31 May 2023
The third annual Security Symposium, co-hosted by UNDSS and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), took place in Jeddah on 31 May and 1 June, in hybrid format. The Security Symposium provides the opportunities to bring UNDSS, the UNSMS and other international and regional organizations to examine and enhance collaboration on global strategic trends and their impact on the security of their personnel and programs.
More than 90 participants attended online and in-person. The “Getting to know you” session provided an opportunity to enhance dialogue with those organizations which have collaborated or wish to collaborate with the United Nations on issues related to security. Participants exchanged views on strategic and other policy issues related to the global security environment and the context in which the United Nations and regional and international organizations operate.
The theme of the Third Annual Security Symposium focused on “Shifting global context: emerging security challenges”. Panel discussions focused on thematic issues with impact on security, namely, the global security environment, hostage risk management, impact of climate change on security environment, disinformation, social media and impact on security, and private security companies. Panelists included security and non-security experts from different regions, background, and disciplines in presenting their unique regional and strategic perspectives.
In his closing remarks, the USG UNDSS highlighted, “We all note the grim image of the global security context and new emerging security challenges. But on that there is hope.” He further underscored that there is a true commitment from security professionals and non-security experts, to ensure that we, the UN and other partners, together can deliver and enable programmes to people in need. “And that is the bottom line. This is why we are in this business,” he said.