On July 22, ORF America and the Stimson Center co-hosted a private roundtable discussion titled, “Cyber Diplomacy: Assessing Outcomes from the UN Open-ended Working Group & the Future of Cyber Governance,” at Stimson’s Washington, D.C. offices bringing together cyber diplomats and experts.
The roundtable examined the critical outcomes of the United Nations (UN) Open-ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025 (OEWG), which held its final session from 7-11 July 2025. It also explored the evolving landscape of international cybersecurity cooperation within the UN framework and the future of cyber governance, in addition to what the OEWG achieved through its final report in its core areas of focus, including emerging threats, norms implementation, international law, confidence-building measures, and capacity building. Participants also discussed shortcomings in the final report and reflected on the challenges of compromise, while also underscoring the adoption of a final report and establishment of a new UN Global Mechanism on ICTs as a win for multilateralism and diplomacy. Attention was also given to how the Global Mechanism can fulfill its promise of being action-oriented and inclusive.
Anneleen Roggeman, Senior Program Manager, ORF America provided welcoming remarks to the group. The session was moderated by Allison Pytlak, Senior Fellow and Director, Cyber Program, Stimson Center and Jeffrey D. Bean, Program Manager, Technology Policy & Editor, ORF America.
Opening remarks were provided by:
Madeline Murphy Hall, Tech Diplomacy Consultant
Christopher Painter, Founding Partner, The Cyber Policy Group
Katherine Prizeman, Political Affairs Officer, Science, Technology and International Security Unit, Office for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations
Kim van der Sluis, First Secretary Political Affairs, Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations
Catalina Vera Toro, Alternate Representative, Permanent Mission of Chile to the Organization of American States (OAS)
Learn about Stimson Center’s ongoing work in cyberspace here.
Learn about ORF America’s ongoing Global Cyber Policy Dialogues here.
