Strengthening South African-Dutch cyber cooperation through training

From 2 till 5 September, Clingendael Academy cyber experts Anne Aagten and Gijs van Loon delivered a Cyber Diplomacy course at South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in Pretoria. The course was organised in close cooperation with DIRCO and the Dutch embassy in Pretoria.  

Thirty-one participants took part in the in-person training course, with an additional group of fifteen following the lectures through a livestream.  

The cyber diplomacy course started with an introduction to the international cyber threat landscape and a cyber risk assessment for South Africa. The following days focused on ways in which diplomats from South Africa can contribute to mitigating those identified risks and threats, including through enhancing the UN normative framework, engaging in initiatives for international and regional cooperation, and increasing accountability in cyberspace. Participants moreover engaged in a Q&A with a South African cyber expert and a Dutch cyber diplomat.  

New session

The Clingendael trainers included a new session with newly developed scenarios on the applicability of international law in cyberspace. This is especially important as in 2024, the African Union published its common position on the applicability of international law to the use of information and communication technologies in cyberspace.  

We thank DIRCO, the Dutch embassy in Pretoria, the speakers, and all participants for their contributions to this fruitful exchange on important contemporary challenges and opportunities in cyberspace.  

Clingendael course (in Dutch)

Would you like to join a Clingendael Cyber Course? Check out our open enrolment course: Cursus Cyberveiligheid en Cyber Governance.