Background
Strengthening the global cyber diplomacy engagement and debate is one of the key factors contributing towards the global implementation of the UN framework for responsible state behaviour. But with a rapidly expanding range of international issues on the cyber diplomacy agenda, it is important to ensure that all stakeholders have access to the relevant knowledge and background of these processes as well as skills to meaningfully engage in those conversations. To support that goal, the EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative – EU Cyber Direct launches the EU:CD Fellowship for Junior and Mid-Level Experts from partner countries that will run from September 2022 to October 2024.
Objectives of the EU:CD Fellowship
The main purpose of the EU:CD Fellowship is to support partner countries and non-governmental stakeholders to engage in international cyber diplomacy debates through addressing development of skills and knowledge at the individual level. The Fellowship will pay particular attention to knowledge transfer among the Fellows in order to build relationships and strengthen North-South and South-South cooperation. Some of the issues that the Fellowship will address include:
- The UN framework for responsible state behaviour;
- Regional and multilateral approaches to countering cybercrime;
- International frameworks for strengthening cyber resilience;
- International digital cooperation, including standardisation and data governance;
- Global governance of emerging disruptive technologies.
It is expected that at the end of the EU:CD Programme, the Fellows will be able to:
- Identify and discuss key policy dilemmas across various cyber, digital and tech issues;
- Identify and engage with stakeholders at national, regional and international level;
- Shape domestic policies in the domains covered during the Programme;
- Contribute to strengthening national and/or regional perspectives on cyber and digital issues, including through official submissions to international organisations, written opinion pieces or presentations during workshops;
- Transmit the acquired knowledge to other members of the national ecosystem or a stakeholder group.
Structure of the EU:CD Fellowship Programme
The EU:CD Fellowship Programme will be comprised of four main pillars:
- Knowledge building: Fellows will be invited to participate in targeted online sessions related to the main themes of the Programme. In particular, Fellows will have a unique opportunity to interact with senior officials from the EU and member states.
- Skills enhancement: Fellows will have the opportunity to strengthen their competencies in policy analysis, negotiation, public speaking and writing through a series of workshops and lectures delivered by leading experts and academics in the field.
- Representation broadening: Selected Fellows will obtain support to prepare and participate in a session of the OEWG (New York), a session of the AHC on cybercrime (Vienna) as well as another major international cyber-related event in Europe. Please note that in the case of government officials, participation in some of these meetings might be subject to accreditation from a respective national government and require approval from the employer.
- Mentorship: Each Fellow will have an opportunity to benefit from mentorship by a senior government official or expert collaborating with the EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Fellowship, the candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Be a national of a country from one of the regions: non-EU members of the Eastern European Group (EEG), Africa Group, Latin America and the Caribbean Group (GRULAC), Asia Pacific Group (APG);
- Clear relevance of cyber and/or digital developments at national, regional or international level for current employment or line of work;
- Proven working knowledge of English.
- Selected candidates are expected to make arrangements with their place of employment in order to secure their participation in various meetings. Please note that there is no obligation to participate in all the meetings.
Selection Criteria
Applications for the Fellowship are now closed. The EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative team will select up to eight Fellows each year, with the first cohort 2022/23 expected to start in September 2022. Selected individuals will be informed about the outcome by the end of August 2022. The selection process will take into account the need to ensure diversity in terms of regional representation, age, gender, race, and professional background.
*Please Note* The call for applications for the 2024 Fellowship will be open from 08 November until 4 December 2023. You can find the application form here.
