
UN decries hike in satellite navigation system interference
GENEVA: The United Nations on Tuesday urged countries to boost protections amid a marked increase in efforts to interfere with satellite navigation systems like GPS that are critical for aviation and maritime safety.
The UN's International Telecommunication Union, its International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization jointly voiced 'grave concern' at growing disruptions of so-called Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).
Amid growing geopolitical tensions, GPS and other such systems, which are used for weapons systems but also for a vast array of vital civilian applications, have increasingly been targeted.
There have been warnings of increased GNSS signal disruptions since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as amid the Middle East conflict.
The UN agencies voiced alarm at the impact of disruptions to such systems, which they pointed out are used for everything from the navigation of civil aircraft, maritime vessels and humanitarian assistance vehicles to synchronizing telecommunications networks.
They demanded countries do more to protect the systems against so-called jamming attacks, which prevent access to satellite signals, as well as spoofing, through the broadcasting of false signals that can cause GNSS receivers in vessels or aircraft to calculate erroneous positions.
'Global Navigation Satellite Systems are critical to our safety on land, at sea and in the air,' said ITU chief Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
'Member States should ensure the uninterrupted operation of these systems for everyone's safety and the resilience of essential services that our lives depend on.'
The joint statement called on countries to enhance the protection of the critical RNSS radio-frequency band, where GNSS systems operate.
The band should be protected against 'transmissions that can adversely cause harmful interference degrading, interrupting or misleading signals used for civilian and humanitarian purposes,' the statement added.
It also urged states to 'reinforce resilience of the systems that rely on RNSS for navigation, positioning and timing' and to report all cases of 'harmful interference.'
And it demanded they 'retain sufficient conventional navigation infrastructure for contingency support in case of RNSS outages and misleading signals,' as well as to 'develop mitigation techniques for loss of services.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Saudi Gazette
5 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
UK meeting hails Saudi Arabia's pivotal role in supporting humanitarian causes
Saudi Gazette report JERSEY — Senior representatives from donor countries and international humanitarian organizations attended the high-level meeting organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Pooled Fund Working Group (PFWG) in Jersey, the United Kingdom. At the end of the meeting, participants praised Saudi Arabia's pivotal role in supporting humanitarian causes. They highlighted the importance of maintaining this international momentum to ensure sustainable response efforts and amplify their impact on the ground. The meeting served as a key milestone in global efforts to enhance financing mechanisms and response to humanitarian needs. Saudi Representative in the Donor Support Group for OCHA and Assistant Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) for Planning and Development Dr. Aqeel Al-Ghamdi participated in the meeting. Speaking on the occasion, Al-Ghamdi emphasized the importance of enhancing joint action and coordination among donor countries and UN institutions to ensure equitable and effective access to aid, particularly for the most vulnerable groups. He also reiterated Saudi Arabia's commitment, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, to continue supporting global humanitarian efforts, contributing to the protection of lives and the improvement of living conditions in affected communities. Al-Ghamdi pointed out that the Kingdom is one of the leading and largest international donors in the humanitarian field, noting that Saudi Arabia, in recent years, has spearheaded notable humanitarian and development initiatives through KSrelief, which has reached more than 107 countries, implemented in partnership with UN agencies and international organizations.


Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
More than 55,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza war
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: The Palestinian death toll from the 20-month Israel-Hamas war has climbed past 55,000, the Gaza Health Ministry said ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the a grim milestone in the war that began with Hamas' attack into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and shows no sign of ending. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated ministry says 55,104 people have been killed since the start of the war and 127,394 wounded. Many more are believed to be buried under the rubble or in areas that are inaccessible to local forces have destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced about 90 percent of its population and in recent weeks have transformed more than half of the coastal territory into a military buffer zone that includes the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah.A 2½-month blockade imposed by Israel when it ended a ceasefire with Hamas raised fears of famine and was slightly eased in May. The launch of a new Israeli- and US-backed aid system has been marred by chaos and violence, and the UN says it has struggled to bring in food because of Israeli restrictions, a breakdown of law and order, and widespread accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid, but the UN and aid groups deny there is any systematic diversion of aid to has suffered major setbacks militarily, and Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The militants still hold 55 hostages — less than half of them believed to be alive — and control areas outside of military zones despite facing rare protests earlier this war began when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. More than half the captives have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered the remains of dozens military campaign, one of the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, has transformed large parts of cities into mounds of rubble. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in squalid tent camps and unused schools, and the health system has been gutted, even as it copes with waves of wounded from Israeli strikes.


Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
A world at war is unlikely to save the oceans
The world has come together in France this week to look for a way to save our oceans. It is no doubt an important mission, but it seems like an impossible one in our world of conflict. The third UN Ocean Conference in southern France is focused on adopting strict rules to govern deep-sea mining and has warned against racing to exploit the ocean floor, in a thinly veiled rebuke of the US. But one look at the real problems and adversities affecting the viability of our oceans goes beyond one's imagination, especially since the actions to limit the damage do not measure up across the board. The anxiety of those gathered in Nice, including French President Emmanuel Macron, is justified, but not only due to the madness of certain predatory economic steps taken by individual countries that could harm the seabed, disrupt biodiversity and release irrecoverable carbon sinks in the name of profit and dominance. Scientists have also been warning about ocean acidification. Oceans are known to absorb about 30 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions and that starts chains of chemical reactions that result in increased acidity, which in turn affects human and marine life. Although geoengineering is offering some respite to the conscience of some, the science of manipulating the Earth's natural processes to try to solve the problem chemically or through other inventions is still in its infancy. Its efficiency has not been tested over time, despite the billions of dollars of investment poured into the adoption of such unproven solutions. Scientists claim that the oceans are today at the mercy of the evil twin of the climate crisis — and that is the reduction of their pH levels due to carbon dioxide being rapidly absorbed. It then reacts with water molecules, leading to the oceans becoming increasingly acidic. Headline-grabbing statements like those of the UN secretary-general, who warned at this week's conference that the world should not let the deep sea 'become the wild west,' could go a long way toward focusing minds. But this will not stop powerful nations vying for control and economic supremacy amid the tussle over contentious rules on mining and conservation. Nor will it heal the oceans for the benefit of both humanity and the sea creatures that are vital in making our world livable. The mission of delegates to turn promises into protection and to deliver action is quite challenging Mohamed Chebaro Similarly, the mission of delegates to turn promises into protection and to deliver action, rather than more rhetoric, to protect our ever-warming, distressed oceans is quite challenging. A modest 8 percent of the world's oceans are currently designated as marine protected areas, despite a globally agreed target of 30 percent by 2030. The failings are staring us in the face. This is despite the efforts of some countries, such as Greece, Brazil and Spain, which have rushed to put chunks of their national waters under protection by creating marine parks. Such action is often challenged by a lack of funding and limited enforcement, while it is especially challenging for squeezed smaller nations to emulate. The efforts by countries like France and the UK to ban some fishing methods, such as bottom trawling in marine protected areas, must be applauded despite the fact that they do not go far enough for economic reasons. Bottom trawling involves huge fishing nets being indiscriminately dragged over the ocean floor, rendering natural regeneration and the replenishment of sea life nearly impossible. This conference will, unfortunately, be little more than a talking shop and another missed opportunity. This time it is not only because of bickering between the Global North and the Global South, rich versus poor, but because geopolitical competition between superpowers is rendering the minimal multilateral action taken to save the oceans ineffective. This is a world dominated by greed-driven economic competition and exploitation, dwindling resources and more false and misinformed narratives than undivided truth, to the point that trust has largely vanished. Another key point is that a world that is unable to stop the killing in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan is unlikely, sadly, to get its act together and save the future of the oceans — the lungs of our ecosystem that are today breathing with difficulty. The conference in Nice, like many other similar meetings, will console itself if a last-minute flurry of signatures ensures the ratification of the High Seas Treaty to protect international waters, which make up 60 percent of the world's oceans. Whether it will be binding or not is subject to its implementation and enforcement. Macron told reporters this week that 55 nations have ratified the treaty, only five shy of the number required for it to come into effect early next year. Admitting that global warming is human-made and that action is needed to remedy it, through science and business and the transformation of economic and social models that would take decades and a lot of money to enact, is one thing. Consensus regarding treaties and conventions is another, as countries each rightly put their national interests first and common interests last. Above all, in a world where narratives of conflict dominate and geopolitical calculations fail to align, failures are recorded on every level and in a disheartening fashion. It seems like nations have ample resources to invest in war and very little for protecting the planet and its oceans. • Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years' experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.