Global Forum on Cyber Expertise

Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
Name	Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
Abbreviation	GFCE
Formation	2015
Type	International network
Headquarters	The Hague
Region served	Global

Contents

Global Forum on Cyber Expertise The Global Forum on Cyber Expertise is an international network that coordinates capacity building among actors such as Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, Council of Europe, European Commission, and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. It brings together stakeholders from United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United States Department of State, Estonia Ministry of Defence, Japan Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Germany Federal Foreign Office and organizations like Interpol, Europol, World Bank, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to advance cyber capacity development globally.

Overview

The forum was launched following consultations involving delegations from Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United States Department of State, Estonia Ministry of Defence, and representatives from European Commission and NATO. Founding partners included Interpol, Europol, International Telecommunication Union, World Bank, and academic contributors from Leiden University, University of Oxford, Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford University Cyber Policy Center, and University of Cambridge. Early meetings referenced frameworks such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, Tallinn Manual, and policies advanced by Group of Seven and Group of Twenty leaders.

The forum's mission aligns with recommendations from United Nations General Assembly resolutions on cybersecurity and with technical standards promulgated by International Organization for Standardization, Internet Engineering Task Force, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Objectives include facilitating exchanges among practitioners from Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands), United States Department of Homeland Security, UK National Cyber Security Centre, French National Cybersecurity Agency, and regional bodies like Pacific Islands Forum. It emphasizes linkages with capacity programs by United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Office for Project Services, African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and civil society organizations such as Electronic Frontier Foundation, Access Now, and ZERO.

Initiatives include working groups and projects modeled on collaborations with NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, Interpol Cybercrime Directorate, and technical collaborations with MITRE Corporation, Security and Exchange Commission (U.S.) policy partners, and research from Oxford Internet Institute, Berkman Klein Center, and Data & Society Research Institute. The forum supports capacity activities like national strategy assistance similar to programs by Estonia e-Governance Academy, Cyber Readiness Institute, and training delivered with partners including SANS Institute, ENISA, Infosec Institute, Commonwealth Secretariat, and Asia-Pacific Telecommunity. It coordinates thematic tracks on incident response used by FIRST, US-CERT, UK CERT-UK, and law enforcement cooperation paralleling Europol EC3 operations.

Governance is led by a steering group comprising representatives from founding states and organizations such as Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United States Department of State, European Commission, NATO, Interpol, and World Bank. Membership spans national agencies like Australia Department of Home Affairs, Canada Communications Security Establishment, India Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and municipal actors like City of Amsterdam and City of Tallinn; private members include Microsoft, Google, Cisco Systems, KPMG, and Deloitte. Academic and think-tank members include Clingendael Institute, Chatham House, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and German Marshall Fund.

The forum has been credited with facilitating projects in partnership with United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and regional bodies like African Union and Organisation of American States to support national cyber strategies, workforce development, and incident response capacity. Critics within European Parliament think-pieces and commentators from Electronic Frontier Foundation and Access Now have argued the forum privileges state and corporate actors such as Microsoft and Google over grassroots digital-rights groups, and auditability concerns were raised in analyses by Transparency International and Open Rights Group. Debates also reference comparative evaluations by RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, Chatham House, and Center for a New American Security.

Funding and partnerships include contributions from national agencies like Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United States Department of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sweden), and multilateral institutions such as World Bank, European Commission, and NATO. Corporate partners include Microsoft, Google, Cisco Systems, IBM, Amazon Web Services, Facebook, VISA, and consultancies like PwC, KPMG, and Deloitte. Collaborative research and program delivery have involved Leiden University, University of Oxford, Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford University Cyber Policy Center, Clingendael Institute, Chatham House, and technical standards bodies including Internet Engineering Task Force, International Organization for Standardization, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Category:Cybersecurity organizations