Hyun Kim, Acting Director of the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific & #Youth4Disarmament Lead, and Ms. Laura Barr, Acting Director of the Cyber & Tech Multilateral Engagement, Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, moderated the session.

UN Youth Champions for Disarmament, Waleed Helmy, Jess Aitkin and Christelle Barakat shared their experiences of the Youth Champions training programme and presented on the opportunities and challenges posed by New and Emerging Technologies.

The presentations focused on the linkages between new and emerging technologies and promoting responsible innovation, advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, and providing entry points for young people to engage in nuclear disarmament efforts.

WIC Fellows commended the Youth Champions for their projects and expressed the important role young people have in collective efforts for establishing a safer and more secure cyberspace for all.

The two groups exchanged thoughts and perspectives on ways to raise awareness of responsible innovation, how to ensure technologies are developed with consideration of their potential societal consequences, the role of diverse stakeholders in countering cyber threats and the importance of ensuring inclusion and diversity within the disarmament and cyber field.

Before concluding, the two groups expressed their interest for further collaboration in the future to continue the discussion on key topics and exchange of ideas and knowledge.

For more information on the two programmes, be sure to visit the webpages for the UN Youth Champions for Disarmament Training Programme and Women in Cyberspace and International Security Fellowship.