As digital systems become ever more central to our lives, the risks that threaten them increasingly transcend sectors, institutions, and borders. Critical digital disruptions, whether driven by natural hazards, infrastructure failure, or systemic interdependencies, can spill over at a speed and scale that existing governance frameworks are not yet designed to manage.

The Global Digital Resilience Forum seeks to address these challenges and advance international cooperation on preparedness, continuity and resilience across critical digital infrastructure.

Organized by the Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC), and in collaboration with ITU, UNDRR and Sciences Po as Knowledge Partners, the Forum convenes senior government representatives, international organizations, industry and academic leaders to engage in scenario planning, link expert insight to policy, and exchange best practices on a risk that is well documented yet still widely underestimated. Among the best practices shared, a Global Risk and Scenario Dashboard will be presented, this practical platform maps interdependencies, models cascading failures, and strengthens early warning across sectors and borders.

Day 1 | Scenario planning and technical workshops

The first day will bring together invited experts for focused technical workshops and scenario-based discussions. Participants will explore interdependencies across critical infrastructure, examine how disruptions could cascade across sectors and borders, and identify opportunities to strengthen preparedness, continuity and recovery. These discussions will help develop practical insights and recommendations for the high-level dialogue on the second day.

Day 2 | High-level open forum

The second day will convene a broader audience for high-level discussions, keynote contributions and exchanges of good practices. Building on the findings from the technical workshops, government representatives, international organizations, industry and academia will consider policy priorities and opportunities for cross-sector and international cooperation.

Together, the two days will seek to translate research into practical preparedness, connect technical expertise with policy priorities, and foster collective action to safeguard essential services in an increasingly interconnected digital world.

Drawing on the ITU-UNDRR-Sciences Po report When Digital Systems Fail, the Forum will translate research into tools, scenarios into preparedness frameworks, and expert knowledge into collective action.