The London Process is a series of multistakeholder meetings held biennially since 2011 under the name Global Conference on Cyberspace or GCCS. In each GCCS meeting,
governments, the
private sector and
civil society gather to discuss and promote practical cooperation in
cyberspace
Cyberspace is a concept describing a widespread interconnected digital technology. "The expression dates back from the first decade of the diffusion of the internet. It refers to the online world as a world 'apart', as distinct from everyday rea ...
, to enhance cyber
capacity building, and to discuss
norms for responsible behavior in cyberspace.
The London Process was proposed by
British Foreign Secretary
The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...
William Hague at the 2011
Munich Security Conference.
History
First conference
The first GCCS conference was held in
London on November 23rd-24th 2011, under the auspices of the
British Foreign Office
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* Unit ...
. The location of the first meeting inspired the name "London Process" for the series of meetings which followed. At this first meeting a set of principles “for governing behavior in cyberspace” were established through discussion amongst the 700 participants.
Second conference
The second GCCS conference was held on October 4-5th, 2012 in
Budapest. The main subject and focus that has been discussed was the relationship between internet rights and internet security. Even though very few civil society organisations were invited to speak, the networking was valuable, and had more longer term impact than the Chair’s statement which represents the outcome of the event.
Third conference
The third event held on 17–18 October 2013 in
Seoul. The conference had grown to approximately 1,600 attendees with greater representation from countries in the
global south
The concept of Global North and Global South (or North–South divide in a global context) is used to describe a grouping of countries along socio-economic and political characteristics. The Global South is a term often used to identify region ...
. The principle outcome of the third GCCS was the ''Seoul Framework for and Commitment to Open and Secure Cyberspace'', which highlights the importance of universal Internet access, emphasizes that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, and reinforces a
UN principle that international law is applicable online and is essential to maintaining peace and stability and promoting an open, secure, peaceful and accessible ICT environment.
Fourth conference
The fourth GCCS conference was held at the
World Forum from 16 to 17 April 2015 in
The Hague, under the auspices of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Fifth conference
The fifth GCCS conference held from 23 to 24 November 2017 in New Delhi, India, and had 3,500 participants.
Theme of GCCS 2017 is “Cyber4All: A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development”. However it could further be divided into following four sections:
Cyber4Growth – share ideas and insights to foster growth and development with growing importance of the cyber space to individuals, small businesses, large companies etc.
Cyber4DigitalInclusion
–draw
road
map
for
inclusive
.
society by sharing best practices for digital identity, idea of
open and free Internet for all, digital technologies for
enabling differently abled etc.
Cyber4Security –framework for comprehensive cyber.
security protocols for organisations and nations.
Cyber4Diplomacy –explore various facets of cyber security
.
such
as
interstate
cooperation
for
preventing
Cyber
Warfare and Cyber Diplomacy for Global Order.
References
[ {{cite web, url=https://www.apc.org/en/news/what-global-conference-cyberspace-faqs-gccs-hague, title="What is the Global Conference on Cyberspace?" FAQs on the GCCS, The Hague, 16-17 April 2015, accessdate=June 28, 2015]
Web-related conferences
2011 establishments