To this end, UNIDIR convened a two-day virtual workshop with partners from the University of Leicester and Yale-NUS College (Singapore). The workshop brought together members of the diplomatic community and experts in nuclear and cyber policy to jointly explore the cyber-nuclear nexus, identify areas of concern, and consider potential options to reduce risk. The discussion over the course of this two-day workshop is summarized in this report.

Citation: Rinko Kawamoto, Eleanor Krabill, and Harry Spencer (2022) “Nuclear Risk Reduction Workshop Series: The Cyber-Nuclear Nexus, Summary Report”, UNIDIR, Geneva, Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.37559/WMD/22/NRR/01. 

The post The Cyber-Nuclear Nexus Summary: Nuclear Risk Reduction Workshop Series first appeared on UNIDIR.

It traces trends both in the development of cyber capabilities and the digitalization of nuclear weapons systems that could drive more frequent interactions at the cyber–nuclear nexus. It considers how these interactions, direct and indirect, might impact on escalatory risk scenarios—drawing upon State doctrines, postures, and capabilities in the nuclear and cyber spheres. It then outlines a series of recommendations for States both to minimize cyber–nuclear interactions and to mitigate their effects when they do occur.

As part of UNIDIR’s ongoing research on nuclear risk reduction, this paper is intended to feed into the dialogue on taking forward risk reduction—and on the development of practical and feasible measures that can help to close pathways to use.

Citation: Wilfred Wan, Andraz Kastelic, and Eleanor Krabill (2021) “The Cyber-Nuclear Nexus: Interactions and Risks” NRR: Friction Points Series, Paper 2. UNIDIR, Geneva, https://doi.org/10.37559/WMD/21/NRR/03

The post The Cyber-Nuclear Nexus: Interactions and Risks first appeared on UNIDIR.

It presents findings on climate change and human-induced environmental degradation, including impacts such as displacement and association with armed groups. It also includes analysis of some of the different levels and types of impact that these climate trends have on women and ethnic groups.

This data may be useful to government, UN, and NGO partners working in Colombia to tackle climate change and environmental degradation, and to dismantle armed groups and bring about peace, including through implementation of the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian Government and the FARC-EP.

This publication can also be downloaded from the UNU-CPR website

Citation: Javier Cárdenas, Cristal Downing and Juanita Vélez (2021) “Climate-driven Recruitment and Other Conflict Dynamics in Colombia”, MEAC Findings Report 8, United Nations University, New York.

The post Climate-Driven Recruitment and Other Conflict Dynamics in Colombia (Findings Report 8) first appeared on UNIDIR.

This report focuses on public perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, armed group messaging about COVID-19, and the potential impact on public health preferences.

This data may be useful to government, UN, and NGO partners working in Colombia to support their peacebuilding and other relevant policies and programming in the context of COVID-19. It ends by exploring the implications of these findings to public health and peacebuilding policy and programming.

This publication can also be downloaded from the UNU-CPR website in English and Spanish. 

Citation: Javier Cárdenas, Cristal Downing, Kyle Johnson and Siobhan O’Niel (2021) “COVID-19, Armed Groups, and Public Health Perceptions in Colombia”, MEAC Findings Report 9, United Nations University, New York.

The post COVID-19, Armed Groups, and Public Health Perceptions in Colombia (Findings Report 9) first appeared on UNIDIR.

The report presents data around the pervasiveness of COVID-19 messaging by the government and armed groups, and how each are understood and received by the public. This data may be useful to UN and NGO partners working in the region to bolster the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic

This publication can be downloaded from the UNU-CPR website

Citation: Aliyu Zakayo and Siobhan O’Neil (2021) “Armed Group Messaging on COVID-19 in Nigeria”, FMEAC Findings Report 6, United Nations University, New York.

The post Armed Group Messaging on COVID-19 in Nigeria (Findings Report 6) first appeared on UNIDIR.

The report will be updated as more survey data is collected, not only from community leaders, but also from community members and even former associates of Boko Haram and other armed groups.

This report provides an overview of climate-conflict links in Nigeria, followed by emerging, related findings from the MEAC community leaders survey, and ends with the examination of a few key policy and programmatic implications of these findings.

This publication can be downloaded from the UNU-CPR website

Citation: Jessica Caus (2021) “Climate-Driven Recruitment into Armed Groups in Nigeria”, MEAC Findings Report 1, United Nations University, New York.

The post Climate-Driven Recruitment into Armed Groups in Nigeria (Findings Report 1) first appeared on UNIDIR.

The energy was electric. As a young Malawian stepping into COP30, I was swept into the rush: high-level delegates weaving between pavilions, back-to-back meetings, cameras flashing, conversations in dozens of languages. This was my first international conference of this calibre, the global stage where decisions shaping our present and future are being made. 

I carried the voices of young people from one of the many fragile and climate-vulnerable States, and yet the silence on climate-security issues was deafening. 

The missing link 

We expected the impacts of the climate crisis on peace and security to feature prominently on the agenda. The Pearce Sustainability Consulting Group warned that climate security remained “the missing link” in climate diplomacy.  And still, when the agenda dropped, that link was missing once again. 

There were glimmers of hope. In his opening speech, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva referenced conflict and military spending, signaling awareness of the climate, peace and security nexus. But those signals never translated into substance. Unlike COP28 – which produced a Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace – COP30 offered no Peace Day and no negotiation item on climate security. Even the celebrated Belém Declaration on Hunger and Poverty omitted any mention of displaced or conflict-affected populations. ODI Global criticized this gap, noting that fragility had been treated as context, not constituency despite clear evidence that conflict and hunger are deeply intertwined in climate-vulnerable regions. 

Youth refused the silence 

While older generations largely sidestepped the nexus, young people refused to. At the UN Climate Change Conference of Children and Youth (COY20), held in the run-up to COP, linkages between climate and conflict were brought to the table. Our collective output, the Global Youth Statement called for formal recognition of the interdependence between climate action, peace and security. For us, this is not just rhetorical; we are the ones who will live longest with the consequences of today’s inaction.  

We didn’t just analyse the problem – we offered practical solutions. The Global Centre for Climate Mobility organized a series of panel sessions to highlight climate mobility solutions from young people. Youth leaders from Uganda, Zimbabwe and Tonga offered adaptation initiatives such as capacity-building for internally displaced persons, disaster zones mapping initiatives and improving access to clean water and health care to support displaced communities. 

