The UAE called for a new international ‘Cyber Geneva Convention’ to establish rules for cyberwarfare. It will also determine when attacks on critical digital infrastructure should be treated as acts of war. The proposal comes as artificial intelligence makes cyber threats faster and harder to contain.
Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, said, “Now we need that cyber-Geneva convention to help many states build up their investments and to that digitisation's aspect to really ensure is that any attack to any of those assets will be considered again a really an active war, if it goes to that level.”
On September 8, Al Kuwaiti was speaking on the second day of the Hili Forum during a session titled ‘Data, Drones, Digital (Dis) Order’ in Abu Dhabi. This decision comes as AI accelerates both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities. Automated tools can help attackers identify vulnerabilities, launch phishing campaigns and process large volumes of information faster.
The UAE faced a major rise in cyber activity this year. In March, Al Kuwaiti said the country was recording around 530,000 cyber incidents a day, nearly double the reported level before the latest regional escalation.
The UAE is also seeking stronger international cooperation on protecting civilian digital infrastructure. In May, the International Telecommunication Union adopted a UAE-led resolution condemning attacks and threats against civilian telecommunications and ICT infrastructure.
Experts pointed to incidents such as the Stuxnet attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and cyberattacks. This disrupted Ukraine's electricity supply as an example of operations with potentially serious physical consequences.
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