{"id":3610,"date":"2024-12-12T14:48:44","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T14:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/itu-d\/sites\/digital-impact-unlocked\/?p=3610"},"modified":"2024-12-12T16:49:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T16:49:52","slug":"her-cybertracks-a-transformative-journey-to-inspire-and-empower-women-in-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/itu-d\/sites\/digital-impact-unlocked\/her-cybertracks-a-transformative-journey-to-inspire-and-empower-women-in-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"Her CyberTracks: a transformative journey to inspire and empower women in cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Her CyberTracks: a transformative journey to inspire and empower women in cybersecurity<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \u201cThe Her CyberTracks initiative was an amazing platform to reach out to women in a similar situation to me \u2013 women who want to see a future in cyber diplomacy and policymaking, who want to make a difference. And all of us have the same goal: to enhance our knowledge; to share our experience; to make the community bigger and friendlier for everybody,\u201d said Cristina Jovmir, Head, Information Technology and Cyber Security Service (CERT), Republic of Moldova, a mentor in the 2023 edition of ITU\u2019s Her CyberTracks initiative. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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This is not the only transformative story of empowerment and change achieved by women who participated in the Her CyberTracks initiative, which aims to address gender, skills, and workforce gaps by enabling, inspiring, and empowering women to be cybersecurity leaders and changemakers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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2023: a successful pilot initiative takes shape<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The first edition benefited over 100 women in policymaking or diplomacy, information and communication technology (ICT), and cybersecurity from 21 countries in Africa and Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The initiative focused on a single Policy & Diplomacy CyberTrack. It offered a blend of online self-paced training courses, live technical and soft skills live session trainings, hands-on exercises, personalized mentorship, and inspirational webinars showcasing successful women in the cybersecurity field, as well as two regional Forums in Montenegro and Ghana.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The initiative worked on a mentorship model in which junior professionals with two or three years of experience participated as \u2018mentees,\u2019 while senior professionals served as \u2018mentors.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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93% of participants reported being \u201cvery satisfied\u201d or \u201csatisfied\u201d with the training programme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n \u201cParticipating in the Her CyberTracks initiative has been an incredibly transformative experience for me. The initiative\u2019s dedication to empowering women in the realms of policymaking and cyber diplomacy at both the national and international levels was undeniably successful,\u201d said Chioma Andeh from Nigeria, who was working as a Cybersecurity Consultant at the time of her participation in the 2023 edition of Her CyberTracks. \u201cThis initiative has had a profound impact on my career trajectory, igniting a newfound passion for the cyber diplomacy arena.\u201d She is currently working as an Open-source Intelligence Analyst for the US State Department. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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Growing curriculum, bigger impact: the 2024 edition<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The impact of the initiative can also be measured by the number of women returning to join in 2024 \u2013 including Dr Fifatin C. Toho, Vice-President of Arcep, Benin, and Her Cyber\u200b\u200bTracks mentor in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n \u201cThe five months of activities in various modules allowed me not only to strengthen my capacities in cybersecurity and cyber diplomacy but also to interact with women decision-makers and professionals from various backgrounds. It was an opportunity to establish skills partnerships and share new practices and realities, an opportunity to unite efforts to achieve the objectives of women’s representation in the digital space,\u201d said Dr Toho. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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The 2024 edition of the Her CyberTracks initiative was implemented via the ITU Academy platform, the main online gateway to ITU\u2019s capacity development activities, and had almost 200 participants from 45 countries. It began in mid-June 2024 and it was successfully concluded at the end of October 2024.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In addition to the Policy & Diplomacy CyberTrack from the 2023 edition, the curriculum grew in 2024 to include two new tailored CyberTracks\u2014Incident Response and Criminal Justice\u2014available as specialized learning paths on the ITU Academy. Two regional Her CyberTracks Forums in Albania and Ghana also took place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Ekaterine Imedadze, Commissioner, Georgian National Communications Commission, who participated as a Her CyberTracks mentor in 2023 and 2024, believes that partnering to inspire and empower women in cyber security will result in more equal and meaningful representation of women in leadership roles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n \u201cI am proud and delighted to have joined Her CyberTracks as a mentor for a second year. Her CyberTracks is a powerful platform to support the equal, full and meaningful representation of women in the cybersecurity field,\u201d said Ms Imedadze. \u201cThe mentoring programme works particularly well in helping women gain knowledge and skills in areas that would be otherwise difficult to obtain.\u201d <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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Echoing this, Dr Ermira Idrizi, Assistant Professor at the South East European University, Republic of North Macedonia \u2013 a Her CyberTracks mentee in 2023 and mentor in 2024 \u2013 described how the Her CyberTracks initiative had a positive impact in her technical skills as well as professional development.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n \u201cThe initiative\u2019s diverse modules deepened my understanding of cybersecurity, especially in areas like threat intelligence, incident response and security policy development. The hands-on project really allowed me to apply theoretical knowledge to real world problems,\u201d said Dr Idrizi. \u201cSince I participated in both the 2023 and 2024 editions, I have gained a stronger professional network, and they have provided me with greater visibility in the cybersecurity network.\u201d

\u201cThis initiative not only equipped me with technical skills but also empowered me to advocate for more inclusivity, especially for women in the cybersecurity space,\u201d she added. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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There is no doubt that the Her CyberTracks initiative will continue to inspire women to thrive as leaders and changemakers in cybersecurity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Watch the testimonials below to learn more!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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