Then came the question that cut through the room: “How do we protect youth from being drawn into armed groups after climate-induced displacement?”, a Somali youth delegate asked. 

His question reminded me of the work carried out by UNIDIR’s Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project. Field research from the Lake Chad Basin region and Colombia shows how climate change impacts individuals’ economic livelihoods and communities’ social structures, driving people into armed groups in search of better opportunities. Integrating climate considerations into peace programming and strengthening conflict-sensitive climate change adaptation and mitigation is key to address these multidirectional dynamics.  

Side events bridged the gap 

Thankfully, COP corridors told a different story. Side events stepped in where formal negotiations fell short. At the UN Climate Security Mechanism’s session “Bridging the Gap: Making Climate Finance Work for the Underserved”, the core message was clear: Climate finance must shift from short-term crisis response to long-term, peace-positive resilience in fragile and conflict-affected States. Speakers from fragile contexts like Somalia stressed the need for accessible, simplified financing models that actually work for countries navigating both climate impacts and instability. 
 
Similarly, I joined a discussion at the International Organization of Migration’s pavilion on the security risks emerging from climate migration across Africa. High-level panellists from the African Union, Ghana, and academia described how climate disasters push people to move, strain already fragile institutions, and expose young people to recruitment pressures. 

These conversations echoed what research has long been highlighting: climatic stresses increase the risks of instability, heighten vulnerabilities, and widen protection gaps.  

Progress, gaps and what comes next 

While COP30 will be remembered for many things, climate security may likely not be one of them. Just as some parties expressed frustration over the lack of a fossil fuel phase-out roadmap in the final text, others – myself included – were disappointed by the silence surrounding the climate, peace and security nexus. 

Yes, there has been progress. Climate migration and climate-related security risks are no longer taboo topics. Youth, civil society, and research institutions continue to push the agenda forward. But side events are not enough. Climate security risks must move from the margins to the mainstream of negotiations. 

If future COPs continue to overlook this reality, they risk crafting climate solutions that fail the people most affected. For those of us living daily at the intersection of climate fragility and insecurity, this is not an academic debate – it’s survival. 

The next COP must do better. Climate security is not a side event. 
It is the main event. 

The post Climate security sidelined at COP30 first appeared on UNIDIR.

From 7 to 8 October, the conference provided a platform for 1,600 participants from governments, the private sector, academia and civil society to discuss issues such as mobilizing private investment and advancing economic, social and environmental goals. The HSC also facilitated more than 15 concrete agreements reached between diverse stakeholders.   

Peacebuilding key for sustainable development  

In collaboration with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), UNIDIR co-organized a Future Talk on how to secure the SDGs in conflict-affected communities. Following a keynote address by Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan as part of the high-level panel on Peacebuilding for Securing Sustainable Development, UNIDIR Director Dr Robin Geiss emphasized the detrimental role that weapons can play in achieving common development goals, saying:  

“Weapons cast a long shadow in conflict-affected societies, affecting also the potential for development gains. They obstruct access to education, enable control over illicit economies and often aid in committing conflict-related sexual violence.”  

Dr Geiss explained that in conflict-affected communities, ongoing insecurity often makes complete disarmament unfeasible. He highlighted the opportunity that more pragmatic community-led arms control approaches can offer as means at least of silencing the guns. 

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell shared insights on how security impacts children’s wellbeing and development, while UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner called for a reimagining of our approach to crisis, with a people-centred, human-security focus integrated into development.  

Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations H.E. Lejeune Mbella Mbella added vital national perspectives and experiences, including on the devastating effects that illicit small arms and light weapons have had in his country and across the wider region. The panel concluded with insightful contributions and questions from the audience and final reflections from panellists. 

Fostering multilateral cooperation 

The conference in Hamburg could not have been timelier. Just a few weeks prior in New York, UN Member States renewed their commitment to accelerating global collaboration towards achievement of the SDGs via the Pact for the Future. UNIDIR is contributing to the Pact for the Future by advancing international peace and security through research, advice and dialogue on disarmament, global security and tech-related threats. 

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With numerous non-military threats — alongside the very urgent military threats — and at a time when economies are still recovering from the effects of Covid-19 lockdowns and high inflation levels, it is fair to ask “‘are governments spending resources on what they declare as their main security priorities’?”? The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is working with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) on a new research initiative exploring how this could be done, with the aim of developing a toolkit to help civil society organizations (CSOs), journalists, parliamentarians, and other stakeholders to carry out this kind of assessment.

Increased transparency is necessary but only just the first step

The ABDM report recommends that states continue to submit information to the UN Report on Military Expenditures (MilEx), an international voluntary reporting instrument on national military spending. Such calls have been around since 1981, when this instrument was created. The reporting rate has remained low, averaging around 40 state submissions per year. For the year 2022, UNMilEx received 59 submissions. This remained lower than the peak of reporting contributions in 2001, when 81 states participated. Beyond the UNMilEx instrument, SIPRI’s Military Expenditure database provides official data for 169 states covering the period 1949–2022; the data for 2022 covers 155 states. This shows that data is available, and that there is actually a relatively high level of transparency in military-related matters at the national level in many countries. While transparency can and should improve, it is alone not sufficient to evaluate whether states spend adequately on improving security. The core consideration should be about how this information is used and by which entities.

Aligning public spending with security priorities: a new approach to military spending

The SIPRI-UNIDIR research initiative first identifies states’ national security priorities, based on national security strategies and similar documents. For some states, these priorities might include climate adaptation, or a range of other non-military issues alongside traditional hard or military-led security concerns. Germany’s 2023 national security strategy cites, after Russia, threats such as terrorism, extremism, organised crime, illegal financial flows, cyberattacks, risks for security of supply, and the climate crisis. The Philippines’ 2023-2028 national security policy lists seven categories of national security interests, including national sovereignty and territorial integrity, ecological balance and climate change resiliency, and national identity, harmony and culture of excellence.

In such instances, limiting the analysis to traditional military security overlooks the complete picture. Instead, traditional security should be integrated into the broader framework of the single security space. By combining national budget documents with national security priorities, credible assessments can be done on whether government expenditure is coherent with its own stated security priorities.

