Regional Consultation of Asia-Pacific states

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) jointly organized – on 29 and 30 November 2022 – a regional consultation of states in the Asia-Pacific region on international humanitarian law (IHL) and cyber operations during armed conflicts. The aim of the event was to facilitate a dialogue between states in the region, with a view to fostering the exchange of views and developing a common understanding of how and when IHL applied to the use of information and communication technologies during armed conflicts. This report provides an account of the exchanges among experts that took place during the consultation. The discussion addressed the questions of when and how IHL applied to cyber operations during armed conflict, including certain key IHL notions that needed to be clarified in the cyber context. It also highlighted suggestions for the way forward, including through developing national positions on international law in cyberspace.