Search
AI-powered search, human-powered content.
scroll to top arrow or icon

Can the UN bring peace to cyberspace?

Marietje Schaake, former member of EU Parliament and international policy director of the Cyber Policy Center at Stanford University, discusses the role of cyberspace and the urgency to protect it in UNGA In 60 Seconds.

Protecting people in cyberspace is of vital importance for the United Nations. Secretary General Guterres has said that cyber is shaping history, but that we also risk that it's slipping away from us. What does that mean, exactly?

Well if you ask me, technology has shaped history. But more than anything, it's shaping the future. And I see a unique and urgent role for the United Nations in making sure that the public interest is defended. Anything from governing for public health, for public safety, and of course, for peace in cyberspace.

Now the question is, how has the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated some of these questions?


And I think the world over, people are much more aware of how much we rely on a well-functioning internet, and on connectivity to work, to go to school, to access culture, and to really understand what is happening with the pandemic and in politics or entertainment.

So, questions of who decides the rules of the road, who governs these information flows, and how do we retain trust in the digital world have only become more urgent. So, I hope that during the UN General Assembly and the UN week, there will be a lot of attention on cyberspace, the public interest, peace, and trust.

More from Global Stage

Can we use AI to secure the world's digital future?

How do we ensure AI is safe, available to everyone, and enhancing productivity? It’s a big topic at this year’s UN General Assembly. That’s why GZERO’s Global Stage livestream brought together leading experts at the heart of the action for “Live from the United Nations: Securing our Digital Future,” an event produced in partnership between the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, or CRAF’d, and GZERO Media’s Global Stage series, sponsored by Microsoft.

Is the Europe-US rift leaving us all vulnerable?

As the tense and politically charged 2025 Munich Security Conference draws to a close, GZERO’s Global Stage series presents a conversation about strained relationships between the US and Europe, Ukraine's path ahead, and rising threats in cyberspace.

Why neither the US nor China is the world’s strongest country

What is the strongest country in the world? Parag Khanna, bestselling author and CEO of the data analytics company AlphaGeo, argues that the answer isn’t as obvious as the United States or China.

The convergence of geopolitics and cyberspace

“Those same geopolitical tensions that we see in physical space certainly are playing out in digital space as well,” says Anne Neuberger, former US Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies.

The rise of global impunity in a G-Zero world

“If the G-Zero world is winning, one of the things that's also winning is impunity,” says Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media. Speaking at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, Bremmer highlights the rise of global impunity and the challenges of deterrence in today’s volatile geopolitical climate.

Is free speech under attack in Europe? Roberta Metsola weighs in

“There is a sort of doubt about freedom of expression here or protection of free speech in Europe,” says Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament.