Frequently Asked Questions

Please find below the answers of our most frequently asked questions. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please don’t hesitate to email: contact@thegfce.org.

Members & Partners

The added value of joining the GFCE is: 

  • Being part of a global network and platform; 
  • Access to the good practices and expertise of the GFCE Working Groups; 
  • Enhance international cooperation and collaboration in the cyber domain through facilitated coordination to reduce overlap (i.e. several entities conducting the same training in the same place);
  • A multistakeholder community including national governments, intergovernmental organizations, international organizations, private companies, civil society, the technical community and academia;

• Accessible organization with a low threshold and no membership or partnership fee. 

GFCE members are countries, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and private companies. GFCE members have the resources and commitment to contribute to cyber capacity building activities.

Partners are experts from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, academia and the tech community who are endorsed by GFCE members to participate in the GFCE.

Countries, intergovernmental organizations, international organizations and private companies are eligible to become a GFCE member.

Membership is free of charge, but active participation is expected and encouraged. This could be: joining and engaging in the GFCE Working Groups, attending GFCE Meetings, and contributing either in-kind or financially to one or more cyber capacity building activities or processes within the GFCE.

Membership procedure

To apply for membership, please submit a request and confirm that you endorse the founding documents of the GFCE: 

  1. the Hague Declaration 
  2. Framework of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
  3. Delhi Communique

Endorsement of these documents should be confirmed by a high-level national representative (e.g. via email from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). 

Applications for membership are received by the GFCE Secretariat and considered based on their merit, expectations of joining the GFCE and what their added value is to the GFCE ecosystem.

To apply for membership or for more information, please email the GFCE Secretariat at contact@thegfce.org.

Non-governmental organizations, civil society, the technical community and academia can become an official partner of the GFCE. Your organization is eligible for partnership if at least one GFCE Member recommends or endorses you as a GFCE Partner. There is no fee to become a GFCE Partner, but active participation is expected.

Partnership procedure

Applications for partnership are received by the GFCE Secretariat and considered based on their merit, expectations of joining the GFCE, and what their added value is to the GFCE ecosystem. Please note that an endorsement from at least one GFCE member is required.

To apply partnership or for more information, please mail the GFCE Secretariat at contact@thegfce.org.

Get involved

When you support the GFCE, you are joining us in strengthening cyber capacity and expertise globally. There are many ways to support us but here are some ideas:

  • Join the GFCE as a Member or Partner and actively participate in GFCE Working Group(s);
  • Provide funding to the GFCE Foundation;
  • Share projects, tools, publications and events related to cyber capacity building for Cybil;
  • Follow us on our social media accounts;
  • Spread the GFCE word in your network.

Funds we receive will support the core functions of the GFCE (and the Secretariat) including helping realize the Clearing House function, organizing global and regional events, and supporting the GFCE Community and processes that deliver the GFCE mission.

Your funds can also be earmarked for a specific project; for example:

  • Research projects (under the GFCE Global Research Agenda);
  • Helping countries attend GFCE events;
  • The Cybil knowledge portal; 
  • Smaller capacity building projects, such as a workshops and pilots.

GFCE Foundation

The Foundation, overseen by an international Foundation Board, is a vehicle that enables the GFCE to grow sustainably, become even more internationalized and accept funding from multiple donors. 

It opens a new channel for countries to support global cyber capacity building by supporting the core activities of the GFCE and the functions of the GFCE Secretariat; this was not possible before due to the GFCE’s structure. This is crucial for the GFCE to achieve greater success and fortify its position as the global coordinating platform for cyber capacity building.

GFCE Secretariat

Point of contact

  • The Secretariat is the point of contact for all GFCE Members and Partners and is responsible for keeping an updated GFCE contact list. 
  • The Secretariat is the point of contact for potential GFCE Members and Partners and processes all new membership requests.
  • The Secretariat is the point of contact for all general questions regarding the GFCE.

 

Supporting the GFCE Community and Facilitating GFCE Working Groups

The Secretariat offers administrative and logistical support to the GFCE Community and GFCE Working Groups to achieve success in their cyber capacity building endeavours. This includes organizing GFCE Meetings globally and exploring sponsorship possibilities where necessary; and organizing side-events at relevant Meetings for stakeholders in the community. 

Each of the Working Groups is assigned and supported by a representative in the Secretariat who is responsible for facilitating the Working Groups, its activities and deliverables.

Matching supply and demand

The Secretariat facilitates (further) collaboration between GFCE Members and Partners and exchange of cyber expertise by bringing stakeholders who are working on similar projects together and supporting the recruitment of other interested members and partners. 

The Secretariat also receives Clearing House requests and is responsible for facilitating the GFCE’s ‘match-making role’ by ensuring that requests meet the criterion to enter the clearing house, bringing the requests to the relevant Working Groups, gathering interested potential donors and implementers, and supporting the beneficiary in choosing a donor and implementer.

Information sharing

The Secretariat facilitates information sharing within the GFCE community and beyond:

  • The Secretariat manages the GFCE website and is responsible for keeping all information up to date;
  • The Secretariat uploads and shares information within the GFCE Community on the dedicated GFCE Microsoft Teams channels and in mailings to the Community;
  • The Secretariat facilitates the Working Groups to identify content for Cybil, the online cyber capacity building knowledge portal which has a broad repository of global capacity building projects, tools, publications, actors and events.

GFCE Working Groups

The GFCE Working Groups were established as a new structure in the GFCE in 2018. In the Working Groups, Members and Partners work together and collaborate on topics that fall under the Group’s broad theme, as prioritized in the Delhi Communiqué on a Global Agenda for Cyber Capacity Building. These themes are: Cyber Security Policy and Strategy, Cyber Incident Management and Critical Infrastructure Protection, Cybercrime, Cyber Security Culture and Skills, Cyber Security Standards.

Today, the Working Groups delivers the GFCE’s mission by being the engine and lifeforce of the GFCE, involving over 85% of the Community. For coherence and synergy, the work and common deliverables of all Working Groups are divided across the same four pillars: Coordination, Knowledge sharing, Clearing House and Cyber Capacity Building Research Agenda.

Members and Partners of the GFCE are highly encouraged to join the GFCE Working Groups to collaborate on specific themes and topics related to cyber capacity building. 

There is no limit to the number of Working Groups you can join; it is completely based on the Member or Partner’s own interest and expertise.

To join a Working Group, please email the GFCE Secretariat at contact@thegfce.org with the name and contact details of two (2) focal points. We advise that at least one of the two focal points have a background related to the Working Group’s theme to maximize the value of participation.

Please note that you must be a Member or Partner in order to join a Working Group.

GFCE Clearing House

If you require assistance in one or several aspects of cyber capacity building, please submit a formal request to the GFCE Secretariat at contact@thegfce.org. The GFCE Secretariat will be able to guide you with the next steps on the Clearing House process.

Please note that at this time, we are only able to provide support to Members and Partners of the GFCE Community.

If you are able to provide funds and expertise, please get in touch with the GFCE Secretariat at contact@thegfce.org. If you would like to earmark your funds for a specific project with a thematic and/or geographical focus, please include this information in your email. 

Initiatives

GFCE initiatives can have a geographic and/or thematic focus and may be initiated within the GFCE Working Groups or externally. 

Initiatives must be supported by at least two GFCE members and established within the parameters of the GFCE principles. Members can invite others in the GFCE community, as well as stakeholders in cyber capacity building outside the GFCE network, to start or participate in an initiative; this may include a funding request. 

The initiators will coordinate the activities and are responsible for the progress, while the Secretariat provides support by connecting demand and supply and shares the outcomes of the initiatives.