UNITED NATIONS — CyberPeace founder and Global President Vineet Kumar has called on world leaders to urgently strengthen cyber resilience as artificial intelligence accelerates the scale and sophistication of online threats, particularly against the most vulnerable users.
Addressing the WSIS+20 High-Level Plenary of the United Nations General Assembly, Kumar framed cyber stability as a prerequisite for sustainable development and inclusive digital growth. The session brought together representatives from over 80 UN member states, UN bodies and global stakeholders to assess two decades of progress toward a people-centred information society.
The General Assembly adopted the WSIS+20 outcome document by consensus on December 17, 2025, reaffirming the central role of digital technologies in governance, development and social well-being, while warning of rising cyber risks linked to emerging technologies.
Kumar told delegates that rapid digitalization has fueled attacks on hospitals, schools, critical infrastructure, and small businesses. He cited growing threats including ransomware, child sexual abuse material, AI-generated misinformation and deepfakes, DNS abuse, cyber-enabled trafficking and organised scam networks.
“These harms are no longer isolated security incidents,” Kumar said, warning they disrupt essential services, undermine education and erode public trust, particularly in communities with limited capacity to respond.
Calling for multistakeholder, rights-based internet governance, Kumar praised the WSIS process and the Internet Governance Forum, urging governments, civil society, industry, academia and the technical community to remain fully engaged. He outlined priorities including global capacity building, stronger protections for children and senior citizens, embedding human rights in internet governance, and inclusive participation beyond institutions.
CyberPeace is also advocating a global network of community-based “cyber ambassadors” to serve as first responders, promote digital literacy and support victims of cyber harm.
Kumar’s address marked a moment of pride for Jharkhand and India, highlighting the journey of a Ranchi-born cybersecurity advocate whose organisation now works globally to advance cyber literacy, online safety and digital trust. CyberPeace reaffirmed its commitment to building a peaceful, resilient and humane cyberspace aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
