Session
Subtheme
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Intergovernmental Organization
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Intergovernmental Organization
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 1: Akhil Jacob Thomas, Civil Society, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 2: Irene Grohsmann, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Kaja Ciglic, Private Sector, Eastern European Group
Speaker 4: Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 5: Panagiota Nayia Barmpaliou, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Irene Grohsmann, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Kaja Ciglic, Private Sector, Eastern European Group
Speaker 4: Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 5: Panagiota Nayia Barmpaliou, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: A 90-minute session with a roundtable format is best suited for this session, as it will encourage an interactive discussion amongst participants and speakers. This format also supports the purpose of consulting with stakeholders in the room about lessons learned from each stakeholder group and across regions.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: A 90-minute session with a roundtable format is best suited for this session, as it will encourage an interactive discussion amongst participants and speakers. This format also supports the purpose of consulting with stakeholders in the room about lessons learned from each stakeholder group and across regions.
Policy Question(s)
1. How can cyber resilience be strengthened as a key enabler of sustainable development, ensuring that cybersecurity challenges do not hinder digital transformation efforts?
2. What mechanisms are needed to integrate cyber resilience into existing development financing frameworks to ensure sustained investment in cybersecurity capacity building?
3. What are the most effective models for fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration on cyber resilience at the national and international levels?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will leave with:
- A clearer understanding of the Accra Call and its role in integrating cyber resilience into digital development.
- An comprehensive view of how the session connects to the UN Global Digital Compact and ongoing UN processes like the potential permanent mechanism replacing the UN OEWG, fostering multilateral collaboration on cybersecurity and digital governance.
- Practical insights from case studies, showcasing how cybersecurity is being embedded into national and regional development programs.
- Concrete strategies for aligning cybersecurity with sustainable development, including policy recommendations and funding models.
- Opportunities for direct engagement, enabling participants to contribute to global cyber capacity-building efforts and help shape future actions.
By the end of the session, participants will have actionable takeaways and a roadmap for integrating cybersecurity into development planning, ensuring cyber resilience is a priority in global digital transformation efforts.
SDGs
Description:
This session builds on a series of discussions, including at RightsCon 2025, IGF Riyadh, Microsoft Cyber Agora, and the Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B), to advance practical solutions for integrating cybersecurity into digital development agendas. As digital transformation accelerates worldwide, cybersecurity remains underfunded and underprioritized in development initiatives, creating vulnerabilities that undermine economic growth, digital inclusion, and human rights. The Accra Call for Cyber Resilient Development, launched at GC3B, provides a framework for action, yet its implementation requires deeper engagement from governments, the private sector, civil society, and development actors. This session will: - Examine progress and challenges in mainstreaming cybersecurity within global development policies. - Showcase real-world implementation efforts, including case studies and lessons learned from national and regional cybersecurity capacity-building initiatives. - Identify policy and funding mechanisms to integrate cyber resilience into development financing frameworks. - Encourage multi-stakeholder action, reinforcing cybersecurity as a development priority rather than just a security concern. The discussion will highlight cross-sector collaboration, practical funding models, and strategies to translate commitments into concrete, scalable action. Participants will have the opportunity to contribute their perspectives and engage in shaping the future direction of cyber capacity-building efforts. This session directly aligns with IGF 2025 themes of sustainable digital transformation, capacity building, and cyber resilience, while also contributing to ongoing UN processes, including the Global Digital Compact and discussions on a permanent UN cyber mechanism to succeed the OEWG. By ensuring continuity across multiple global forums, this session aims to drive forward implementation efforts and position cybersecurity as a core pillar of inclusive and sustainable digital development.
This session builds on a series of discussions, including at RightsCon 2025, IGF Riyadh, Microsoft Cyber Agora, and the Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B), to advance practical solutions for integrating cybersecurity into digital development agendas. As digital transformation accelerates worldwide, cybersecurity remains underfunded and underprioritized in development initiatives, creating vulnerabilities that undermine economic growth, digital inclusion, and human rights. The Accra Call for Cyber Resilient Development, launched at GC3B, provides a framework for action, yet its implementation requires deeper engagement from governments, the private sector, civil society, and development actors. This session will: - Examine progress and challenges in mainstreaming cybersecurity within global development policies. - Showcase real-world implementation efforts, including case studies and lessons learned from national and regional cybersecurity capacity-building initiatives. - Identify policy and funding mechanisms to integrate cyber resilience into development financing frameworks. - Encourage multi-stakeholder action, reinforcing cybersecurity as a development priority rather than just a security concern. The discussion will highlight cross-sector collaboration, practical funding models, and strategies to translate commitments into concrete, scalable action. Participants will have the opportunity to contribute their perspectives and engage in shaping the future direction of cyber capacity-building efforts. This session directly aligns with IGF 2025 themes of sustainable digital transformation, capacity building, and cyber resilience, while also contributing to ongoing UN processes, including the Global Digital Compact and discussions on a permanent UN cyber mechanism to succeed the OEWG. By ensuring continuity across multiple global forums, this session aims to drive forward implementation efforts and position cybersecurity as a core pillar of inclusive and sustainable digital development.
Expected Outcomes
- Practical recommendations on integrating cybersecurity into digital development financing and policy frameworks.
- A progress update on the implementation of the Accra Call for Cyber Resilient Development, capturing lessons learned from governments, private sector, and civil society.
- A follow-up report, consolidating insights from this session to inform discussions at future global forums.
- Encouraging voluntary commitments, where stakeholders identify concrete steps to integrate cybersecurity into their national and regional development strategies.
By linking the session to ongoing cyber capacity-building efforts, this discussion will ensure continuity across forums like RightsCon, IGF, and GC3B, reinforcing cybersecurity as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development.
Hybrid Format: To ensure an inclusive and engaging hybrid discussion, the session will:
- Have a dedicated online moderator to integrate virtual participants into the live discussion.
- Use live Q&A, real-time polls, and interactive discussions to encourage audience engagement.
- Incorporate regional perspectives, ensuring diverse stakeholder voices are heard.
- Include breakout-style discussions for both in-person and online participants to contribute actionable insights.