UNIDIR, United Nations

The Challenge    

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) wanted to develop a digital information resource to support international policy makers working in the area of cyber stability.

Cyber stability is a complex policy area addressing threats posed to state-level infrastructure and operations from the nefarious infiltration of digital networks by other state or non-state actors. The potential of these threats to destabilize international peace and security has made cyber stability a priority area in regional and multilateral policy agendas.

Working in any policy area requires being informed about a unique combination of complex political, legal and diplomatic issues. This has proven particularly challenging for policy makers working in the area of cyber stability, where keeping pace with emerging and rapidly evolving contexts, technologies and security threats is essential, and where past experience offers little precedent.

What We Did  

We began with research and consultation with UN stakeholders to establish an understanding of the key political, diplomatic and technical issues underpinning cyber stability policy. This was followed by depth interviews with international policy makers and the cyber experts with whom they consult, to explore the needs and challenges surrounding cyber stability policy making.

Our research revealed that policy makers needed more than just data to navigate this uncharted policy area, they needed better ways to make the connections necessary for decision-making.

Result

Based on our findings, we shifted the project focus from developing a digital information resource to creating a digital policy making tool that establishes a cyber stability discourse and supports the activities of policy design. Working with the research insights, we developed and delivered a comprehensive content and usability prototype for the digital tool which has since been implemented and launched.