UNIDIR, together with the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations (UN), will convene a roundtable on subsea cables as critical infrastructure, on the margins of the UN General Assembly’s First Committee.
In recent years, government attention to the security and resilience of subsea telecommunications cables has undoubtedly intensified. While these systems are largely owned and operated by private companies, a growing number of States now qualify or designate subsea cables as critical – if not strategic – infrastructure. Their security and resilience are vital to economic and societal well-being, national security and much else. Recognizing this, UNIDIR launched a research project on the topic, resulting in an in-depth report titled Achieving Depth: Subsea Cables as Critical Infrastructure.
The roundtable will bring together a host of stakeholders to present the recent UNIDIR report and discuss its findings and recommendations. Structured in a roundtable format, speakers will discuss:
- Physical and cyber threats to subsea cable infrastructure and other vulnerabilities identified in the report.
- Best practices for mitigation and protection of the systems identified, and proposed security and resilience framework.
- Pathways for addressing the report’s other recommendations.
When and where
Thursday, 16 October 2025, 13:15 – 14:30 EDT, UN, New York (Room CR9), and online.
Participants
We welcome delegations, cyber experts as well as members of the multistakeholder community including industry, civil society and intergovernmental organizations.
Kindly note that UNIDIR is not able to grant access to the UN Headquarters for those who are not already in possession of the UN accreditation.
RSVP
Please register by Wednesday, 15 October 2025. Kindly specify if you will be attending in person or connecting remotely. Early registrations are encouraged. For those joining online, the link to follow the event via UNTV will be provided by email to registered participants one day prior to the session.
Further information
For further information or questions, please contact sectec-unidir@un.org.