UNIDIR, in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Switzerland and Singapore to the UN in Geneva, is organizing a side event to the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS).
As reliance on space-based services continues to grow, cyber and electromagnetic threats such as jamming, spoofing and malicious cyber operations are becoming a significant and pressing challenge for space security. These activities can disrupt space systems that underpin critical services, including navigation, communications, transportation and finance, often with cascading effects, while also creating difficulties in attribution and increasing the risk of misunderstanding and escalation.
To explore this issue further, this side event brings together leading technical and policy experts to foster a shared evidence-based understanding of the evolving threat landscape, examine the challenges of distinguishing legitimate activities from intentional interference, particularly where attribution is uncertain, and examine how these threats affect space systems and their users on Earth.
Discussions will also consider how international law, including international space law, applies to cyber operations targeting space systems, and identify areas where further clarification may be useful. In addition, they will explore lessons from ICT security discussions, including the UN framework for responsible State behaviour in cyberspace, and their potential relevance to space security discussions. The event also seeks to identify practical measures to build confidence, reduce the risk of miscalculation and support the work of the OEWG on PAROS alongside other relevant forums to protect the space services on which modern societies depend.
Agenda
13:15 – 13:25 | Opening remarks
- Representative of Singapore to the UN in Geneva
- Representative of Switzerland to the UN in Geneva
13:25 – 13:45 | Brief remarks by each panellist
13:45 – 14:10 | Moderated discussion among panellists
14:10 – 14:35 | Moderated interactive Q and A with participants
14:35 – 14:45 | Closing remarks by the moderator
Further details will be added in due course.
When and where
Tuesday, 24 November 2026 | 13:15 – 14:45 CET | In person (Room XVI, Building A, Palais des Nations, Geneva) and online
Check your local time here.
Participants
The event is open to all delegates of the OEWG on PAROS (in person) and to all interested parties (virtually).
RSVP
For online participation, please register here.
For in-person participation, please register here.
Further information
For any questions, please contact Jessie Lim at jessie.lim@un.org.
A light lunch will be served prior to the event.
In partnership with
