Your Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al-Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council,
Esteemed guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is a great honour to deliver opening remarks at this second physical edition of the ITU 2025 Global CyberDrill.
Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to His Excellency Dr. Al Kuwaiti and the UAE Cyber Security Council for their extraordinary vision and leadership in hosting the ITU's flagship event.
The participants from over 140 countries are here courtesy of your sponsorship, a powerful testament to our shared commitment to global cybersecurity cooperation.
I am delighted that this event is taking place alongside GISEC Global the Middle East and Africa's largest cybersecurity exhibition, which is now a truly global event.
Our theme this year — "Strengthening the Global Cybersecurity Community" — could not be more timely or more meaningful, particularly in the UAE's Year of Community. And what a community we have gathered here!
Over 140 ITU Member States are present , from ministries
national cybersecurity authorities, telecom regulators,
Computer Incident Response Teams, our valued ITU-D private sector members, and of course distinguished delegates from GISEC.
I would also like to express my thanks to the GISEC team for bringing this event to life, and to our esteemed partners , INTERPOL, the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre, FIRST, and Cyber Ranges, for delivering the technical scenarios that form the core of the CyberDrill exercises.
Since launching our first CyberDrill in Southeast Asia in 2011, ITU has conducted over 50 CyberDrills across all ITU six regions, engaging with more than 160 countries.
Our journey reflects the growing unity, and the growing urgency, in the face of cyber threats. I am proud to say that last year, during the first-ever physical Global CyberDrill, together with the UAE Cyber Security Council, we broke three world records.
We celebrate this partnership, proof that when we come together, across borders and sectors, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
Distinguished participants,
We live in a time when cyber incidents are escalating, in frequency, in scale, and in sophistication.
Today, critical infrastructure — from energy and healthcare to finance and transportation — are increasingly targets of malicious actors.
A single breach can disrupt essential services, threaten public safety, and destabilize economies. In this reality, effective incident response is no longer optional — it is essential.
As the UN's lead agency for Information and Communication Technologies, ITU is uniquely positioned to convene global expertise, forge strong partnerships, and build technical capacity!
We often hear that “cyberspace knows no borders." That's absolutely true. And that's why we must ensure that our knowledge, our experience, and our solutions also transcend borders.
This topic is relevant today as it will be tomorrow. As we connect people and countries, we have to support them through the building of confidence and trust.
The Global CyberDrill embodies the spirit of working across borders, and we are proud to be using our convening power to bring stakeholders together.
Let us remind ourselves that this CyberDrill is not just a set of exercises — it is a platform: for peer exchange, for regional and international cooperation, and for real-time learning through simulated, high-impact cyberattack scenarios.
This in turn helps Member States design, test, and strengthen their national incident response frameworks and CIRT strategies, with confidence.
Ladies and gentlemen, ITU is unique within the UN system.
We not only have 194 Member States, we also have over 1,000 private sector companies, academic institutions and other entities among our membership.
One standout initiative of our collaborative work with industry is the Cyber for Good project, which draws upon private sector expertise and resources to bridge cybersecurity capacity gaps in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
Over 30 LDCs now benefit from the support of nine private sector members, who are helping deliver real, tangible impact.
Cyberdrills help with capacity development. BDT also works with countries to provide technical assistance including conducting national readiness assessments for CIRTs, building awareness to help protect children online, strengthening policy knowledge and development of cybersecurity strategies, among other approaches.
Our approaches cover all levels including policy makers. This is why the Global CyberDrill incorporates a High-Level Ministerial Session. This year, distinguished ministers will discuss the role of cybersecurity in driving sustainable economic growth and accelerating digital transformation.
This will be followed by a panel featuring Heads of National Cybersecurity Agencies and Authorities focusing on key governance challenges and opportunities and sharing best practices and actionable insights on how to enhance national cybersecurity capacity.
This collective effort contributes to global confidence building
and trust.
Together, we can collaboratively address cybersecurity challenges across boundaries and safeguard our digital future.
Allow me to conclude by wishing all participants great success in the CyberDrill. This is more than a competition — it's a unique opportunity to deepen the knowledge, to collaborate across borders, and to build relationships that will last far beyond these three days.
We are heading to the World Telecommunication Development Conference from 17 – 28 November 2025 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Cybersecurity will be a subject of discussion. Child online protection is also a key topic that we should pay attention to. Finally, the sophistication in the digital space calls for us to fully embrace this experience in the CyberDrills, as we endeavour to enhance confidence and security in the use of ICTs.
Thank you for your attention.
