Switzerland hosted the event, which was organised by the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), which it joined in 2015 as a founding member. Over 700 people attended, including representatives from a range of governments worldwide, international and regional organisations, the private sector, NGOs, research institutes, and cybersecurity experts. State Secretary Alexandre Fasel attended a high-level segment focusing on cyber capacity building in countries of the Global South and, in particular, Africa, which was organised by the African Union Development Agency and the World Economic Forum (WEF) and held at the WEF headquarters.

Geneva is home to a proactive and diverse digital community and to a number of leading international organisations which are working to build cyber resilience at technical, operational and diplomatic level. The digital community also covers a wide range of areas, including climate security, health and business, to name but a few. The conference, which was held in Geneva, brought together all this knowledge and expertise for the benefit of the international digital community and, in particular, the cybersecurity community for the first time.

GC3B promotes an inclusive approach, providing a unique platform to showcase expertise, leverage synergies, and strengthen Geneva's dynamic digital ecosystem and the contributions it makes to global cyber resilience.

This conference follows on from the inaugural conference held in Accra in November 2023. GC3B 2023 produced an outcome document, entitled the ‘Accra Call’, which defined a set of voluntary and practical measures to strengthen cyber resilience and promote cyber capacity building, while effectively meeting the needs and priorities of developing countries. GC3B 2025 in Geneva assessed progress on implementing the ‘Accra Call’ and its strategic direction.

This year, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) also launched Geneva Cyber Week, to run concurrently with GC3B. The Geneva Cyber Week being piloted will become an annual event to promote global cooperation on cybersecurity. Geneva Cyber Week, taking place from 12 to 16 May, brings together key stakeholders from the cybersecurity, diplomacy, international development cooperation and technology sectors to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by new digital technologies.

The annual Geneva Cyber Week will also leverage the city's unique position as a multilateral diplomacy, international cooperation, digital governance and cybersecurity hub to facilitate in-depth discussion on pressing cyberspace matters and how to manage the potential risks associated with the latest digital technologies.

The new technologies, which are impacting all sectors of society, politics and the economy, can greatly enhance the effectiveness, productivity and transparency of interventions and make it easier to achieve the SDGs under the 2030 Agenda. By intentionally implementing digital technology as part of its international cooperation work, Switzerland enables partner countries to accelerate the pace of development and provide more services to citizens. Digital technology also forms part of Switzerland's International Cooperation Strategy 2025–28.

GC3B
Geneva Cyber Week

Address for enquiries:

FDFA Communication Bundeshaus West 3003 Bern +41 58 460 55 55 kommunikation@eda.admin.ch