CADE Capacity Development Programme for CSOs 2025–2026 Technical Knowledge Track

Cybersecurity has become a defining policy issue of the digital age. Once confined to technical specialists, it now shapes how nations safeguard critical infrastructure, how companies manage risk, and how people exercise their rights online. For CSOs, cybersecurity is a policy field that links technology, rights, and international cooperation. Decisions about what to protect, who is responsible, and how to balance security with transparency and accountability all have far-reaching consequences for civic space and human rights.

Cybersecurity Policy for CSOs equips participants with the understanding and skills needed to engage constructively in cybersecurity debates, promote accountability, and contribute to secure and inclusive digital governance. 

The course forms part of the Technical Knowledge Track, within the CADE Capacity Development Programme for CSOs 2025–2026, which strengthens the capacity of CSOs,  especially in the Global South, to participate effectively in digital policy processes. It combines conceptual learning with practical application: understanding how cybersecurity is defined and governed; how law and diplomacy support stability; how cooperation combats cybercrime and protects users; and how rights-based approaches ensure that security strengthens, rather than constrains, civic space.

Over four modules, participants explore the key dimensions of cybersecurity governance:

  • Module 1. Understanding cybersecurity and its policy dimensions
  • Module 2. Cybersecurity, international peace and stability
  • Module 3. Cybercrime, online safety and international cooperation
  • Module 4. Building inclusive and rights-based cybersecurity governance

Each module combines policy concepts with applied exercises and culminates in a short assignment that builds towards a complete advocacy proposal.

Participants who successfully complete the course receive a Certificate of Completion and may continue their learning journey by advancing to the next stage of the programme: Diplomacy and Negotiations for CSOs.