CSOs who have a specific mandate or focus on government transparency and accountability would be particularly well-placed to benefit from UNIDIR and SIPRI’s exploratory research and toolkits. Imali Yethu in South Africa, a coalition of CSOs actively working with the South African government towards transparent budgeting and accountable governance, is an example of such CSOs. Another is the International Budget Partnership (IBP), who works with local CSOs and communities towards responsible, effective, and equitable management of public resources. These organisations have the networks and platforms to turn raw budgetary data which includes military expenditure and public policy objectives into compelling narratives that can engage the public and policymakers alike.

A new pathway to promote oversight and accountability in broader security spending

To a large extent, military expenditure data is readily accessible, and freely available. Repeating calls for a reduction in military spending have had limited success over the decades, and now even sound tone-deaf in the current global security context. SIPRI and UNIDIR offer a response to the ABDM calls for a critical and innovative approach to the scrutiny of military spending.

The proposition involves equipping local CSOs, lawmakers and media with the right tools for understanding whether governments are spending what they say they should be spending to address their declared national security priorities. This should enable a broader range of stakeholders around the world to interrogate relevant data on military and security spending and meaningfully engage with their governments to conduct oversight and hold governments to account. In a few years, we hope to be able to identify and promote successful examples of where states have been held to account on the extent to which their military and security expenditure is in line with their own security priorities. By covering broader aspects of security, addressing human security, and lowering the reliance on just military security, the aim is to offer a transformative discussion from military spending to broader security spending.

For more information about the joint research project on matching security priorities and public spending see the companion blog on the SIPRI website.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

• Dr Nan Tian is a Senior Researcher with the Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme at SIPRI.
• Alexandra Kuimova is a Researcher with the Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme at UNIDIR.
• Paul Holtom is the Head of the Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme at UNIDIR.
• Dr Lucie Béraud-Sudreau is the Director of the Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme at SIPRI. 

The post Towards a Comprehensive Security Approach to Military Spending first appeared on UNIDIR.

Large-scale surveys and qualitative research carried out by UN researchers in each location revealed that, aside from being widely felt and experienced, climate change is making it increasingly difficult for people to maintain their livelihoods farming, herding, and fishing. Without a source of income, there are indications that people are turning to armed groups.

In Iraq, ranked the fifth most at-risk country for climate breakdown, climate change is widely felt across the country. Certain localities are particularly hard-hit, with serious implications for conflict dynamics. In Tal Afar, of those respondents who knew people whose livelihoods were impacted by climate change, 29 per cent knew of people who had joined a range of armed groups as a result. This included not only ISIL (which has historically exploited grievances linked to drought and agricultural loss) but also potentially groups that mobilised to combat ISIL.

In Colombia, increased deforestation, mining, and other forms of human-induced environmental degradation were reported in surveys across the country’s diverse geography. Of respondents who had experienced economic difficulties due to these changes, 14 per cent knew of someone who had joined an armed group as a result. In a survey of 139 former members of armed groups including the FARC-EP, ELN, and AUC, 19 per cent of those who reported that human-induced environmental degradation had increased in frequency or severity in their communities said these were among the reasons that they themselves had become involved with an armed group.

In Nigeria, ongoing large-scale surveys across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states found that of those respondents who knew people that experienced livelihood challenges due to climate change, 15 per cent knew someone who joined Boko Haram as a result. Indeed, when former associates of Boko Haram themselves are asked about the impact of climate change on their trajectory into the group, 16 per cent of those who acknowledge climate change-related difficulties, said these were part of the reason they became involved.

Reflecting on the research and its implications, Dr Siobhan O’Neil, Program Manager of the MEAC Initiative, commented: “The evidence suggests that to be effective, efforts to prevent and respond to armed conflicts must be climate-sensitive. Climate change is not just an international security issue, it is a human security issue that requires an urgent, holistic, and multi-sector response.”

MEAC is a multi-year, multi-partner collaboration that aims to develop a unified, rigorous approach to examining how and why individuals exit armed conflict and evaluate the efficacy of interventions meant to support their transition to civilian life. MEAC gathers data to inform evidence-based policy and practice. MEAC was never intended to be a climate security research project, but to truly understand trajectories into and out of armed groups in the countries where it works, it is impossible not to consider climate change’s effects. More information on the project, its UN partners, and donors, can be found on the UNIDIR and UNU-CPR websites.

Photographs from the Geneva Peace Week event: 1, 2, 3, 4

ABOUT UNIDIR 
UNIDIR is a voluntarily funded, autonomous institute within the United Nations. One of the few policy institutes worldwide focusing on disarmament, UNIDIR generates knowledge and promotes dialogue and action on disarmament and security. Based in Geneva, UNIDIR assists the international community to develop the practical, innovative ideas needed to find solutions to critical security problems. Since 2019, the Institute has a dedicated Security and Technology Programme that supports policy- and decision-makers with accessible insights into the impact of technological innovation on international security. For more information about UNIDIR, visit: www.unidir.org

Follow UNIDIR on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

The post Managing Exits from Armed Conflict Project Shares Emerging Evidence of a Connection Between Climate Change and Armed-Group Recruitment first appeared on UNIDIR.

The measures put in place to combat COVID-19 in many parts of the globe are unprecedented. They include the closure of schools, childcare facilities and businesses, travel restrictions, self-isolation, and quarantine in many states. These actions will affect women and men, girls and boys, differently¹. Governments should bear these differences in mind in their response strategies, including in public messaging and reporting protocols. This could help to increase resilience and aid recovery from the pandemic.

In a 2019 research report², we argued that applying a gender lens to biosecurity threats can contribute to States’ preparedness for, and rapid recovery from, biological incidents. Our paper was focused on the gendered impacts of biological weapons – and there is no credible evidence to suggest that COVID-19 is a biological weapon. Nonetheless, as part of the study, we analyzed past Ebola, SARS and other natural disease outbreaks to better understand their gendered impacts. As we grapple with the spread of COVID-19, it’s worth revisiting those research findings.

Understanding how gender norms structure societies can help to uncover different patterns of exposure between men and women, boys and girls. For example, in many parts of the world women operate as the primary caregivers in both domestic settings and professionally, where women make up more than 80 percent of the nursing and midwifery global workforce. This can leave women at greater risk of exposure to pathogens. This was evident during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Women there were in many cases primarily responsible for caring for the sick and performing burial practices. This trend, in part, explains the disproportionate number of female Ebola cases in countries, such as Guinea³ and Liberia⁴.

