The year 2026 represents a pivotal moment for multilateral engagement on information and communications technology (ICT) security. States are ramping up their efforts to adapt to a rapidly evolving threat landscape, not least through the launch of the new permanent Global Mechanism on developments in the field of ICTs in the context of international security and advancing responsible State behaviour in the use of ICTs.
UNIDIR’s Cyber Stability Conference will take place against this backdrop, focusing on the theme of “Cyber governance in an era of technological revolution: Past lessons, present realities and future frontiers”. This year’s conference will explore how cyber governance can adapt to rapid technological change, including emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, ensuring that governance and technological development advance in parallel to safeguard international security.
The conference will leverage this historic moment to reflect on lessons learned, assess the current landscape and explore fruitful pathways for global cyber governance in the years and decades to come. It will examine past, present and potential future trajectories of ICT security, analysing technological evolution, governance responses and their combined effects on international ICT security.
Held during Geneva Cyber Week, the Cyber Stability Conference 2026 will convene experts from government, industry, academia and civil society to chart strategies for a more stable and secure digital future.
When and where
Monday, 4 May and Tuesday, 5 May | Amphitheatre D, Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG), Geneva, and online.
Agenda
Also available below in accessible, plain-text format.
Monday, 4 May 2026
11:30 – 11:40 | Conference opening
11:40 – 12:00 | Keynote address
- Chris Gibson, CEO/Executive Director, Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST)
I. The past: Foundations and turning points
12:00 – 12:45 | Session 1 – The digital revolution: Key technological turning points
This session will explore the evolution of global connectivity and cloud computing, the rise of offensive cyber operations, the proliferation of digital dependencies across critical infrastructure, the emergence of largescale cybercrime ecosystems and how these developments reshaped State capabilities and vulnerabilities. Speakers will discuss the evolution of ICTs in the first two decades of the 21st century, including the developments of the threat landscape and incident response.
- Dr Cristine Hoepers, General Manager, CERT.br
- Dr Serge Droz, Board Member, Forum for Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST)
Moderated by Moliehi Makumane, Researcher, Security and Technology, UNIDIR
12:45 – 13:45 | Lunch
13:45 – 15:00 | Session 2 – Two decades of multilateral cyber governance
Taking a retrospective look at the international community’s governance responses, this panel will examine the lessons derived from the six GGEs and two OEWGs, how UN processes have adapted to accelerating digitalisation, and the evolution of norms, confidence-building measures and the application of international law.
- Ambassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota, Brazil’s Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization; former Chair of the Sixth UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Advancing Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace in the Context of International Security
- Karsten Geier, Senior Advisor for Cyber Diplomacy at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue; former Chair of the Fifth UN GGE on Advancing Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace in the Context of International Security
- Kerstin Vignard, Senior Analyst at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory; former Deputy Director of UNIDIR
- Professor Johanna Weaver, Executive Director and co-founder of the Tech Policy Design Institute at the Australian National University; former Head of Australian Delegation to the First UN OEWG on ICTs 2019-2021
Moderated by Moliehi Makumane, Researcher, Security and Technology, UNIDIR
15:00 – 15:30 | Coffee
II. The present: The cyber–AI nexus
15:30 – 16:15 | Session 3 – AI as a transformative force in ICT security
2020 marked an inflection point: large language models moved from research environments into live cyber operations – on both sides of the threat equation. Attackers gained scale. Defenders gained speed. Five years on, the technical picture remains contested: which AI-enabled capabilities have actually changed the game, which risks are still underappreciated and which architectural choices made between 2020 and 2025 are now shaping the threat environment in ways that will be difficult to reverse? This panel brings together practitioners to examine the technical realities that broader cybersecurity community – and those responsible for governing it – cannot afford to misread.
- Dominique Lazanski, Consultant, Chair of the British Nordic Development Squad
- Stephane Lenco, CISO, Thales
- Lennig Pedron, CEO, Trust Valley
Moderated by Pavel Mraz, Researcher, Security and Technology, UNIDIR
16:15 – 17:45 | Session 4 – Governing the cyber–AI nexus: Where the OEWG 2021–2025 left off
Through two moderated discussion, this session will generate strategic exchanges on what the OEWG 2021–2025 achieved and what it left unresolved. The first will reflect on how states and regional groups entered the process: their threat perceptions, their expectations and how both evolved. The second will take stock of a layered governance landscape, examining the growing number of fora and initiatives shaping cyber and AI governance, and asking where the real impact is coming from.
