The Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) Institute revealed today the strategic targets of HRH the Crown Prince’s two global initiatives: Child Protection in Cyberspace (CPC) and Women Empowerment in Cybersecurity (WEC).
The announcement came during the GCF Annual Meeting 2024, hosted in Riyadh from October 2-3 under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
Protecting children in cyberspace and empowering women in the field of cybersecurity are among the biggest challenges facing the global community in this vital and important sector. The global initiatives instated by HRH the Crown Prince aim to advance collective action and unify international efforts around these issues by increasing global awareness among decision-makers regarding the growing threats to children in cyberspace; strengthening the global response through international cooperation around child protection in cyberspace; and addressing the challenges that underlie the low participation of women and the growing shortage of speciali
sts in the field of cybersecurity – thereby strengthening cybersecurity globally.
The CPC initiative is particularly important given the escalating global threats and the limited readiness of nations to counter them. Only 14% of countries have established a national strategy to protect children in cyberspace, while about 72% of children around the world have experienced at least one cyber threat.
In 2022, GCF conducted a global study of child protection, ‘Why Children are Unsafe in Cyberspace,’ in which more than 40,000 people from 24 countries in six global regions participated. The study increased the understanding of this important topic and, by identifying global needs, allowed for the creation of integrated strategies, national frameworks, guiding principles, and cross-border projects.
The CPC initiative has already achieved results at the global level through capacity building programs for parents, mentors, and policy makers, as well as other stakeholders. More than 720 government agencies around the
world participated in these capacity building programs.
GCF also launched a new program with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), titled ‘Towards a Secure and Prosperous Cyberspace for Children’, which resulted in designing guidelines for protecting children in cyberspace in 25 languages, covering various regions of the world.
The CPC initiative seeks to achieve ambitious goals at the global level, through reaching more than 150 million children, developing cyber safety skills for more than 16 million beneficiaries, and supporting the implementation of child protection in cyberspace frameworks in more than 50 countries.
The WEC initiative, meanwhile, is a response to the urgent need to address the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals, particularly in light of the rapidly evolving cyberspace and the growing significance of cybersecurity in supporting all sectors. More than half of institutions and organizations lack specialized cybersecurity human resources, while the percentage of wom
en working at these organizations does not exceed 25%, making empowering women a key workforce priority.
The GCF international study carried out under this initiative, ‘Empowering Women to Work in Cybersecurity is a Win-Win’, saw the participation of more than 3,000 specialists in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics from 26 countries across six regions worldwide. It focused on the barriers preventing women to enter the cybersecurity workforce and lays out practical pathways to narrowing the workforce gap.
GCF also launched a new mentorship program under the WEC initiative to assist women in cybersecurity in building and sustaining influential leadership roles within the field. The Cyber Leadership Launchpad aims to contribute to a safer, more resilient cyberspace by tapping into women’s full potential in the sector, and will host a number of international women leaders to share stories and experiences with the aim of helping women advance in leadership roles in cybersecurity.
The
WEC initiative seeks to achieve ambitious global objectives by unleashing the full potential of women in cybersecurity and raising awareness and knowledge of cybersecurity for over six million students. It also aims to develop the skills of four million students in the field of cybersecurity worldwide, and offer specialized training and guidance programs to more than 30,000 employees globally.
The GCF Institute, established last year by Royal Order as a global, independent, non-profit organization, is overseeing the implementation of these two global initiatives as part of its broader mission is to enhance global cyber resilience through fostering collaboration, purposeful dialogue, and impactful initiatives.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
