‘De-escalation in cyberspace: mediation and preventive diplomacy’ – OSCE conference in Zug

How can we prevent cyber incidents from escalating into international crises or exacerbating existing tensions? This question will be the focus of the international conference on ‘De-escalation in cyberspace: mediation and preventive diplomacy’ which Switzerland is organising in Zug on 29 and 30 September. It is the final thematic conference to be held under the 2026 Swiss Chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), ahead of the annual meeting of the Ministerial Council in Lugano on 3 and 4 December 2026. Federal Councillor Martin Pfister, head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, will open the conference, while a speech by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE and head of the FDFA, will close it.