Women of FIRST

By Khushali Dalal
Wednesday, June 16, 2025
Originally published here.

Last week, I had the honor of leading a stimulating workshop at the Women and International Security in Cyberspace Fellowship at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

"Cyber Incident Simulation Through a Public Policy Lens: Can You Piece Together the Attack?

This wasn’t just another tabletop exercise. It invited participants to step into the roles of incident responders and policymakers, technical clues with geopolitical context to navigate a realistic cyber incident scenario.

The participants were cyber professionals from ministries, regulators, national CSIRTs, and research organizations — each bringing invaluable perspectives to the table. It was inspiring to see how quickly they collaborated, navigated ambiguity, and pushed for accountability.

This week, the momentum continues with a historic milestone at the UN: Member States have agreed to establish Permanent Global Mechanism on International Cybersecurity— the first global process to guide responsible state behavior, norms, and capacity-building in cyberspace.

Special thanks to FIRST for this opportunity, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), and Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) for making this platform possible and for championing diverse voices in global cyber diplomacy.

Final Agreement here.