Uneven access to information⁵ can compound gendered differences in patterns of exposure. Research into Ebola suggests that, in some cultures, differences in opportunities for formal education⁶ were among the causes of the deadly disease’s spread. So was the exclusion of women from meetings⁷ at which Ebola responses were considered. This can create a situation in which those most at risk of exposure to infectious disease are denied access to critical information on good practices to minimize the risk of infection. Addressing this challenge requires consideration of cultural factors, specifically how to overcome gendered communication barriers to get health messages through to key actors, such as primary caregivers.

Our findings are backed by wider research highlighting gendered patterns of engagement with health care⁸ across different cultures. Various factors affect health care engagement, such as the distribution of power and resources at different levels of society. The perceived stigma of having a disease is another, under-appreciated factor, and something which is also gendered in certain societies. For example, with Tuberculosis “[e]vidence from South Asia, Africa, and Vietnam suggests that the potential for stigmatization affects women’s help-seeking more than men⁹ and is linked to fears of contagion and social isolation”. As recent articles on COVID-19 demonstrate, the fear of stigmatization can dissuade people from seeking medical assistance¹⁰ and reporting cases of infection. In turn, this can affect monitoring and response strategies. As such, means to counter and minimize stigma need to be considered, particularly through public health messaging.

Disease outbreaks can have serious psychological effects. COVID-19 will be no exception. For example, one study of Ebola reported “profound psychosocial implications at individual, community and international levels¹¹”. Research into the long-term impact of the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), which is from the same family of coronaviruses as COVID-19 and SARS, suggested that MERS survivors have a high chance of adverse psychiatric consequences, even after their recovery. Indeed, almost two-thirds of survivors suffered from significant psychiatric problems¹², including post-traumatic symptoms, sleep problems, anxiety, and depression. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects women and men, boys and girls – but not necessarily equally. Responding to gendered differences in coping style¹³, might, therefore, aid societal recovery in the long term.

As countries struggle to address COVID-19, it will be important to develop strategies that consider gender and incorporate the voices of women who are often on the front line of local and national responses. It should become evident that gender analysis is not a luxury, even in an emergency. It can help us ask the right questions and focus on the right issues to reduce the spread of the disease, treat people appropriately, and recover swiftly.

Applying a gender lens to public health emergencies would involve addressing questions, such as:

• What are the different needs and priorities of women and men in the context of the proposed policy?
• What roles do women and men perform in the context of the policy?
• What resources (economic, financial, physical, natural, other assets) and information do women and men have access to? 
• Are there existing gender inequalities that may be exacerbated by the proposed policy?
• Do women and men have equal access to and influence over policy development and decision-making?
• Are the services and technologies that the policy provides available and accessible to both women and men?
• Do follow-up protocols address the needs of specific groups (e.g. families with children, persons with disabilities, the elderly)?
• Are systems in place to collect, track and publish relevant sex-disaggregated data and statistics?

Beyond mainstreaming gender in public health systems, governments should also support research on the differentiated impacts of disease among women, men, boys and girls. Thus far, gender perspectives have been largely absent from research on disease outbreaks. For example, a review of over 600 scholarly articles published on the Zika virus epidemic between January 2015 and May 2016 found that only one paper included the term gender among its keywords¹⁴. Improving data collection and furthering scientific research on the gendered dimensions of outbreaks will allow us to make women and men’s needs and realities visible and serve as a basis for gender-responsive health policies.

The authors are grateful to Dr. John Borrie and Dr. Renata Dwan for their thoughtful comments and suggestions.

Footnotes:

[1] Lewis, Helen. “The Coronavirus is a Disaster for Feminism.” The Atlantic: 19 March 2020. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/03/feminism-womens-rights-coronavirus-covid19/608302/

^[2] Dalaqua, Renata Hessmann, James Revill, Alastair Hay, Nancy Connell. “Missing Links: Understanding Sex- and Gender-Related Impacts of Chemical and Biological Weapons.” 2019. Geneva, Switzerland: UNIDIR. https://unidir.org/publication/missing-links-understanding-sex-and-gender-related-impacts-chemical-and-biological

[3] World Health Organization. “Barriers to rapid containment of the Ebola outbreak: Ebola Situation Assessment.” 11 August 2014. https://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/overview-august-2014/en/

[4] Akanni, Tooni. “Confronting Ebola in Liberia: the gendered realities.” Open Democracy. 20 October 2014. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/confronting-ebola-in-liberia-gendered-realities-0/

[5] Peters, Melissa Minor. “Community perceptions of Ebola response efforts in Liberia: Montserrado and Nimba Counties.” 18 December 2014. http://www.ebola-anthropology.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Oxfam-MMinorPeters-Liberia-Anthro-report_Dec2014.pdf

[6] Ibid

[7] ibid

[8] Thompson, A.E., Anisimowicz, Y., Miedema, B. et al. “The influence of gender and other patient characteristics on health care-seeking behaviour: a QUALICOPC study.” BMC Fam Pract 17, 38 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-016-0440-0

[9] Jones WK, Weil D, Coreil J, Shoush B. “Stigma: lessons from women.” Centers for Disease Control and prevention: Volume 10, Number 11; November 2004. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/11/04-0624_07_article

[10] Williamson, Elizabeth and Kristin Hussey. “Party Zero: How a Soirée in Connecticut Became a ‘Super Spreader.’” The New York Times: 23 March 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/us/coronavirus-westport-connecticut-party-zero.html

[11] Van Bortel, Tine, Anoma Basnayake, et al.”Psychosocial effects of an Ebola outbreak at individual, community and international levels.” Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2016. https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.15.158543

[12] Shin J, Park HY, Kim JL, Lee JJ, Lee H, Lee SH, Shin HS.   Psychiatric Morbidity of Survivors One Year after the Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Korea, 2015.   J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc. 2019 Aug;58(3):245-251. https://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2019.58.3.245

[13] O’Leary A, Jalloh MF, Neria Y Fear and culture: contextualising mental health impact of the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa BMJ Global Health 2018;3:e000924. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000924

[14] Davies, Sarah E. and Belinda Bennett. “A gendered human rights analysis of Ebola and Zika: locating gender in global health emergencies.” International Affairs 92: 5, 2016. https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/publications/ia/inta92-5-01-daviesbennett.pdf

The post Pandemics Are Not Gender-Neutral, Gender Analysis Can Improve Response to Disease Outbreaks first appeared on UNIDIR.

