Cybersecurity, Digital Trade, and Development: Understanding the policy landscape

Background

Cybersecurity threats are rising rapidly in both frequency and impact. In 2025 alone, global losses due to cyberattacks are estimated to exceed USD 10.5 trillion. Developing countries are increasingly affected by this trend: from 2014 to 2023, cyber incidents in these countries grew at an average annual rate of 21%, ultimately accounting for 30% of all reported incidents globally.

Beyond the economic cost, cyber threats pose significant risks to national security, political stability, and social systems. In response, governments worldwide are expanding their cybersecurity-related legal and regulatory frameworks. Common measures include data localization requirements, restrictions on cross-border data flows, and controls on the import and export of digital goods and services.

While these policies aim to safeguard national interests, they can also create barriers to digital trade and risk deepening global digital divides. This raises important questions about how cybersecurity measures can be designed and governed in ways that protect societies while supporting inclusive and sustainable digital development.

About the Event

This webinar examined the evolving relationship between cybersecurity, digital trade, and development. Participants gained insights into:

• the types of cybersecurity measures being adopted at the national level;
• how such measures affect digital trade, particularly cross-border data flows and market access;
• how these national policies are treated under international trade law, including WTO rules and provisions in emerging digital and plurilateral trade agreements.

The session also explored the specific challenges developing countries face in crafting effective and inclusive cybersecurity frameworks. Discussions considered how trade agreements might offer pathways toward more cooperative, development-oriented approaches to global cybersecurity governance.

Panel

Moderator:

• Alice Tipping, Director, Trade and Sustainable Development, IISD

Presenter:

• Neha Mishra, Assistant Professor, Geneva Graduate Institute

Discussants:

• Cecilia Risolo, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Argentina to the WTO
• Laura Cyron, Economic Affairs Officer, UNCTAD

This webinar is hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). It is part of a broader series of technical sessions aimed at enhancing understanding of the digital trade policy landscape, particularly among policy-makers in developing countries.