The United Nations Institute for Training and Research has opened its first office dedicated solely to cybersecurity and it has chosen Saudi Arabia as the destination. The move comes as a part of its partnership with Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority.
UN looks to build global cooperation to fight online attacks
The new UNITAR Cybersecurity Office, the organization’s third global outpost after facilities in Japan and Germany, will focus on training, research, policy development and knowledge exchange aimed at strengthening cyber resilience worldwide
“Cybersecurity is a global imperative that demands global cooperation. No country can build resilience in isolation,” said Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, UNITAR’s executive director and an assistant secretary-general of the United Nations. She said the office would help “turn shared risk into shared resilience” by connecting institutions across regions.
Majed M. Al-Mazyed, governor of Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority, said the partnership went beyond technology. “Strengthening cybersecurity requires investment in people, skills, and institutions,” he said at the signing ceremony.
What this means for Saudi Arabia
The development has come as a big boost to the ongoing digital revolution in the Kingdom. A partnership with a UN body significantly elevates Saudi Arabia’s profile as a hub for global cooperation.
Hosting a UN body dedicated to cybersecurity positions KSA as a convening power in a space that is increasingly central to national security, economic stability and digital sovereignty. It also reinforces Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s broader push to diversify Saudi Arabia’s international influence beyond energy, anchoring Riyadh as a destination for institutions shaping global policy. A strategy which is integral to MBZ’s Vision 2030 plan.
Saudi Arabia is already home to the Arab Cybersecurity Ministers Council, the Global Cybersecurity Forum and the Centre for Cyber Economics – established jointly with the World Economic Forum. Last year, the gulf nation partnered with the United Nations on the Global Initiative for Capacity Building in Cyberspace, aiming to address critical capability gaps across the world.