UNIDIR and Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs are co-organizing a regional workshop on integrating arms control and disarmament into National Action Plans on UNSCR 1325. The event will include interactive discussions and simulations of drafting processes. It aims to:

• Offer capacity-building opportunities for WPS practitioners on how to address international security risks, including weapons proliferation and hybrid warfare.
• Enhance knowledge and expertise of the convergences between the WPS Agenda and arms control and disarmament among officials.
• Identify and test practical options to operationalize UNIDIR research on how to integrate arms control and disarmament measures into National Action Plans on UNSCR 1325.
• Strengthen networks, fostering knowledge exchange and cooperation among WPS and arms control practitioners.

When and where

Tuesday, 10 February and Wednesday, 11 February | Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Participants

The regional workshop will bring together representatives from national governments, civil society, academia and international entities working on the WPS agenda, as well as specialized organizations focusing on arms control, mine action and disarmament.

Further information

For any questions, please contact gender-unidir@un.org.

In partnership with

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While the future is unknowable, future scenarios – in other words, scenarios which depict plausible, possible or probable futures – can be a conduit to examining opportunities, threats and areas for action. As the United Nations turns 80 this year, our need to think ahead continues. Using scenarios developed by UNIDIR in its research on International Security in 2045, this event will explore possible futures for international peace and security. It will consider themes such as emerging technologies, climate change, trade and human rights, with a focus on how digital technologies can support peace.

This joint UNIDIR and United Nations Office on Disarmament Affairs event will present multistakeholder perspectives and highlight opportunities for collaboration across Geneva’s international multilateral system. With high-level speakers from various Geneva-based institutions, the discussion will explore how to use digital technologies for peace, leveraging the city’s role in global governance.

Speakers

Opening remarks

• Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Panelists

• Robin Geiss, Director, UNIDIR
• Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i.) Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization
• Nur Sulyna Abdullah, Chief of Strategic Planning and Membership, International Telecommunication Union
• Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme (video recording)

Moderated by Mélanie Régimbal, Chief of Service, UNODA Geneva Office

Youth representative, Marykate Monaghan, Associate Political Affairs Officer, UNODA

Closing remarks

• Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations

When and where

Wednesday, 26 March 2025, 13:15–14:50 CET, Room XXVI, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

Participants

We welcome representatives from Member State delegations, as well as members of the multistakeholder community, including industry, civil society, academia and intergovernmental organizations.

RSVP

Please register by Tuesday, 25 March 2025. Registration is mandatory for all participants, including those with a UNOG grounds pass. User guides on Indico registration can be found here.

Further information

For questions, please contact sectec-unidir@un.org.

The post Imagining peace in a digital world first appeared on UNIDIR.

This technology breakfast provided an opportunity for States to learn more about Internet fragmentation at the technical level and its potential impact on cybersecurity, ask questions to experts, and engage in discussions on how to ensure an open, secure, stable, accessible, and peaceful ICT environment.

EVENT RECORDING

A recording of this event can be found on our YouTube Channel, and below.

WHEN & WHERE

11 December 2023, 9:00-10:00 AM EST.

Hybrid format – Conference Room 11, United Nations Headquarters, New York, and Online.

Breakfast will be provided to the participants attending in person.

If attending online, please consult this website to find your local time. 

SPEAKERS

Introduction:

• Dr. Giacomo Persi Paoli – Head of Security and Technology Programme, UNIDIR

Speakers:

• Dr. Samuele Dominioni – Researcher, Security and Technology Programme, UNIDIR
• Ms. Marie Humeau – First Secretary Cyber, Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Conference on Disarmament
• Mr. Kevin Reifsteck – Director for Critical Infrastructure Protection, Microsoft

PARTICIPANTS

We welcome OEWG delegations and cyber experts, as well as members of the multi-stakeholder community including industry, civil society, and intergovernmental organizations (ECOSOC status). Please kindly note that UNIDIR is not able to grant access to the United Nations Headquarters for those who are not already in possession of the UN accreditation.

RSVP

Please register here by Friday 8 December 2023. You are kindly requested to specify if you will be attending in person or connecting remotely. Early registrations are encouraged. For those joining online, the link to access the event will be provided by email to registered participants one day prior to the session. For any questions, please contact the UNIDIR Security and Technology Programme (sectec-unidir@un.org). 

The post Technology Breakfast: Internet Fragmentation and Cybersecurity (New York, Online) first appeared on UNIDIR.

Matters of disarmament and arms control play an important role in the maintenance of international peace and security, as well as more broadly, in the achievement of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet these processes and mechanisms are affected by – and in some cases are also confronted with – a number of interlinked and intersecting issues and crises, in addition to having to keep pace with a variety of evolutions, not least in the field of new and emerging technologies.

This event presented and discussed the findings of the aforementioned UNIDIR new. The study employed foresight to explore threats to international security linked to arms control and disarmament, with a view to identifying options for actions which could mitigate the identified challenges. The report and its findings are also pertinent to the recent and ongoing efforts by the United Nations on considering future threats and the future of global cooperation. In Our Common Agenda, the United Nations Secretary-General made a call to hold a Summit of the Future, to enhance cooperation on critical challenges and address gaps in global governance, reinvigorating the multilateral system.

The Summit of the Future is due to take place in September 2024 and will discuss, among other topics, issues of international peace and security. This new report, along with this event, therefore also aims to serve as a way through which to establish interest in pursuing conversations on these topics in the lead-up to the Summit of the Future.

EVENT RECORDING

A recording of this event is available on our YouTube channel, and below.

WHEN & WHERE

Monday 22 January 2023, 14.30-15.45 CET.

Hybrid format – In-person in Geneva, Switzerland (Room XXVII, Palais des Nations) and online.
Please consult this website to find your local time.

SPEAKERS

Opening Remarks:

• Ambassador Shorna-Kay Richards, Jamaican Ambassador to Japan
• Dr Robin Geiss, Director, UNIDIR

Speakers:

• Ambassador Thomas Göbel, Permanent Representative of Germany to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva
• Tiana Desker, Director, Strategic Futures & Emerging Technologies, Ministry of Defence, Singapore
• Sarah Grand-Clément, Researcher, UNIDIR

Moderated by Dr Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head of Programme, UNIDIR

PARTICIPANTS

We welcome representatives from Member State delegations, as well as members of the multi-stakeholder community including industry, civil society, academia, and intergovernmental organizations.

