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Building Consensus Amid Growing Rivalry: Taking Stock of UN Cyberspace Governance

Despite growing fragmentation and mounting challenges to multilateralism, states still agree on the need for a global governance framework for cyberspace – an inherently transnational domain. Two UN initiatives have been working on drafting and implementing such frameworks: (1) the UN Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies and (2) the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), established via the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Although both mandates were initially set to conclude in 2025, recent discussions on their renewal and broader way forward have shown an emerging consensus on the need to strengthen these fora and grant them a more stable place within the UN system. However, deeply divergent national interests and approaches may hinder meaningful progress, preventing coherent and actionable outcomes. This policy brief offers recommendations to strengthen the two instruments to ensure a robust, effective, and democratic global cyber governance.