28 Jun, 2022
Online
The Status of Cybersecurity Capacity in the South African Public Sector
10:00-11:30 (SAST)
The goal of this webinar is to discuss the state of cybersecurity skills in the South African public sector. The CIO of MICTSETA Mr. Moloti Nkune will lead the conversation by providing a bird's-eye view of the state of cybersecurity professionals in the South African public sector.
Despite numerous cybersecurity academies created by corporate South Africa and universities, the availability of professionals does not match the frequency and intensity of cyberattacks, as well as the complexity of emerging threats and risks. It is predicted that to cope with the magnitude of cyberthreats in both public and private sector, South Africa needs 4 million skilled cybersecurity professionals. Expert panellists will provide insights into how we can bolster our cybersecurity capacity and cyber deterrence to achieve an international level of cyber resilience to protect national critical information infrastructure assets.
Despite numerous cybersecurity academies created by corporate South Africa and universities, the availability of professionals does not match the frequency and intensity of cyberattacks, as well as the complexity of emerging threats and risks. It is predicted that to cope with the magnitude of cyberthreats in both public and private sector, South Africa needs 4 million skilled cybersecurity professionals. Our expert panellists will provide insights into how we can bolster our cybersecurity capacity and cyber deterrence to achieve an international level of cyber resilience to protect national critical information infrastructure assets.
28 Jun, 2022
Online
Cybersecurity: How Human Networks Build Cybersecurity Capacity
14:00 – 15:00 UTC
The Internet Society and its members recognize that strengthening human capacity in the field of cybersecurity is highly important to advance a secure and trustworthy Internet. The greater our ability to strengthen human capacity in cybersecurity, the greater our chances to defend organizations, industries and nations from cyber threats and attacks.
Within this focus in mind, the Internet Society organization membership team is inviting you and your colleagues to attend the next member event: "Cybersecurity: How Human Networks Build Cybersecurity Capacity". In this panel discussion we will focus, together with high level experts, on the community building aspects that eventually enhance the cybersecurity posture. We will gather perspective from various initiatives that focus, roughly, on community, industry, and nations.
The panel will be composed of:
- Marjo Baayen: Director, Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE).
- Olaf Kolkman: Principal - Internet Technology, Policy, and Advocacy at the Internet Society.
- Gabriel Chen: Vice Chair, Cybersecurity Special Interest Group (SIG).
- Pascal Steichen: Chairman, European Cybersecurity Competence Network and Centre (ECCC)
6 Sep, 2022
Online
1st AfricaCERT CYBER DRILL: “Testing The Waters”
The Africa Computer Emergency Response Team (AfricaCERT) has completed its first annual Drill to test the capability of Computer Security Incident Response Teams in African economies from 30 June – 01 July 2021.
A Coordination team comprised of AfricaCERT, bjCSIRT (Benin), CERT-MU (Mauritius), EGCERT (Egypt), KE-CIRT (Kenya), KEYSTONE (Tunisia), tunCERT (Tunisia) organized the Drill. CERT-MU chaired this 2021 edition; the scenarios were provided by CERT-MU and EGCERT and supported by SILENSEC CYBER RANGE platform.
More information:
- africacertdrill2021pressrelease_eng5
- africacertdrill2021pressrelease_fr1
29 - 30 November 2023
Accra, Ghana
Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B) 2023: “Cyber Resilience for Development”
The inaugural Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (#GC3B), co-organized by the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), the World Bank (WB), the CyberPeace Institute, and the World Economic Forum (WEF), will take place in Accra (Ghana) on the 29th-30th November 2023 under the theme “Cyber Resilience for Development.”
Built upon four pillars – (1) Cyber Resilience for Development; (2) Collaboration to Secure the Digital Ecosystem; (3) Cyber Capacity Building for the Stability and Security of the Digital Environment; and (4) Solutions for Safeguarding Development from Digital Risks and Threats – the conference seeks to bring together decision-makers from around the world to catalyze action on mainstreaming cybersecurity, resilience, and cyber capacity building (#CCB) within the international development agenda. It also aims to raise awareness of how cybersecurity and resilience are an integral part of digital, social, and economic development as well as critical to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs).
