Joint Statement on the 2023 U.S.-Swiss Cyber and Digital Dialogue

The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and Switzerland on the occasion of the 2023 U.S.-Swiss Cyber and Digital Dialogue.

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The United States and Switzerland held the second U.S.-Swiss Cyber and Digital Dialogue in Washington, DC on June 7, 2023.  The United States and Switzerland reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing a peaceful, secure, and stable cyberspace through efforts to promote a free, open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet.

U.S. and Swiss officials covered a wide range of issues, including a review of respective national polices and strategies. Officials discussed avenues for increasing collaboration on cybersecurity and cyber defense with emphasis on expanding cooperation to combat ransomware. On cyber diplomacy and deterrence, U.S. and Swiss sides worked to align objectives for ongoing UN processes including the Open-Ended Working Group and Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime.

The United States outlined its advocacy for secure digital infrastructure supported by trustworthy suppliers and shared concerns surrounding digital regulation trends in Europe. U.S. and Swiss experts exchanged digital and Internet-related policy initiatives, including Switzerland’s ongoing efforts as a host state to provide a secure digital environment for International Organizations located within its borders. The United States offered priorities in its role as 2023 chair of the Freedom Online Coalition and the two sides discussed the principles set out in the Declaration for the Future of the Internet and ongoing efforts to support inclusive and multi-stakeholder internet governance.

The dialogue was chaired by Liesyl Franz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cyberspace Security, and Ambassador Benedikt Weschler, Head of the Digitalization Division at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.  The United States was also represented by the U.S. Department of State (Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy; Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs; and the U.S. Embassy in Bern) as well as by the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, and Justice, and the White House Office of the National Cyber Director. Switzerland was represented by the Federal Departments of Energy, Transportation, Environment and Communications; Defense, Civil Protection, and Sport; Finance; Foreign Affairs; and Federal Department of Justice and Police, as well as by the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States.

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