RSVP

Registration is mandatory for both in-person and virtual participation. Please contact sectec-unidir@un.org if you have any questions.

• To attend in person, please register here (via UN Indico System), by Friday 19 January 2024. Indico registration is mandatory for all participants, including those who already have the UNOG grounds pass. User guides on Indico registration can be found here.
• To attend virtually, please register here (via Microsoft Forms), by Friday 19 January 2024. The link to access the event will be emailed to registered participants one day prior to the session.

The post Exploring Futures for Peace, Security and Disarmament first appeared on UNIDIR.

Serious gaming is a technique which can be used to understand the complexity of decision making and which can help policymakers examine hypothetical scenarios and understand and assess how specific decisions can lead to different impacts and consequences.

As part of this event, BRSL will be facilitating a serious game called “SIGNAL”. SIGNAL is a turn-based strategy board game designed to study decision-making concerning the use of conventional and nuclear weapons. The objective is to explore how weapons capabilities shape player behavior and the resulting impacts on strategic stability and the potential for escalation in a crisis. In SIGNAL, players choose courses of action that a hypothetical nation might follow, using economic, military, and diplomatic means. Players may choose to cooperate with or compete against the other players in the virtual world to grow their infrastructure and gain resources while avoiding loss of home territory to conventional militarized invasions or nuclear war. The game proceeds in rounds, with players maneuvering their forces within a map-based environment.

This event will allow Member State representatives to familiarize themselves with serious gaming through their participation in SIGNAL, either as a player or as an observer. The event will take place under Chatham House Rules.

WHEN & WHERE

Wednesday 6 December, 09.00 – 12.30 CET.

In-person only, in H-building, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

A light lunch will be provided from 12.30 -13.30 CET, alongside an outbrief of the game.

PARTICIPANTS

This event is specifically for representatives from Member State delegations. Please note that due to logistical constraints, a maximum of 50 individuals will be allowed to participate. This includes up to 45 players, with the remainder of the participants being observers, i.e., non-playing participants but who can still observe the gameplay. When submitting your RSVP, you will be asked to indicate your preference for participating or for observing the game.

RSVP

Registration is mandatory. Please register your attendance through this registration link. You will receive a confirmation of your attendance as well as the location of the event on Monday 4 December. If you registered and can no longer attend, please inform us as soon as possible so we may allocate your space to someone else.

For any questions or further queries please contact the UNIDIR Security and Technology Programme (sectec-unidir@un.org).

The post “Peacegaming”: Introduction to Serious Games for International Peace and Security first appeared on UNIDIR.

Issues related to international security, threats to peace, and disarmament play a core role in the identification of solutions. In order to provide novel and creative approaches to these issues, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) created a series of hypothetical future scenarios depicting how the world might look like in 2045 – the United Nations 100th anniversary. Specifically, this research sought to explore what actions could be taken now to mitigate threats to international security linked to arms control and disarmament. In this side-event, UNIDIR will lead a discussion based on this research, focusing on current and future challenges that need to be mitigated and addressed and exploring pathways for action that exist to address these threats.

The side-event will provide a platform to discuss UNIDIR’s preliminary findings, how they can be employed and further refined ahead of the Summit of the Future, as well as the use of futures and foresight methods within the United Nations.

SPEAKERS

Opening remarks

• Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head of Programme, Security and Technology Programme, UNIDIR
• Ambassador Thomas Zahneisen, Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations

Panellists

• Chris Earney, Head, Futures Lab, United Nations
• Helena Ndapewa Kuzee, Deputy Permanent Representative, Namibian Mission to the United Nations
• Erika Gregory, Managing Director, N Square and Horizon 2045

Moderator

• Sarah Grand-Clément, Researcher, UNIDIR

EVENT RECORDING

A recording of this event can be found our YouTube channel, and below.

WHEN & WHERE

Friday, 13 October 2023, 13:15 – 14:30 EDT.

Hybrid format – Conference Room 8, United Nations Headquarters, New York and online.

Light lunch will be provided to the participants attending in person.

If attending online, please consult this website to find your local time.

RSVP

Please register by completing this form: https://forms.office.com/e/Zerzhdy2Mp. The link to the event will be sent out to registered participants only.

PARTICIPANTS

We welcome representatives from Member State delegations, as well as members of the multi-stakeholder community including industry, civil society, and intergovernmental organizations (ECOSOC status).

Please kindly note that UNIDIR is not able to grant access to the United Nations Headquarters for those who are not already in possession of the UN accreditation.

For any questions or further queries please contact the UNIDIR Security and Technology Programme (sectec-unidir@un.org).

The post Preparing for the Future of International Peace and Security first appeared on UNIDIR.

In order to facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement around biological security and biological disarmament, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) co-organized a stakeholder conference designed to bring together actors from civil society, academia and industry, along with diplomats, to stimulate the exchange of ideas and thinking around how to build biosecurity and bolster biological disarmament. The event provided an opportunity to discuss ongoing diplomatic processes and current and upcoming issues in the areas of biorisk, biosecurity and biological disarmament.

EVENT RECORDINGS

The recordings of this event are available on our YouTube Channel, and below.

FORMAT

The conference consisted of seven substantive panels covering a range of topics such as advances in science and technology, related risks and benefits, biosecurity implementation, dual-use governance, disease response, international cooperation, and verification technologies. In general, panels consisted of a moderated discussion followed by a questions and answers session with the audience in person and online. Structured input from participants were also encouraged in different panels.

Coffee breaks and a light lunch were provided on each day.

WHEN & WHERE

04 and 05 July 2023, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm CEST

This was a hybrid event. 

The conference took place at the Maison de la Paix, and virtually via Webex.

AGENDA

Day 1 – 4 July 2023

09.30-10.00: Registration and morning refreshments (30 min)

10.00-10.30: Welcoming remarks (30 min)

The conference began with welcome addresses from WHO, UNODA and UNIDIR representatives.

