On 20 July 2026, the European Union called for transparent and inclusive stakeholder participation during the first substantive session of the UN Global Mechanism on developments in the field of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in the context of international security. Delivering a statement on behalf of the EU and its member states, the EU delegation expressed strong regret that 43 out of 70 stakeholder entities that applied for accreditation were objected to, including the EU Institute for Security Studies, and urged the Chair and co-facilitators to bring relevant stakeholders into discussions to support states in understanding the cyber threat landscape and implementing the UN framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
The EU statement welcomed the progress made in operationalizing the Global Mechanism and the timely appointment of co-facilitators for the two Discussion and Transparency Groups (DTGs). The EU endorsed the Chair's paper on the work of the DTGs, which sets out a clear way forward for them to become an effective tool for practical implementation of the UN framework. The EU emphasised that the agendas of the Plenary, DTGs, and Global Roundtable on cyber capacity building are complementary, with this week's discussions guiding the DTGs' December meetings, and next year's Plenary session in 2027 drawing actionable recommendations from those discussions.
The EU encouraged the development of Programmes of Work for the DTGs aligned with guidance received this week, and the preparation of guiding questions to allow states to prepare contributions. The EU proposed that DTG discussions be focused and topic-based, drawing on expert briefings followed by state interventions, and that topics for both DTGs be synchronised for coherent discussions. The EU supported hybrid participation to enable smaller delegations to engage meaningfully, and suggested that DTG co-facilitators update the Plenary through verbal transmittals, with written outcomes transmitted only when agreed by states in the spirit of consensus.
On stakeholder participation, the EU criticised the accreditation process as lacking transparency, predictability, and consistency with the OEWG report consensus, which committed states to engage with stakeholders systematically and substantively and to use the non-objection mechanism judiciously. The EU noted that many objected entities have significant relevance and would add value to the Global Mechanism's objectives. The EU reaffirmed its readiness to contribute through sharing best practices, funding capacity building projects, and hosting simulation exercises to ensure the Mechanism delivers tangible results for global cybersecurity.