INTERVENTION BY FIRST SECRETARY MATTHEW WONG OF SINGAPORE AT THE SIXTH THEMATIC DEEP DIVE ON THE GLOBAL DIGITAL COMPACT ON THE ISSUE OF DIGITAL TRUST AND SECURITY, CONFERENCE ROOM 1 AT UNHQ, THURSDAY, 25 MAY 2023, 3.00PM

Co-Facilitators,     

1 Thank you for convening today’s discussions and for your useful guiding questions.

2 Singapore reiterates the importance of working together as an international community towards an open, secure, stable, accessible, peaceful and interoperable cyberspace. In support of this goal, Singapore is honoured to Chair the Open-ended working group on security of and in the use of ICTs 2021-2025 (OEWG) established pursuant to GA resolution 75/240. The OEWG has a clear mandate to address ICT security issues with implications for international peace and security. On the other hand, the Global Digital Compact could address the many other important issues relating to the protection of our citizens in the digital world that do not generally have implications for international peace and security. We must ensure that our work within the OEWG and GDC is not duplicative and remains focused on the respective mandate of each process.

3 In line with the G77 and China’s call for a meaningful, action-oriented Global Digital Compact (GDC) that can accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, we propose three concrete initiatives the GDC could adopt to enhance our collective digital trust and security.

4 First, the GDC could encourage the development of common resources for public education in the area of digital trust and security. Digital security ultimately starts with the individual. In this regard, States face the common challenge of ensuring that our citizens have the skills and knowledge to keep themselves safe online. In Singapore, we have responded to this challenge through the Digital for Life Movement, which aims to galvanise the people, private and public sectors to provide Singaporeans with skills, tools and habits to navigate the digital domain safely. For example, the “Say No to Scams” project developed under the Movement aims to teach seniors how to protect themselves from online scams. We would be happy to share our experiences developing these programmes and campaigns at this and related fora, which States can use or adapt on a voluntary basis.

5 Second, the GDC should promote the development of common standards for cybersecurity certification. In Singapore, we have created the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) for internet-enabled consumer electronic and IoT devices. Under the CLS, smart devices are rated on a scale of one to four stars in line with their level of cybersecurity provision. This enables consumers to easily identify products with better cybersecurity provision and make informed purchasing decisions. We note that other countries are also developing similar schemes. As part of our efforts to promote interoperability, we have signed mutual recognition agreements with countries operating similar labelling schemes. However, mutual recognition agreements necessarily remain limited in geographical scope. In this regard, the GDC should facilitate the development of universal certification standards at the global level, and in support of this goal we offer our experience developing the CLS as a potential basis for the development of one such global standard.

6 Third, the GDC should encourage the development of common international methods to safeguard the physical security of the connectivity infrastructure that underpins our access to the digital world. In particular, the GDC would be well-placed to consider measures for the protection of subsea internet cables, which are often located in international waters and would thus benefit from international efforts to protect and safeguard. This is not a theoretical concern – there have been incidents of damage to submarine cables by shipping and fishing activities, as well as natural causes such as undersea landslides and earthquakes. In this regard, we propose that the GDC can take steps to spur the development at the international level of common understandings and best practices relating to the expeditious and efficient installation, maintenance, and repair of submarine cables in international waters, particularly in response to urgent cases of disruption.

7 These are some of our initial proposals for concrete initiatives the GDC could adopt. We look forward to continuing to develop these ideas within this process. Thank you.

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