Moderated by Pavel Mraz, Researcher, Security and Technology, UNIDIR
16:15 – 17:00 | First moderated discussion: A shifting threat landscape — Opportunities and risks
- Ambassador Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Distinguished Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States
- H.E. Ernst Noorman, Ambassador-at-Large for Cyber Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Wang Lei, Coordinator for Cyber and Digital Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
17:00 – 17:45 | Second moderated discussion: Adapting the framework for an AI-augmented environment
- Kerry-Ann Barrett, Chief of Cybersecurity Section, Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism, Organization of American States (OAS-CICTE)
- Anne-Marie Buzatu, Executive Director, ICT4Peace Foundation
17:45 – 17:50 | Closing of day 1
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
09:30 – 09:45 | Welcome to day 2
III. The future: Quantum, AI agents and beyond
09:45 – 10:30 | Session 5 – Quantum computing, AI agents and the next paradigm shift
This forward-looking session will explore how emerging technologies are reshaping cybersecurity, with a focus on quantum computing and the rise of agentic AI. The discussion with address the expected impact of quantum computing on encryption, secure communications and critical infrastructure; the transition to postquantum cryptography; strategic risks associated with ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ practices and how quantum capabilities may alter the balance of power in cyberspace. Moreover, it will delve into the rise of AI agents, considering how increasingly AI models with agentic capabilities may interact with, amplify, or disrupt, the cyber and security dynamics of the future, including by autonomously executing tasks, accelerating cyber operations and redefining both defensive and offensive strategies.
Moderated by Dr Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head of Programme, Security and Technology, UNIDIR
- Dr Grégoire Ribordy, CEO, ID Quantique; VP, Science IonQ
- Patricia Ephraim Eke, Director, Cybersecurity and Emerging Tech Policy, Microsoft
10:30 – 10:45 | Coffee
10:45 – 12:20 | Session 6 – Charting the future of global cyber governance
Through a series of three moderated discussions, this session will generate strategic exchanges on what the international community should do to prepare for the next wave of technological change, including quantum computing, AI agents and the rapidly evolving ICT threat landscape. Each of the three conversations will examine a different dimension of the future of global cyber governance and address how the different pillars of the UN Framework for Responsible State Behaviour could be impacted by these developments. The first will explore the role of the new Global Mechanism in shaping long term stability of the ICT environment. The second will consider how to strengthen trust and build capacity to help States navigate the next technological era. The third will identify pathways towards developing a resilient, adaptive and inclusive governance framework, including how to futureproof norms and international law.
Moderated by Dr Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head of Programme, Security and Technology, UNIDIR
10:45 – 11:15 | First moderated discussion: The role of the Global Mechanism in ensuring long-term stability in addressing evolving threats
- Katherine Prizeman, Political Affairs Officer, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
- Julia Elizabeth Rodríguez Acosta, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of El Salvador to the United Nations in New York
11:15 – 11:45 | Second moderated discussion: Strengthening trust and building capacity in the future technological era
- Artur Lyukmanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cooperation in the Field of International Information Security; Director of the Department of International Information Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
- Air Vice Marshal Amorn Chomchoey, Secretary-General of the National Cyber Security Agency of Thailand
11:45 – 12:20 | Third moderated discussion: Building resilient and inclusive governance frameworks for emerging technologies
- Minister Plen. Alessandro De Pedys, Director General for Cybersecurity, ICT and Technological Innovation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy
- Professor Mohamed Helal, Professor of Law Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University
- Alyssa Nunes, Deputy Director, International Cyber and Critical Technology Policy, Global Affairs Canada
12:20 – 12:30 | Closing keynote address
- H.E. Egriselda López, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the United Nations in New York
12:30 – 12:45 | Conference closing
Participants
UNIDIR encourages the participation of national representatives and other experts interested in digital technologies in the context of international peace and security.
RSVP
To attend the event in person or online, please register here by Wednesday, 29 April.
For online participants, access to the event will be shared with registered participants one day prior to the conference.
For in-person participants, a valid access badge is required to enter the CICG. Register here by Thursday, 30 April 2026 to secure your access to the venue.
Further information
For questions, please contact sectec-unidir@un.org.