Speakers:

• Melanie Regimbal, Chief of Geneva Branch, UNODA
• John Reeder, Director of the Research for Health Department, Science Division, WHO
• Robin Geiss, Director, UNIDIR

10.30-12.30: Panel 1 – Advances in science and technology: assessing the risks and opportunities (2 hours)

This panel explored key advances in the biological sciences and their positive and negative implications for biosecurity and biological disarmament. The panel included a discussion around foresight and was followed by a survey of participants on their perceptions of key risks and opportunities.

Speakers:

• Beyza Unal, Head of Science & Technology Unit, UNODA (virtual)
• Sandra Matinyi, Project Officer, SynBio Africa
• Marion Laumonier, Technical Officer of the Emerging technologies, research prioritisation and support Unit, Science Division, WHO
• Jonathan Forman, Science and Technology Advisor, US Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Seattle, Washington, USA

Moderator: James Revill, Head of Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, UNIDIR

12.30-13.30: Lunch Break (1 hour)

13.30-15.00: Panel 2 – Transparency and national implementation: lessons learned and good practices (1.5 hours)

This panel discussed best practices and lessons learned related to building transparency, implementing biosecurity measures at the national level, and identifying gaps in the global biosecurity architecture.

Speakers:

• Sonia Drobysz, Co-programme Director for National Implementation, VERTIC
• Alexander Hamilton, CBRN CoE Regional Coordinator for Southeast Asia, UNICRI
• Peter Ahabwe Babigumira, Technical Advisor, Uganda Ministry of Health (virtual)
• O’Neil Hamilton, Expert on Non-Proliferation, Strategic Trade Management and Export Control Development, UNODC, and the Proliferation Prevention Program, Stimson Center
• Yvette Issar, Political Affairs Officer, UNODA
• Anastasia Malygina, Associate Professor, St Petersburg University (virtual)

Moderator: Alex Lampalzer, Deputy Chief of the BWC Implementation Support Unit, UNODA

15.00-15.30: Coffee break (30 min)

15.30-17.00: Panel 3 – Dual use governance: taking stock and looking forward (1.5 hours)

This panel explored governance initiatives related to the life sciences, drawing from ongoing initiatives such as the WOAH’s Guidelines for responsible conduct in veterinary research (2019), the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists (2021) and the WHO Global guidance framework for the responsible use of the life sciences: mitigating biorisks and governing dual-use research (2022).

Part 1: Presentations – Setting the scene (40 min)

Speakers:

• Leifan Wang, Assistant Professor, Tianjin University (virtual)
• Keith Hamilton, Head Preparedness and Resilience Department, WOAH
• Filippa Lentzos, Associate Professor, King’s College London

Moderator: Soatiana Rajatonirina, Technical Officer of the Emerging technologies, research prioritisation and support Unit, WHO

Part 2: Panel discussion – Dialogue on operationalization of the different initiatives (50 min)

Speakers:

• Halima Benbouza, Professor, Director, National Council of Scientific Research and Technologies of Algeria
• Maria Espona, Professor, Director, ArgIQ, Argentina
• Irma Makalinao, Professor, University of the Philippines (virtual)
• Emmanuel Turyatunga, Office of the Prime Minister of Uganda

Moderator: Emmanuelle Tuerlings, Technical Officer of the Emerging technologies, research prioritisation and support Unit, WHO.

Day 2 – 5 July 2023

09.00-10.00: Panel 4 – High-level roundtable (1 hour)

This panel focused on the perspectives of Member States from the Biological Weapons Convention, taking stock of the Ninth Review Conference which took place in 2022 and looking forward into the work of the recently established Working Group on Strengthening the Convention.

Speakers:

• Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, UNODA (virtual message)
• Flavio Damico, Ambassador, Special Representative of Brazil to the Conference on Disarmament
• Leonardo Bencini, Ambassador, Special Representative of Italy to the Conference on Disarmament
• Jonelle John S. Domingo, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the UN
• Filippa Lentzos, Associate Professor, King’s College London

Moderator: Simon Cleobury, Head of Arms Control and Disarmament, GCSP

10.00-11.30: Panel 5 – Detection, surveillance and reporting of disease outbreaks (1.5 hours)

The experience with COVID-19 has led to significant advances in technologies related to detecting, monitoring and reporting disease outbreaks. This panel explored these technologies and sought to map out how they could support biosecurity and biological disarmament.

Speakers:

• Oommen John, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, India Country Office
• Tomoko Steen, Director of the Biomedical Science Policy and Advocacy program, Georgetown University (virtual)
• O’Neil Hamilton, Expert on Non-Proliferation, Strategic Trade Management and Export Control Development, UNODC, and the Proliferation Prevention Program, Stimson Center
• Karl Schenkel, Unit Head for Strategy and Guidelines at Health Emergencies Programme, WHO

Moderator: Taylor Winkleman, Consultant, WHO

11.30-12.00: Working coffee break (30 min)

12.00-13.30: Panel 6 – International cooperation in biorisks, biosecurity and biological disarmament (1.5 hours)

This panel discussed challenges and opportunities for international cooperation in biorisks, biosecurity and biological disarmament. Panellists discussed cooperation to date and what steps could be taken to foster collaboration and cooperation in the future.

Speakers:

• Andrew Nerlinger, Executive Director, Global Health Security Fund
• Kirk Douglas, Director of the Centre for Biosecurity Studies, University of the West Indies
• Maria Garzon Maceda, Associate Researcher for WMD Programme, UNIDIR
• Nadia Wells, Senior Research Adviser, Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute

Moderator: Veronica Rovegno, Technical Officer of the Health Emergencies Preparedness and Response Unit, WHO

13.30-14.30: Lunch Break (1 hour)

14.30-16.00: Panel 7 – Monitoring and verification of the BWC (1.5 hours)

This final panel focused on technological opportunities to contribute to investigating suspicious disease outbreaks and verifying compliance with the BWC.

Speakers:

• James Revill, Head of WMD Programme, UNIDIR
• Melanie Reddiar, Head of Secretariat, South African Council for the Non-Proliferation of WMD
• Ryan Teo, Research Assistant, University of Birmingham
• Jez Littlewood, Independent expert (virtual)

Moderator: Una Jakob, Senior Researcher, HSFK University

16.00-16.30: Taking Stock (30 min)

To take stock of the conference, rapporteurs provided short remarks of each panel’s main take-aways.

