We are pleased to announce an open call for applications from Africa, Asia and South America to participate in an applied training programme on cyber policy issues as part of Global Partners Digital’s cyber capacity building programme.  

We are looking for civil society actors interested in engaging in cyber policymaking processes and building their expertise on cyber policy, human rights and strategic advocacy.

Launched earlier this year, the programme is focused on making cyber policymaking processes around the world more inclusive by building capacity and advocacy skills, and fostering stronger collaboration in developing rights-respecting cyber policies.

THE TRAINING

The training will build the capacity of civil society participants to increase their knowledge on cyber policy issues and improve their advocacy skills to bring a human rights perspective to policymaking debates.

Up to 50 participants from Africa, Asia and South America will be selected to participate in the overall training programme, which will consist of two stages:

• Online training: a series of videos and accompanying interactive Q&A sessions covering the different modules of the curriculum outlined below (June-July).
• In-person training: led by experts, providing practical advocacy and communication skills, tailored to regional needs (September-October).

The curriculum will focus on topical cyber policy issues from a human rights perspective, and cover a range of issues including cybersecurity, human rights, regulatory frameworks & policymaking processes, and capacity building. In order to inform concrete advocacy efforts, it will aim to build substantive knowledge on cyber policy debates in Africa, Asia and South America, coupled with the practical advocacy and communication skills needed to engage in these debates. 

Successful graduates of the overall programme will also be considered for limited funding opportunities over the course of 2017 to pursue advocacy activities on cyber policy issues.

The online curriculum and Q&A sessions are designed to be a public resource and will be open to anyone interested.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply for the training programme, please fill out this form. The deadline to submit expressions of interest is midnight UTC, June 23. 

Successful applicants will be notified within 10 days of the application deadline.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

The selected candidates must provide a clear motivation for participating in the programme, including outlining how they intend to use the knowledge and skills gained in their future work in cyber policy.  

In order to qualify for financial support to attend the in-person training, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be a civil society actor, from Africa, Asia or South America
• Be interested in engaging in cyber policy debates
• Be interested in applying the knowledge and skills gained practically in future advocacy
• Participate in all sessions of the online training programme (June-July)

Applications will be balanced with regard to gender and geographical diversity. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Project Coordinator Daniela Schnidrig (daniela@gp-digital.org).