The first-annual GC3B is anticipated to:
• Develop a demand-driven and international Global Cyber Capacity Building Agenda for cyber resilient development;
• Enhance CCB efforts by accelerating current multi-stakeholder cooperation and public-private partnerships;
• Mobilize global action, promote coordination mechanisms for CCB at the global and regional levels, and encourage funding of CCB;
• Advance good practices and tools for the protection of critical infrastructure; and
• Showcase examples from developing countries, particularly across the Global South, that have effectively incorporated cybersecurity and resilience into their development strategies and infrastructure projects and successfully coordinated external CCB funding and activities.
For more information, please email contact@gc3b.org
Themes & Topics
6 - 7 June 2022
Online
Diversifying Cyber Diplomacy
This event will be hosted by the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Bologna. The aim of the workshop is a) to bring together academia, think tanks and public and private institutions and b) to bring all the CYDIPLO network teachers and researchers together and will focus on issues including, gender issues in cyber security and diplomacy, perspectives from the global south, capacity building challenges in emerging cyberdiplomacy nations, non-traditional/non-western forms and approaches to cyberdiplomacy. As well as a series of roundtable discussions, the workshop will include talks from those actively involved in cyber diplomacy and leading academics in the field. Day 1 of the workshop will be open to the public and streamed. Day 2 will be for network researchers only and will discuss issues related to project management and development, focusing on planned deliverables such as Special Issue in an academic journal and the Handbook of Cyberdiplomacy, as well as developing teaching materials and training for the MOOC and handbook.
Outputs: The workshop will result in detailed plans for delivery of the planned Special Issue, lead to a) a workshop summary on the basis of which an issue brief on diversifying cyberdiplomacy will be published, b) help to develop the sections of the handbook pertaining to non-traditional, non-western, approaches to cyberdiplomacy, and will examine the role of countries and actors in the global south, c) discuss the material produced for the Special Issue.
Keynote speakers:
- Enrico Calandro (GFCE)
- Clare Hutchinson (NATO)
Program Day 1
- Welcome and introduction (10:30 CET)
- Keynote talk 1 – Enrico Calandro: Cyber diplomacy in Africa: challenges, priorities and perspectives (11:00)
- Roundtable 1 – Diversifying cyber diplomacy: gender issues (11:45)
- Roundtable 2 – Diversifying cyber diplomacy: South-North relations, norms contestation, and capacity-building (14:00)
- Roundtable 3 – Diversifying cyber diplomacy: cooperation or contestation? (15:30)
- Keynote talk 2 – Clare Hutchinson: Gender mainstreaming in cyber diplomacy (17:15)
Organisation
5 Jul, 2022
Geneva and Online, Switzerland
2022 Cyber Stability Conference: Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Services across Sectors (CS22)
09:15-18:00 CEST
In a world that is increasingly digitized and connected, malicious ICT activities against critical infrastructure and critical information infrastructure supporting essential services to the public are rapidly growing in scale and complexity. This worrying trend impacts individuals and societies as a whole and has the potential of threating international peace and security through national or regional destabilization as well as through a direct threat to institutions and individuals.
Protecting critical infrastructure from ICT threats is a complex and multi-layered task where different actors play interdependent and mutually supporting roles. Leveraging the rich international and digital community in Geneva, UNIDIR’s 2022 Cyber Stability Conference will provide a platform for discussion among experts and practitioners of different sectors with a view to extracting key insights that may enable further progress in multilateral discussions and support more efficient policy interventions by national governments for critical infrastructure protection.
25 May, 2022
Online
Getting it right: EU multi-stakeholder dialogue on the UN cybercrime treaty negotiation
13:00 to 14:00 CEST.
The EU Cyber Direct - EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative together with the European Commission and the European External Action Service organise the online meeting ‘Getting it right: EU multi-stakeholder dialogue on the UN cybercrime treaty negotiation’.
The United Nations negotiation of a new cybercrime treaty convenes for its second session (30 May – 10 June 2022) with the demanding task of discussing general provisions as well as criminalisation, procedural measures and law enforcement clauses. As this is the first time the UN Member States are negotiating a binding legal framework on cybercrime, the stakes are high on the scope and impact this work will have in regulating online activity and shaping international criminal justice cooperation in the digital era.
