International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
Last Updated: September 2020
Policy
Strategy Documents
ITU National Cybersecurity Strategy Guide
Focuses on the issues that countries should consider when elaborating or reviewing national cybersecurity strategies
September 2011
Global Cybersecurity Agenda
ITU Secretary-General
• Framework for international cooperation aimed at enhancing confidence and security in the information societ;
• Built upon five strategic pillars: (1) legal measures, (2) technical and procedural measures, (3) organizational structures, (4) capacity building, (5) international cooperation.
2007 (launched in)
Other Documents
QUESTION 22-1/1: Securing information and communication networks: best practices for developing a culture of cybersecurity
Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)
Report of Study Group 1 activities, including:
• a guide for the establishment of a national cybersecurity management system;
• best practices for the creation of public-private partnerships in support of cybersecurity goals and objectives;
• building a national computer security incident management capability;
• managing a national CIRT with critical success factors;
• best practices for Internet Service Provider (ISP) network protection
2014
Understanding Cybercrime: Phenomena, Challenges and Legal Response
Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)
Report assists countries in understanding what cybercrime is about, what the challenges are in fighting such crime and supports them in drafting policies and laws.
2014
Overview of Cybersecurity Information Exchange
Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)
Provides overview of Cybersecurity Information Exchange Techniques (CYBEX) initiative that imports more than twenty “best of breed” standards for platforms developed over the past several years by government agencies and industry to enhance cybersecurity and infrastructure protection
Cybersecurity Guide for Developing Countries
ICT Applications and Cybersecurity Division, Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)
Prepared for facilitating the exchange of information on best practices, related to cybersecurity issues and to meet the stated goal of the Global Cybersecuriry Agenda
2009
Communications
Guide to Developing a National Cybersecurity Strategy: Strategic Engagement in Cybersecurity
ITU, the World Bank, Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, NATO CCD COE
• Co-publication aiming to guide national policy-makers in the development of a national cybersecurity strategy;
• Provides an overview of a strategy development lifecycle, overarching principles for a strategy, focus areas and good practices, and supporting reference materials.
2018
Global Cybersecurity Index
Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)
Multi-stakeholder initiative to measure the commitment of countries to cybersecurity (see entry in "Activities")
July 2017
ITU National Cybersecurity/CIIP Self-Assessment Tool (Draft)
ICT Applications and Cybersecurity Division, Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)
Intended to assist national government officials in examining their related existing national cybersecurity/CIIP policies, procedures, norms, institutions, and relationships
April 2009
Structure
Specialized Agencies
United Nations Group on Cybercrime and Cybersecurity
ITU, UNODC
• To address programme policy aspects of the work and to foster coordination and collaboration within the United Nations system
• Offered report to the High-Level Committee on Programmes at its 28th session in November 2014
17 October 2013
ITU Regional Cybersecurity Centre
ITU Arab Regional Cybersecurity Centre (ITU-ARCC)
• Physical centres hosted by an ITU Member State to act as the regional ITU focal point for cybersecurity issues as well as deliver ITU’s cybersecurity services to all partner countries within the agreed regional scope
• First centre set up in Oman
3 March 2013
ITU-T Study Group 17
Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)
• Responsible for building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT)
• Currently working on cybersecurity; security management; security architectures and frameworks; among others.
2017-2020 (current study period)
Legislation
Cooperation
Meetings
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum
ITU, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO
Key forum for discussing the role of ICTs as a means of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, beginning in 2006
20-21 March 2018
ITU-ENISA Regional Cybersecurity Forum
ITU; ENISA
Platform for strengthening regional cooperation, information sharing, and discussion on cybersecurity with particular focus on national cyber security strategies and national CSIRT/CIRT/CERT in terms of development approaches, good practices, challenges and opportunities.
29-30 November 2016
Regional Cybersecurity Summit (5th)
ITU Arab Regional Cybersecurity Centre (ITU-ARCC)
Regional Cybersecurity Summit and FIRST Arabic and African Regional Symposium, focusing on the cooperation in cybersecurity as one of the key pillars to tackle the complexity and the scalability of the main challenges of today's cyber threats.
30 October-1 November 2016
World Conference on International Telecommunications
Conference convened to review and revise the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs), which are a treaty that complements the ITU Constitution and Convention, and establish general principles about international telecommunications
December 2012
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
ITU, High-Level Summit Organizing Committee (HLSOC), Executive Secretariat (WSIS-ES)
• Featured adoption of a Declaration of Principles for achieving an information society; the Tunis Commitment and Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, and the creation of the Internet Governance Forum
16-18 November 200510-12 December 2003
Activities
"Combatting Cybercrime: Tools and Capacity Building for Emerging Economies" Toolkit
ITU, UNCTAD, UNICRI, UNODC
Includes resources aimed at building capacity among policy-makers, legislators, public prosecutors & investigators, and civil society in developing countries in the policy, legal and criminal justice aspects of the enabling environment to combat cybercrime
2016
Global Cybersecurity Index
Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)
• Multi-stakeholder initiative to measure the commitment of countries to the ITU's Global Cybersecurity Agendathrough surveys;
• Aims to instigate international cooperation and promote knowledge exchange on this topic;
• Iterations of the project result in reports (third iteration currently in progress).
2013-2014 (first iteration)
United Nations Group on Cybercrime and Cybersecurity
ITU, UNODC
• To address programme policy aspects of the work and to foster coordination and collaboration within the United Nations system
• Offered report to the High-Level Committee on Programmes at its 28th session in November 2014
17 October 2013
CIRT Programme
Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D)
• Helps countries to establish their national computer incident response team, which serves as a national focus point for coordinating cybersecurity incident response to cyber attacks in the country;
• Established 14 National CIRTs.
External Cooperation
Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, Member
A global platform for countries, international organizations and private companies to exchange best practices and expertise on cyber capacity building
2015 (established)