Global Cyber Law Capacity Building Effort Supported by Exeter Law School

Mike Schmitt, Professor of Public International Law, has been busy training government officials around the world on international cyber law. In May, Professor Schmitt co-directed week-long courses in Colombia for officials from throughout the Americas, Thailand for those in Southeast Asia, and Germany in a global seminar. Earlier in the year he was in Geneva working with Swiss officials. Topics in the course range from human rights in cyber space and the law of cyber diplomacy to the legal attribution of cyber attacks and the use of force in cyberspace. 

The programme, which has been on-going for a number of years, is designed to prepare officials for participation in the UN Group of Government Experts on Information and Communications Technology and the UN Open Ended Working Group, both of which are working to identify how international law applies in cyberspace and develop norms of responsible cyber behaviour. The programme also supports national activities, such as the development of cyber strategies and rules of engagement. Multinational capacity building courses have been sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Singapore Cyber Security Agency, Organization of American States, and US Department of State. To date, many hundreds of officials active in the field of cyber affairs have been trained globally. In July, Professor Schmitt heads out again to conduct training for officials of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the government of Indonesia.

Starting this year, participants in the programme are eligible for Executive Education certification by the University of Exeter.  Graduates of the course in Colombia for member States of the Organization of American States were the first to receive this recognition.