About the conference
This conference will explore the contemporary relevance of the law of neutrality in cyberspace and its interaction with broader frameworks of international law and international humanitarian law. As cyber operations increasingly accompany armed conflicts, the application of traditional neutrality rules raises complex legal questions concerning the rights and obligations of neutral and belligerent states, as well as the scope of permissible conduct in the cyberspace.
The event will address the role of third states acting through cyber means, the legality of different forms of conduct, and the availability of countermeasures. Speakers will also consider the challenges neutrality faces in a highly privatised and transnational digital environment, including the growing reliance on civilian infrastructure and private actors. Further discussions will explore due diligence obligations in the development and use of cyber capabilities and artificial intelligence, as well as the measures neutral States may be required to adopt to prevent misuse of their territory or digital services. Additionally, the discussion will focus on the evolving debate around attribution of cyber operations, particularly in light of advanced AI technologies, and provide a comparative overview of national approaches to interpreting neutrality in cyberspace.
By examining the law of neutrality within the broader context of international humanitarian law and contemporary state practice, the event aims to foster rigorous academic debate on how established legal principles can be applied and potentially adapted to the realities of modern armed conflicts, which are often accompanied by cyber operations.
Speakers:
- Marco Roscini, Professor of International Law at the University of Westminster, Senior Fellow at NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE)
- François Delerue, Assistant Professor of Public Law at the IE University
- Anne-Marie Buzatu, Executive Director, ICT4Peace Foundation
- Antonio Coco, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Essex
- Isabella Brunner, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University
- Andraz Kastelic, Senior Researcher at UNIDIR’s Security and Technology Programme
Moderator
- Daryna Abbakumova, SNSF Swiss Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding/International Law Department, Visiting Professor at the International Law Department, Geneva Graduate Institute.
This event is organised with the generous support of the Swiss National Science Foundation and is part of the SNSF project “Cyber Operations, International Humanitarian Law, and Issues of Neutrality” (grant No. 216961).
