The Civilian Digital Ecosystems at the Core: Safeguarding During Crisis highlights the growing dependence of essential public services on digital infrastructure and the risks this creates during crises.

Healthcare, financial systems, emergency services, and government platforms increasingly rely on digital networks, making any disruption a direct threat to civilian well-being.

The report underscores that International Humanitarian Law protections for civilian infrastructure must extend to digital systems.

However, gaps in implementation and the continued use of justifications leave critical digital services exposed to risk.

It identifies key threat categories, including AI-driven misinformation, cyber disruptions, and physical attacks on critical infrastructure such as data centers and submarine cables.

To address these challenges, the report proposes four main action areas: strengthening the resilience of digital infrastructure, protecting communication channels and countering misinformation, enhancing cross-border coordination and information sharing, and ensuring the rapid restoration of essential digital services following disruptions.

The report concludes that safeguarding civilian digital ecosystems is essential not only for humanitarian protection but also for maintaining stability, trust, and continuity of essential services during crises.