Global Mechanism on ICTs in the Context of International Security, first plenary session – 20-24 July 2026
Australian Statement on Norms, Rules and Standards
Statement delivered by Ms Nithya Evers, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
21 July 2026
Thank you Madam Chair.
Australia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Kingdom of Tonga on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum members and strongly supports its emphasis on the practical implementation of the 11 agreed voluntary, non-binding norms.
These norms are a fundamental pillar of the framework for responsible State behaviour in cyberspace. But their value depends on whether they are understood, operationalised and implemented by all States.
Implementation remains an ongoing task for us all. States are progressing at different rates in identifying and protecting critical infrastructure, enhancing incident response capabilities, fostering whole-of-government approaches, and building the technical and policy foundations necessary to implement the norms effectively, while continuing to review and update implementation mechanisms.
The Global Mechanism should remain focused on helping States implement the norms that have already been agreed.
This means supporting practical, action-oriented work that helps States move from endorsement to implementation, and from implementation in principle to implementation in practice.
The Global Mechanism should support States to assess where they are in implementing the norms, and where gaps or barriers remain. These barriers may be technical, institutional, financial, resourcing-related or linked to awareness and coordination across government. A clearer understanding of these challenges will help ensure that capacity-building is targeted, practical and effective.
To that end, Australia also considers the voluntary norms implementation checklist to be a valuable mechanism for supporting general implementation efforts. It can help States self-assess progress, share experiences and best practices, and identify where further support is needed. In addition to exploring the contribution of specific voluntary norms to the protection of critical infrastructure and critical information infrastructure, the Dedicated Thematic Groups are well positioned to advance the work already commenced on the implementation checklist and further develop it as a practical tool for States. We encourage the Mechanism to continue this work and ensure that implementation gaps identified by States are linked to effective capacity-building support.
Here again, we wish to highlight the role of multistakeholders. Effective implementation depends on collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders. Regional organisations, the private sector, technical experts, academia and civil society bring specialised knowledge and on-the-ground experience that can help States operationalise the norms and apply them in real-world contexts.
Chair, Australia wants the Global Mechanism to be a place where the norms are made operational. Its work should strengthen implementation, support capacity-building, enable peer exchange, and help all States apply the agreed framework in their national contexts.
Thank you.