Podcast 🎧 & blog: The UN Global Mechanism and the next phase of cyber diplomacy

In this podcast episode, recorded during the Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School, Dr Patryk Pawlak sat down with Ambassador Egriselda López of El Salvador, Chair of the UN Global Mechanism, to discuss what comes next for cyber diplomacy at the United Nations. Their conversation opened a window into the realities of multilateral negotiations, the role of small states, the importance of implementation, and the need to keep cyber diplomacy connected to everyday life. 

Because cyber diplomacy is not only about what happens in conference rooms, it is about the digital systems people rely on every day. When those systems are disrupted by criminal groups or hostile state activity, the consequences are not abstract. They affect people, economies, and trust in the state. 

As Dr Pawlak noted at the beginning of the conversation, cyber diplomats often work quietly to reduce the risk of such disruptions. They help build rules, trust and mechanisms for cooperation so that the systems societies depend on are less likely to be turned off, misused or attacked in a crisis. 

From agreement to implementation 

For Ambassador López, the creation of the UN Global Mechanism marks a new phase in international cyber diplomacy. 

Previous UN processes on responsible state behavior in cyberspace were time-bound. They helped states agree on a framework and created a shared understanding of how international security applies in the digital domain. But the Global Mechanism is different. It is intended to provide a permanent platform where UN Member States can continue this work and focus more clearly on implementation. 

“Now it is time for implementation,” Ambassador López said. After years of discussion, states have already agreed on the importance of responsible behaviour in cyberspace. The challenge now is to translate that framework into practice. 

This also responds to one of the recurring criticisms of multilateral diplomacy: that states talk too much and act too slowly. According to Ambassador López, the Global Mechanism should not become another space for repeating national statements. It should be action-oriented, practical and useful for states with very different levels of cyber maturity. 

A mechanism that must keep working 

The Global Mechanism will hold its plenary in New York in July 2026. But Ambassador López stressed that the work cannot be limited to a few formal moments in the UN calendar. If the mechanism is to be meaningful, conversations must continue between sessions. 

This is especially important because many of the cyber challenges facing states are not time-bound. Ransomware, attacks against critical infrastructure, malicious use of emerging technologies, cybercrime, and the protection of digital public services will remain long-term issues. The Global Mechanism gives states a place to return to these questions regularly, update their understanding and strengthen cooperation. 

At the same time, Ambassador López was clear that the new mechanism should not start from zero. The UN cyber process has been built over decades. Regional organisations, national governments, technical communities, researchers, and civil society actors have already developed experience, tools, and good practices. The task now is to connect these efforts better. 

The Global Mechanism can therefore become a place where regional and global conversations meet. It can help bring practical experience from different regions into the UN process and give states a better sense of what actually works in practice. 

Capacity building as ownership 

A central theme in the conversation was capacity building. For Ambassador López, capacity building is not only a form of assistance. It is an enabler of ownership. 

States cannot participate equally in cyber diplomacy if they do not have the knowledge, institutional capacity or technical understanding needed to follow and shape the debate. Capacity building helps governments engage on a more equal footing. It supports implementation at the national level and allows more countries to contribute meaningfully to global discussions. 

This is particularly important for small states and countries still building their cyber institutions. The Global Mechanism gives them a permanent place in the conversation, but participation alone is not enough. They also need the tools, expertise and confidence to use that space. 

Ambassador López said that one of the things that gives her hope is seeing small states wanting to have a say. During the Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School, she met participants who wanted to understand cyber diplomacy better so they could return home and help their own countries engage more actively in the Global Mechanism and in regional cooperation. 

Consensus, trust and the role of the chair 

Like previous UN cyber processes, the Global Mechanism operates by consensus. This can make progress difficult, especially when states have different capabilities, threat perceptions and political priorities. 

Ambassador López sees her responsibility as chair in two ways. First, she must respect the mandate and the agreed modalities of the process in a faithful and impartial way. Second, she does not see the role of the chair as passive. 

She described herself as a facilitator who listens, but also as someone who wants to help the process move forward. Her aim is to bring states closer to common ground, even when the discussions are difficult. 

“I want to make everyone equally unhappy,” she said with a smile, describing the reality of consensus diplomacy. Her message to states was simple: meet me halfway. 

Giving stakeholders a voice 

The conversation also touched on one of the most debated questions in cyber diplomacy: the role of non-governmental stakeholders. 

Cyber diplomacy does not happen in a world of governments alone. The private sector owns and operates much of the digital infrastructure. Technical experts understand how systems work. Researchers, civil society organisations and think tanks bring evidence, analysis and independent perspectives. Yet access to formal UN processes has often been limited and politically sensitive. 

Ambassador López acknowledged that stakeholder participation remains challenging. Some organisations have faced objections from Member States and will not be able to participate in the formal space of the Global Mechanism. At the same time, she noted that the new modalities bring more transparency than before, as states objecting to stakeholder participation are now known and the chair has a mandate to consult them. 

While formal access may still be restricted, Ambassador López encouraged stakeholders not to become pessimistic. There are still many ways to contribute, including through side events, regional organisations, expert networks and informal engagement with Member States. 

A community learning together 

One of the most hopeful parts of the conversation was Ambassador López’s reflection on the cyber diplomacy community itself. 

Cyber diplomacy brings together diplomats, technical experts, regulators, researchers, private sector representatives and civil society actors. No one understands every part of the field alone. Diplomats need to learn more about technology. Technical experts need to understand how diplomacy works. Governments need input from those who build, operate and study digital systems. 

For Ambassador López, this interaction is what makes cyber diplomacy different from many other multilateral processes. It requires humility, curiosity, and a willingness to learn from people with very different expertise. 

Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School reflected exactly that spirit. Participants from around the world came together to discuss not only the rules and institutions of cyber diplomacy, but also the practical realities of implementing them at national, regional and global levels. 

The Global Mechanism will now need the same spirit. It must become more than a formal UN process. It should be a space where states and stakeholders can build trust, share experience and work towards a safer and more stable digital environment. 

As Ambassador López put it, this is still something new. The foundations are being built now. 

“Let’s create it together,” she said. 

Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School is financed by the European Commission under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and co-organised by the e-Governance Academy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, the European Commission, and the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV). 

The Summer School project promotes global cyber resilience capacity-building and aligns with the EU’s core values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. It supports the EU’s strategic commitment to inclusive multilateralism and a secure, open digital future.