Position papers will be due on February 5th, 2021. The position paper format, and all other important conference documents, can be found on our conference website, http://lhhsconference.weebly.com/. Email all position papers to our committee email: [email protected]. Feel free to contact us via email if you have any questions or concerns!
Hello! My name is Aidan Najah and I will be your head chair at this LHHS Conference! I am a senior at Laguna Hills High School and I have been a part of MUN since my freshman year. I am also on the boys soccer and volleyball team at my school. I love the beach and spending time outdoors. I am super excited to see you all in committee!
Hello delegates! I’m Samantha Kays and I will be your vice chair this year. I am a junior and this is my third year in MUN. I love to play soccer and run for our track and field team. I am looking forward to this conference and hope to see you all there!
Hello delegates! My name is Carson Ferreira and I will be your moderator here at LHHS. I am a sophomore and in my second year of MUN. I participate in ASB and I like weightlifting in my free time. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you soon!
Topic:Cyber Security
Background Cybersecurity is defined as, “the state of being protected against the criminal or unauthorized use of electronic data, or the measures taken to achieve this,”. Cybersecurity attacks are highly varied in their scale, with items such as simple encryption scam attacks, like the “WannaCry” virus attacks during 2017, all the way up to the use of malware by the US government to disrupt and destroy Iranian nuclear centrifuges (the “Stuxnet” worm). These attacks have the capacity to have detrimental impacts on global populations. Attacks on banks can leave people without the autonomy to buy necessities such as food and water. Attacks and threats against power grid systems can bring people into panic and confusion. Attacks against voting systems can disrupt the entire global structure of democracy as we know it. Attacks between governments can lead to war. These types of attacks, along with a multitude of other possible attacks, are among a set of issues that UN members must address. With technology continuing to rapidly develop and play a key role in day-to-day life as a species, prevention of cybersecurity attacks remains a key and prevalent in the 21st century. Many factors must also be considered regarding enforcement of cyber security law. Privacy is defined as a key right in Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the violation of these rights with the purpose of enforcing cybersecurity laws is a challenge that UN members must also address. Overall, cybersecurity measures are a necessity moving forward in the Digital Age, and the rapid development of technology, along with the consequences of cybersecurity attacks further necessitate these measures.
UN Involvement In order to combat the issues of cyber security that are affecting countries, the United Nations aims for international peace and stability. To highlight the importance of tackling cyber security, the High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) agreed to establish the UN Group on Cybercrime and Cybersecurity; it was created to address program policies and encourage collaboration. On top of this, the UN adopted resolution 64/211, titled “Creation of a global culture of cybersecurity and taking stock of national efforts to protect critical information infrastructures”, to further UN efforts concerning cyber security. In order to measure the impact of this issue on an international scale, the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) launched the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI); it is a multi-stakeholder initiative which aims to increase awareness about the issue of cyber security and measure the status of cybersecurity internationally by analyzing each country in five different categories. When it was created, It’s short term goal was to close security gaps that were affecting countries, especially in developing states, while its long term focused on the implementation of cybersecurity on a global scale. According to the United Nations telecommunications agency, approximately half of all countries have a strategy for cybersecurity or are in the process of establishing one. Due to the lack of necessary measures taken by countries in cybersecurity, the UN urges more states to consider creating or improving national policies,plans, or strategies to better protect them and their people against cybercrime. The UN has created four main categories for the improvement of international cybersecurity which can be integrated into national policy if deemed necessary: capacity building, international law, international cooperation, and transparency and confidence-building measures. With these categories, the UN hopes countries will take these approaches in enhancing cyber security to prevent data breaches, cyber attacks, preserve international relations, and prevent any form of cyber crime in general.
Country Blocs African Bloc: Africa is at risk of cyber attacks due to still developing economies. African Union is finding ways to support African states in their fight for cyber security (Africa Business Communities). Although Africa still lags behind others in terms of technology, they clearly have potential to do well in this area, even with limited resources.
Asia Bloc: Asian states have generally mixed ideas of cyber security. For example, China uses the Great Firewall in order to censor content which is seen by their citizens (Brookings). The best countries for cybersecurity in Asia plan their next moves and use financial motivation. (Brookings) The best countries also use monitoring, reporting, do research, and have designated domestic committees (Cyber Security Malaysia).
Latin America Bloc: The worst Cholera outbreak to occur in history happened in 2010 in Haiti; with over 8,000 people killed, it must be recognized that Cholera poses a high risk to the region. The infrastructural integrity in these nations is the main factor in their susceptibility to Cholera. Nations in Latin America and in the Caribbean face tremendous repercussions due to inadequate infrastructure. Improving sewage systems and promoting better sanitation is integral to preventing future outbreaks from occurring.
Western Bloc: The Western Bloc as a whole mostly believes in strong cybersecurity laws. Although some countries are more at risk for problems than others, strong policies that are in place seem to be effective (Wilson Center). Currently, the United States is banning certain Chinese apps and sites in fears of an invasion on privacy and data of US citizens (Next Big Future). Questions to Consider
What are the conditions, either economically or politically, that a country is facing that causes them to be vulnerable to cyber security?
Compare the risks developed and developing countries faced due to their lack of cybersecurity.
In what circumstances can a country establish strong cybersecurity laws, policies, and programmes?
To what extent should developed nations with access to technology be held accountable to cybersecurity threats?
Even with their limited number of resources, how did struggling, developing countries develop effective cybersecurity policies?
Sources
United Nations Launches Global Cybersecurity Index, www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Cybersecurity/Pages/United-Nations-Launches-Global-Cybersecurity-Index.aspx.
Egypt Ranked Ninth at Global Cybersecurity Index, www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Cybersecurity/Pages/Egypt-Ranked-Ninth-at-Global-Cybersecurity-Index.aspx.
Stuxnet Worm Attack on Iranian Nuclear Facilities, large.stanford.edu/courses/2015/ph241/holloway1/.
“Action on Cybercrime and Cyber Security.” Action on Cybercrime and Cyber Security | United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, 3 May 2013, www.unsystem.org/content/action-cybercrime-and-cyber-security.
Africa Business Communities. “US, Ghana Explore Cyber Security Partnership.” Africa Business Communities, africabusinesscommunities.com/tech/tech-news/us-ghana-explore-cyber-security-partnership/.
“Arms Control Today.” The UN Takes a Big Step Forward on Cybersecurity | Arms Control Association, www.armscontrol.org/act/2013-09/un-takes-big-step-forward-cybersecurity.
Egusa, Conrad. “Council Post: Five Measures Latin America Must Take To Get Up To Snuff On Cybersecurity.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 31 July 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/07/31/five-measures-latin-america-must-take-to-get-up-to-snuff-on-cybersecurity/.
“The Home of Language Data.” Oxford Languages, languages.oup.com/.
“OHCHR and Privacy in the Digital Age.” OHCHR, www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/DigitalAge/Pages/DigitalAgeIndex.aspx.
Org, UMSA, et al. “About.” UMSA, 28 Feb. 2017, umsa-security.org/cybersecurity-a-timeline/.
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/.
“What Is Cybersecurity?” Cisco, Cisco, 17 Nov. 2020, www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/what-is-cybersecurity.html.
“Cybersecurity – United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/tag/cybersecurity/.