College of Europe students discuss cybersecurity, digital challenges for Europe at Geneva Internet Platform

Discussing diplomacy and cyber politics in Geneva is just like studying fashion in Paris or music in Vienna: being where things happen, you simply step outside and are immersed in the policy dynamics. This is what 77 students from the College of Europe from 39 countries experienced recently during their visit to the Geneva Internet Platform.

Together with some of their professors, they attended a half-day seminar on ‘Cybersecurity and digital challenges for Europe’ on 3 March, in the presence of representatives of permanent missions in Geneva and the representatives of the Canton of Geneva. Their time at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was bright and sunny. They enjoyed a lunchtime reception and a tour of the Geneva Digital Landscape 360° on the WMO terrace, allowing them to identify the location of the main digital politics organisations in the city. 

The seminar covered the current policy outlook and relevant processes driven by Geneva-based institutions. Presentations were made by representatives of the International Telecommunication Union, the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations.

Topics discussed included a decade of the World Summit on Information Society, as well as cyber threats and cybersecurity responses, including a presentation on the Dark Net, delivered by Dr Jovan Kurbalija. Privacy and data protection, as well as multistakeholder approaches to cybersecurity strategies, were also in focus during the interactive sessions.

The event was supported by the Republic and Canton of Geneva, represented at the event by Mr Olivier Coutau, himself an alumnus of the College of Europe.

View the photo gallery for the event.

The Geneva Internet Platform is an initiative of the Swiss authorities operated by DiploFoundation.