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Cybersecurity Governance

DCAF Europe and Central Asia Cybersecurity Governance Programme promotes effective and accountable cybersecurity governance and cybersecurity policy-making, which involves state, the private sector, the technical community, and civil society representatives.

DCAF has been working on cybersecurity for over a decade, applying principles of good governance to cybersecurity. We work on national cybersecurity systems which are dynamic, responsive to needs of citizens, inclusive, accountable and effective.

Ambassador Thomas Guerber, Director, DCAF

Workstreams/Projects

The Cybersecurity Governance Programme implements projects that focus on improving cybersecurity governance, increasing capacities and resilience of CERTs and cybersecurity regional cooperation in the Western Balkans in partnership with organisations, such as ITU, FIRST, OSCE, GFCE and the EU.

From 3 to 5 March 2021, DCAF organised the High-level conference on cybersecurity resilience and capacity building in the Western Balkans with over 220 attendees.

The conference consisted of three panels discussing cyber resilience and cybersecurity capacity building in the public sector and international cooperation in cybersecurity capacity building.

The conference gathered Ministers and State Secretaries, institutions in charge of cybersecurity incident response and prevention (CERTs/CSIRTs), representatives of EU institutions, international and regional organisations, experts, academics, and private sector representatives.

For more information on the conference, please see Cyber Resilience and Cybersecurity Capacity Building in the Western Balkans.

DCAF supports the development of national cybersecurity law and policy and promoting good governance in cybersecurity through multi-stakeholder engagement across public and private sectors.

This includes expert advice on draft laws and strategies as well as assessments and expertise on improving national cybersecurity governance.

In particular, DCAF has contributed to several initiatives that bring together national cybersecurity stakeholders from the public and the private sector to discuss their roles and responsibilities and ways of increasing multi-stakeholder cooperation in cybersecurity.

DCAF works on enhancing the individual and institutional capacities of national Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in the Western Balkan region to effectively and efficiently prevent and react to attacks on national systems.

Through providing certified trainings for CERT staff, facilitating international cyber drills and conferences, as well as peer exchange we are helping a technical community in the WB region to gain adequate knowledge and improve capacities needed for effective cybersecurity incident handling.

Publications and further reading

DCAF supports regional cooperation and exchanges between Western Balkan policy and technical communities to enhance trust and develop models for cooperation.

By building regional cooperation and partnerships we are creating a network of trust between institutions, decision makers and IT professionals that can work together in increasing regional cybersecurity resilience.

DCAF supports cybersecurity actors in the Western Balkans to organise cybersecurity awareness raising campaigns aimed at wider social groups and individuals with the aim of influencing cybersecurity behavioural change.

Together with Western Balkan national CERTs we developed innovative awareness raising campaign strategies and materials for multimedia and digital tools. We support efforts of cybersecurity institutions in the WB to better communicate the importance of cyber protection particularly focusing on the issues of personal data protection, securing business continuity, rising awareness of cyber threats such are online scams and frauds

Watch all the animated short clips of the campaign on our YouTube channel

Watch all the videos of the campaign on our YouTube channel

Download and print the posters to raise awareness about cybersecurity around you

DCAF publishes knowledge and evidence-based cybersecurity policy research, analysis and studies on cybersecurity policy related topics relevant at regional and international level. Through our Young Faces programme, we work on promoting cybersecurity policy research and knowledge sharing among young professional across the Central and Eastern Europe region, aiming to involve young leaders to explore and engage in cybersecurity network of expertise.

DCAF Cybersecurity Governance projects:

Enhancing Cybersecurity Governance in the Western Balkans (April 2018 - March 2021), funded by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Supporting good governance and public-private partnership in cybersecurity in Serbia (October 2019- October 2020), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Needs assessment and table-top cyber security exercise for governmental information assurance institutions of Montenegro (December 2017 to 31 March 2018), funded by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Supporting Rule of Law by Enhancing Information Assurance Capacities of the Serbian Ministry of Interior (March - September 2017), funded by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).