Speakers:

• Panel 1: Mayra Ameneiros
• Panel 2: Judith Okolo
• Panel 3: Fatima Aziz
• Panel 4: Mariia Koroleva
• Panel 5: Felix Moronta Barrios
• Panel 6: Shizuka Kuramitsu
• Panel 7: José Garza Martínez

16.30-16.45: Closing Remarks (15 min)

In closing, short remarks were provided by UNODA, WHO and UNIDIR representatives.

16.45-17.00: Farewell coffee (15 min)

PARTICIPANTS

The event was open to all individuals with a professional interest in biosecurity, biorisks and biological disarmament.

The post Biorisks, Biosecurity and Biological Disarmament Conference first appeared on UNIDIR.

Protecting critical infrastructure from ICT threats is a complex and multi-layered task where different actors play interdependent and mutually supporting roles. Leveraging the rich international and digital community in Geneva, UNIDIR’s 2022 Cyber Stability Conference provided a platform for discussion among experts and practitioners of different sectors with a view to extracting key insights that can enable further progress in multilateral discussions and support more efficient policy interventions by national governments for critical infrastructure protection.

PROGRAMME

Accessible text version also available below.

08:45-09:15: Welcome Coffee

09:15-09:20: Conference opening – Welcome remarks by Dr. Robin Geiss, Director, UNIDIR

09:20-10:20: Scene-setting Panel: Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure (Moderated by Dr. Robin Geiss, Director, UNIDIR)

The protection of critical infrastructure is a foundational stone for security as well as for economic and social development. In times of conflict, it is also a prerequisite of international humanitarian law. How has the proliferation of cyber threats affected the critical infrastructure ecosystem? What is the potential impact of malicious cyber activities against critical infrastructure from a security, development and humanitarian perspective?

H.E. Mr. Guilherme Patriota – Consul-General of Brazil and Former Chair of the GGE 2019-2021

Mr. Doug Greene – Director of the Division of Information Systems and Telecommunications, UNHCR

Ms. Latha Reddy – Former Co-Chair, Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace

10:25-11:30: Panel 1 – Curing the world: Health and Healthcare (Moderated by Ms. Moliehi Makumane, Researcher, UNIDIR)

Scene-setter: while digitalisation is not a new trend per se and cyber-attacks are not new, the COVID pandemic has brought to the forefront how vulnerable the healthcare sector is to cyber threats which have drastically increased in scale and complexity. This threat goes beyond healthcare facilities and covers all parts of the broader health ecosystem (e.g. research facilities, labs, pharmaceutical companies).

Mr. Brian Cincera – Chief Information Security Officer, Pfizer

Ms. Francesca Bosco – Chief of Strategy, Cyber Peace Institute

Mr. Flavio Aggio – Chief Information Security Officer, WHO

11:30-11:45: Comfort break

11:45-13:00: Panel 2 – Growing the world: International Trade and Finance (Moderated by Dr. Andraz Kastelic, Researcher, UNIDIR)

Scene-setter: in an increasingly globalized economy, supply chains are becoming more and more complex, cross-border and interconnected: this creates an urgent need for securing supply chains from malicious cyber incidents. As primary enabler of trade, the financial sector and its increased reliance on the digital domain also has to adapt to face new challenges.

Mr. Arthur Nelson – Deputy Director of the Technology and International Affairs Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Mr. Justin McCall – Head of Demand Generation and Partnerships, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Ms. Maria Ceccarelli – Chief, Trade Facilitation Section, Economic Cooperation and Trade Division, UNECE

Ms. Susan Potgieter – Head of Strategic Services, South African Banking Risk Information Centre

13:00-14:00: Lunch

14:00-15:10: Panel 3 – Connecting the world: Information and Communication Technologies and Transport (Moderated by Dr. Samuele Dominioni, Researcher, UNIDIR)

Scene-setter: In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to move people and goods in a safe, reliable and efficient manner within and across borders is a key enabler of economic and social development. On the other hand, the COVID pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation in many parts of the world, making the physical and digital infrastructure and services that underpin communication and connectivity key enablers for peace and security, economic and social development and prosperity. However, this accelerated path towards digitization and increased reliance on ICTs has inserted new weakness and vulnerabilities in an already complex ecosystem.

Ms. Jaya Baloo – Chief Information Security Officer, Avast

Mr. Kevin Reifsteck – Director for Critical Infrastructure Protection, Microsoft

Mr. Pascal Buchner – Director ITS and Chief Information Officer, IATA

15:15-16:25: Panel 4 – Sustaining the world: Energy & Water (Moderated by Dr. Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head of Programme, UNIDIR)

Scene-setter: continuous access to essential services like electricity and water supply is a pre-requisite for peace and development. However, much of the infrastructure that underpins such services is subject to multiple challenges including, but not limited to, cross-border nature, presence of legacy infrastructure, convergence of digital and physical systems.

Ms. Ayhan Gucuyener – Project Specialist at Kadir Has University Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection, Khas University

Ms. Chris Kubecka – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Hypasec

Dr. David Mussington – Executive Assistant Director For Infrastructure Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

16:25-16:40: Coffee break

16:40-17:45: Concluding session – Critical Infrastructure Protection in the context of International Cyber Security (moderated by Dr. Cecile Aptel, Deputy-Director, UNIDIR)

Scene-setter: the session will open with a short recap by the rapporteur of the main insights emerging from the thematic panels, reflecting on both unique and shared challenges and suggested ways forward. Then the discussion will pivot on the role that the UN, primarily through the OEWG, can play in this context.

Opening Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Singapore to the United Nations, Chair of the Open-Ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025 

Rapporteur Recap of the Day with Dr. Camino Kavanagh, Visiting Senior Fellow, King’s College London; Non-resident Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

H.E. Mr. Jürg Lauber – Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations and other International Organizations, and former Chair of the OEWG 2019-2021

Ms. Marina Kaljurand – Member of the European Parliament

Mr. Vladimir Radunovic – Director, E-diplomacy and Cybersecurity, DiploFoundation

Ms. Beyza Unal – Head of the Science and Technology Unit, UNODA

17:45-18:00: Conference closing

WHEN & WHERE

Tuesday, 5 July 2022, 9:15-18:00 CEST 

Hybrid format: in-person (Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines 9, Geneva) and online

For any questions, please contact UNIDIR’s Security and Technology Programme (sectec-unidir@un.org). 

The post Cyber Stability Conference 2022: Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Services Across Sectors first appeared on UNIDIR.