A building block to this process is the meaningful participation of diverse voices from the multi-stakeholder community and the incorporation of their input in the discussion. The European Union and its Member States have developed their contribution and, building on previous consultations, would invite an exchange of views with civil society organisations, the private sector and academia as the negotiation continues.
This virtual event will provide a venue to share insights on the EU position and stimulate a debate with non-governmental stakeholders to consult their perspectives about specific provisions and aspects of the negotiation.
Themes & Topics
Organisation
16 - 20 May 2022
31st UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ31)
From 16 to 20 May, civil society organizations and UN member states will gather in Vienna and online for the annual session of the CCPCJ.
Amid a busy season of meetings for the Vienna-based crime-focused diplomatic community, at the CCPCJ member states will consider four draft resolutions. Given the thematic focus on cybercrime in the plenary agenda and the ongoing negotiations on a new cybercrime treaty at the UN, the UK’s resolution on ‘effective national legal frameworks to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse’ will be particularly topical and shaped by the context of the treaty negotiation.
- On the 16th of May at 12:15 CEST, one of the sessions will focus on "The importance of including external perspectives in the negotiations on a UN #cybercrime treaty" with speakers Ian Tennant, H.E. Ms. Faouzia Boumaiza Mebraki, H.E. Troy Lulashnyk, Louise Marie Hurel, Joyce Hakmeh, Summer Walker and Eric do Val Lacerda Sogocio.
19 - 20 May 2022
Geneva and Online, Switzerland
Cyber PoA Multistakeholder Event: ”Advancing multi-stakeholder dialogue on the functions, responsibilities and operational requirements of a Cyber Program of Action”
Canada, The Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Cyber Peace Institute are organising a 1.5 day in-person/hybrid workshop on:
“Advancing multi-stakeholder dialogue on the functions, responsibilities and operational requirements of a Cyber Program of Action” in Geneva, Switzerland from 1pm on May 19 to close of business on May 20th, 2022.
Participants may already register through the following Google form (recommended on Chrome): https://forms.gle/6Bkx6PBvtz1TL9r99
** Note: Immediate inquiries can be directed to arthur.david@international.gc.ca
19 - 21 July 2022
Lilongwe and Online, Malawi
Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) 2022
The Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) will be hosted by the Government of Malawi under the overarching theme Internet for human resilience and solidarity. The programme was built around the four main thematic tracks: (1) Affordable and meaningful access; (2) Cybersecurity, privacy and personal data protection; (3) Digital skills & human capacity development; (4) Digital infrastructure.
The 2022 AFIGF will feature discussions on some of today’s most pressing Internet governance and digital policy issues. The programme includes over 52 sessions grouped into four main thematic tracks.
AfIGF is a platform for an inclusive multilateral, multi-stakeholder and multilingual discussion on issues pertinent to the Internet and its governance in Africa. First organised in 2011 the African Internet Governance Forum host the five (5) regional Internet Governance Forum initiatives regions of Africa.
28 Apr, 2022
Online
International cooperation on cybercrime prevention, investigation and prosecution using emerging technologies: challenges and opportunities
3PM-5PM (UTC+0)
This webinar aims to highlight avenues for international collaboration to effectively combat cybercrime committed using emerging technologies and to harness the potential of these technologies to assist the work of criminal justice authorities, and provide a platform for exchange of best practices and resources.
Carried out the GLACY+ Project in cooperation with APWG.EU, the activity aims to:
- discuss the possible challenges and opportunities regarding international cooperation to prevent, investigate and prosecute cybercrime using emerging technologies;
- present and exchange best practices and resources on international private-public cooperation on cybercrime prevention and investigation using new technologies.
At the end of the webinar, participants are expected to have:
- increased their knowledge of specific methods of international collaboration to prevent, investigate and prosecute cybercrime using new technologies;
- acquired information about best practices, real-life cases, opportunities and challenges in international cooperation on cybercrime using new technologies;
- become aware of the types of support available through global capacity-building initiatives.
This webinar will be particularly useful for policymakers responsible for cybercrime policies and legislation; representatives in charge of cooperation with LEAs; criminal justice practitioners; and representatives of the private sector.
