SOCHI, April 16. /TASS/. Russia suggests that the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on security and in the use of information and communication technologies become a permanent fixture, a high-ranking Russian foreign ministry official said.

"Russia continues to lead the charge in the global discussion about international information security within the United Nations. The Open-Ended Working Group, which was set up on our initiative, is now the central negotiating venue," Sergey Ryabokon, chief adviser at the ministry’s international information security department, said at the Infoforum Sochi 2024.

"We believe that the working group’s mechanism satisfies the majority of UN nations, including non-aligned countries, and it should stay in place in this or that format after 2025," he said. "During this session, jointly with those who share our position, we advance a proposal to set up a standing OEWG that will be mandated to make decisions in the area of international information security."

According to Ryabokon, this format "makes it possible for all countries to take part in the decision-making process on issues related to their national security." "Over the period of its activity, the group has proved effective. Last year, it agreed the first universal trust-building measure in the area of international information security, namely, a Russia-proposed register of contact centers for exchanging information about cyberattacks," he went on to say. "This mechanism will help relevant agencies worldwide cooperate in the event of incidents in cyberspace."

The Infofofum, an annual national information security forum, is running in Sochi from April 15 through 18 for the eleventh time. Its central topic is a potential program for the development of digital security technologies until 2030.