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Her CyberTracks initiative 2026—Fourth Edition

Applications are closed

Mentors

Her CyberTracks invites experienced cybersecurity professionals from around the world to support the advancement of women in cybersecurity. Mentors should demonstrate proven expertise in the field and ideally hold senior or managerial positions across the public, private, justice, academic, or civil society sectors.

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Applications are closed

Eligibility Criteria

Her CyberTracks is being offered specifically to women residing in targeted countries in Africa, the Americas, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, CIS and Europe. With an approach concentrating on regional participation, the programme aims to provide women with support in their local cybersecurity communities. A limited number of sponsorships are available per region to support participants in their travels to regional onsite training activities.

Target countries:

Africa: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Americas: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay.

Arab States: Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia.

Asia and the Pacific: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam.

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): Armenia.

Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine.

To be eligible to participate in the Her CyberTracks initiative, interested women must meet the following criteria and requirements:

Policy & Diplomacy CyberTrack: Minimum 2-3 years’ experience in the fields of policymaking/diplomacy, preferably in the fields of technology, cybersecurity and/or peace and security, or in technical cybersecurity fields.&
Incident Response CyberTrack: Participants must have a minimum of 2-3 years’ experience in IT/network systems administration or at least 1 year experience working in a public sector or (private) critical infrastructure sectors’ computer emergency response team or security operations centre. Participants should have basic system admin network skills and knowledge of Linux or Windows.
Criminal Justice CyberTrack: Minimum 2-3 years’ experience in the criminal justice sector (e.g. prosecutors, law enforcement, lawyer, etc.)
Cyber & AI CyberTrack: Minimum 2-3 years’ experience in the fields of policymaking or diplomacy, preferably in the fields of technology, cybersecurity and/or peace and security. Women in technical roles interested in the intersection of cyber and AI policy/governance
The programme will be held in English. Participants must have a good working knowledge of English.
Willingness and ability to allocate circa 10–15 hours per month for the duration of the programme.
There are no age restrictions.

Our CyberTracks

Policy & Diplomacy CyberTrack Who should sign up: Women working in cybersecurity, policymaking, ICT/digital, peace and security Women in technical roles wishing to enter policy/diplomacy roles	Incident Response CyberTrack Who should sign up: Women working in IT with basic understanding of cybersecurity and wishing to enter cybersecurity Women at entry-level working in CERT/SOC teams	Criminal Justice CyberTrack (implemented by UNODC) Who should sign up: Women working in the criminal justice sector involved in or aiming to enter cybersecurity and countering cybercrime fields	Cyber and AI CyberTrack Who should sign up: Women in policy (cyber, ICT, peace & security) Women in technical roles interested in the intersection of cyber and AI policy/governance.
What you will learn: Concepts, themes, developments and processes of cybersecurity policy and diplomacy Practical, hands-on training in soft skills used in negotiation, and leadership techniques Professional networking, cross-regional collaboration and information-sharing	What you will learn: Foundations of cybersecurity concepts; basic incident response skills to allow entry-level responders to contribute effectively in a crisis Practical tools and techniques commonly used in incident response AI-enhanced incident management and its risks Soft skills, such as communication and teamwork	What you will learn: Cybercrime typologies and legal frameworks in order to understand and contribute to cybercrime cases, investigations and prosecutions Practical, hands-on training to develop a set of skills in cybercrime investigation Soft skills, such as communication and teamwork Human rights. AI and ethical digital investigations	What you will learn: Intersection of Cybersecurity & AI Fundamentals and key concepts of AI Risks and opportunities presented by AI in the cybersecurity landscape Evaluate existing and emerging policies and regulations related to cybersecurity and AI Understand and apply cybersecurity and AI frameworks to assess organisation's readiness International cooperation on cybersecurity and AI issues
Eligible regions: Africa, selected countries in the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, CIS and Europe	Eligible regions: Africa, selected countries in the Americas, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, CIS and Europe	Eligible regions: Africa and selected countries from the Arab States	Eligible regions: Africa and selected countries from the Arab States

About Her CyberTracks

Her CyberTracks promotes the full, equal, and meaningful representation of women in cybersecurity by equipping women with the necessary skills and mindset to succeed in the field. It is poised to propel the next generation of women in cybersecurity into roles of leadership, ensuring that their voices and expertise shape the future of this critical field.

The initiative, launched in 2023, is funded by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office and the European Union Commission, with contributions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy (MAECI) and co-implemented by the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), in partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Latin America and Caribbean Cyber Competence Centre (LAC4).

Her CyberTracks delivers targeted cybersecurity capacity-building activities for women through a five-month structured training curriculum. It combines technical and policy-focused cybersecurity training, networking opportunities and tailored mentorship with senior leaders in the field.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: womenincyber@itu.int