Themes & Topics
Organisation
11 - 12 November 2022
Paris, France
Paris Peace Forum
The Paris Peace Forum is held every November in Paris with the aim to place global governance at the top of the international agenda. Stakeholders discuss global governance issues and cooperate on solutions through three spaces:
- Space for Solutions: Presenting solutions for incremental change. All organizations can present their global governance project to a wide variety of stakeholders to showcase results and advance the initiative.
- Space for Debates: Discussing solutions rather than problems. Stakeholders discuss projects, initiatives, and ideas to address the challenges of our world.
- Space for Innovations: Developing digital prototypes. Experts help create technological solutions for the world of tomorrow.
Organisation
28 Apr, 2022
Online
Cyber Diplomacy Webinar Overview: “Priorities and perspectives on cyber diplomacy from Africa”
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM SAST/CET (UTC+2)
This webinar aims to assist in conceptualising cyber diplomacy in Africa through a multistakeholder approach. Recent discussions at the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) level saw the UN connecting cybersecurity with development. Cyber diplomacy includes efforts made by nations to shape, at the global level, the governance of cyberspace to prevent or penalise cyber operations. Since cyber diplomacy is at the centre of navigating challenges and negative consequences of digitalisation, it is becoming a priority also for African countries. Therefore, African nations need to include cyber diplomacy in their national development plans.
Building on what was agreed during the first OEWG, the panellists at the roundtable will discuss the following:
1. In what ways and to what degree are African nations participating in that debate?
2. Do African countries have enough capacity to meaningfully engage in cyber diplomacy? How can that capacity be built?
3. What are some of the priorities and positions of African countries in multilateral debates about cybersecurity?
4. What are the underlying assumptions upon which debates on peace and stability in cyberspace are predicated? Do they reflect the African reality on cyber stability and digital sovereignty?
5. Does the final report of the OEWG reflect African priorities on peace and stability in cyberspace? What else is needed?
6. Have civil society organisations from Africa been involved in these processes? What role can they play in cyber diplomacy?
10 - 11 May 2022
Online
Caribbean Energy Sector Cybersecurity Forum
May 10th 10AM to 5PM EST and May 11th 10AM to 5:30PM EST
Cyberattacks are posing an increasing threat to the Caribbean’s energy sector. In light of this, from May 10th to May 11th, 2022, USAID’s Caribbean Energy Sector Cybersecurity Forum will convene energy sector stakeholders, cybersecurity experts, international aid organizations, and those looking to expand their cyber knowledge and capabilities to learn, grow, and network across the two days of the Forum. With events for all levels of cyber awareness, this forum is intended enhance the Caribbean energy sector’s security and capacity to manage the growing risk of cyberattacks.
The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Strengthening Utilities and Promoting Energy Reform (SUPER) program is focused on enhancing energy sector cybersecurity in the Caribbean region.
The registration and landing page can be found here: https://caribbeancybersecurityforum.vfairs.com/
4 May, 2022
Hybrid (Campus Biotech, Université de Genève and Online), Switzerland
Masterclass: “What is the role of philanthropy in advancing cyberpeace” ?
The proliferation of cloud-based technologies coupled with the move to remote work during the pandemic has dramatically increased the attack surface for cybercriminals. Overall, more than 50 per cent of NGOs now report that a cyberattack has targeted them. One of the reasons is that nonprofits often possess valuable data about donors, clients and employees but may be less likely than for-profit organisations to have modern cybersecurity programs in place.
These factors combine to create a perfect storm for both philanthropies and nonprofits trying to keep up. To thwart malicious actors, organisations in the philanthropy space need to focus on standard security practices and their unique vulnerabilities, from the bottom to the top.
What kinds of attacks are nonprofits facing? Why ensure proper cybersecurity programs is critical for nonprofit funders? How could philanthropy actors contribute to changing cyberspace and shape cyberpeace?
Those questions will be addressed by Fabien Leimgruber and Ottavia Galuzzi from the CyberPeace Institute, along with Prof. Giuseppe Ugazio, from the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations Chair in Behavioural Philanthropy (University of Geneva).
