On June 1-2, 2022, ORF America, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence of North Macedonia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and Metamorphosis Foundation, held a roundtable in Skopje, North Macedonia as part of its Global Cyber Policy Dialogues series. The two-day meeting, which built on discussions from an April 2021 virtual dialogue, focused on improving the security and stability of cyberspace and building cyber capacity in the Western Balkans in several key areas. The first day brought donors, recipients, and implementers together to discuss ways to improve coordination among donors who are funding cyber capacity projects in the region. The second day focused on enhancing cyber norms and defense, improving resilience through computer emergency response team (CERT) cooperation, combating cybercrime, and addressing disinformation. The meeting brought together over 50 participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (this designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence), Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, representing government, civil society, academia, multilateral institutions, and the private sector.
The meeting was opened by Dragan Nikolić, State Secretary, Ministry of Defence of North Macedonia and Nathalie Jaarsma, Ambassador-at-Large, Security Policy and Cyber, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
The full agenda for the event is available here.
Several themes emerged in the discussion, including lack of equitable access, the need for a better vision and leadership at all levels, better education and awareness for policymakers, increased transparency, and better laws and policies to implement cybersecurity and resilience principles. On a positive note, the numerous existing challenges have created support for common action within the region, an increasing level of cooperation, and greater opportunities for participation.
This event was part of a larger Global Cyber Dialogue Series being organized by ORF America and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands which seeks to convene regional dialogues to address key cyber challenges, strengthen multistakeholder networks, and increase coordination of regional capacity building initiatives. These meetings are intended to complement ongoing international-level cyber norms processes, such as the United Nations Open-ended Working Group (OEWG), Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) and the Ad Hoc Committee on Cyber Crime.