Washington DC, USA, February 3rd 2011

Click here for the Reports.

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

This workshop brought together representatives from ACT, the Atlantic Council of the United States, and leading experts from Brazil, Russia, India, and China to discuss NATO’s potential roles in assuring access to the global commons. With the understanding that the complexity of the four domains and their inter-connections cannot be addressed solely within a national or even regional context, these experts were encouraged to bring to the table their countries’ perspectives on the issues. The question of how NATO, as a military-political alliance, can enhance its legitimacy and fit into larger international efforts to improve stability and access in the global commons was a key theme of the meeting.

PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS

• The free transit of information, people, and goods through the four domains of the commons is, and will remain, a vital aspect of national security and prosperity.
• Freedom of access and/or transit will be threatened or thwarted by human action(s).
• Without recognized guarantees of security, the freedom of access critical for the national and economic security of nations will be at risk.
• In many case, particularly in space and cyberspace, international best practices and laws are currently either insufficient or ineffective.

Should nations that use the Global Commons:

• Advocate for the adoption of international codes of conduct regarding appropriate (best) behaviours in the commons?
• Advocate for the use of UNCLOS and/or the EU Space Agency Code of Conduct as a framework for international agreements on the use of space and cyberspace?
• Support efforts to establish international rules, standards, and policies that will protect and secure the health of the global commons?
• Help increase global awareness of the need for such policies, especially for space and cyberspace?
• Have an individual right to protect their access to the global commons?

WORKSHOP INFORMATION

Attendees list can be found here.

An overview is provided here.

Project Director: Mr. Dick Bedford, Tel. +1 (757) 747-3382