GCF Institute Reveals Strategic Targets For HRH The Crown Prince's Child Protection And Women Empowerment Initiatives

The Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) Institute has unveiled the strategic objectives of two global initiatives led by HRH the Crown Prince: Child Protection in Cyberspace (CPC) and Women Empowerment in Cybersecurity (WEC). This announcement was made during the GCF Annual Meeting 2024, held in Riyadh from October 2–3, under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' patronage.

These initiatives aim to tackle significant challenges in cybersecurity, such as safeguarding children online and empowering women in this field. They focus on raising awareness among decision-makers about threats to children in cyberspace and enhancing international cooperation for child protection. Additionally, they address the low participation of women and the shortage of specialists in cybersecurity, aiming to strengthen global cybersecurity efforts.

The CPC initiative is crucial due to increasing global threats and inadequate national readiness. Only 14% of countries have a national strategy for child protection online, while 72% of children worldwide have faced cyber threats. In 2022, GCF conducted a study titled ‘Why Children are Unsafe in Cyberspace,’ involving over 40,000 participants from 24 countries across six regions. This study helped identify global needs and develop strategies, frameworks, principles, and cross-border projects.

The CPC initiative has achieved significant results globally through capacity-building programs for parents, mentors, policymakers, and other stakeholders. Over 720 government agencies worldwide participated in these programs. GCF also launched a program with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), titled ‘Towards a Secure and Prosperous Cyberspace for Children,’ which resulted in guidelines for protecting children online available in 25 languages.

The WEC initiative addresses the urgent need to fill the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals. More than half of institutions lack specialized human resources in cybersecurity, with women making up less than 25% of this workforce. The GCF study ‘Empowering Women to Work in Cybersecurity is a Win-Win’ involved over 3,000 specialists from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields across 26 countries. It identified barriers preventing women from entering cybersecurity and suggested practical solutions to narrow this gap.

A mentorship program under WEC helps women build leadership roles within cybersecurity. The Cyber Leadership Launchpad aims to create a safer cyberspace by harnessing women's potential. It will host international women leaders who will share experiences to help others advance into leadership roles within cybersecurity.

The CPC initiative aims to reach over 150 million children globally by developing cyber safety skills for more than 16 million beneficiaries. It also supports implementing child protection frameworks across more than 50 countries. Meanwhile, the WEC initiative seeks to unleash women's full potential in cybersecurity by raising awareness among over six million students and developing skills for four million students worldwide.

Additionally, WEC plans to offer specialized training and guidance programs to more than 30,000 employees globally. These efforts are part of GCF's broader mission to enhance global cyber resilience through collaboration and impactful initiatives.

The GCF Institute was established last year as an independent non-profit organization by Royal Order. It oversees these initiatives as part of its mission to foster collaboration and purposeful dialogue while enhancing global cyber resilience.

With inputs from SPA