On 1 October, at the beginning of Cybersecurity Week, the City of The Hague and Protect.ngo will launch the Cybersecurity Blueprint for Civil Society: a free practical guide that enables municipalities to build their own local cybersecurity support network for civil society organisations.

The blueprint is based on a model that has already proven successful in The Hague. Since 2023, the programme has expanded from supporting humanitarian NGOs to helping charities, neighbourhood organisations, sports clubs and volunteer-led foundations strengthen their cyber resilience.

With this practical guide municipalities worldwide can replicate this approach, by building partnerships, engaging  cybersecurity volunteers and creating sustainable support networks for civil society.

One of many organisations dedicated to strengthening their cyber resilience is The Hague Humanity Hub, which brings together a diverse community of nonprofits working to build a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Like many organisations in this community, the Hub relies on secure digital infrastructure to connect its members, share knowledge and support collaboration.

As civil society organisations increasingly face cyber threats, strengthening digital resilience is essential to ensuring that the Hub can continue to support its community effectively. Through the programme, the Hub nearly quadrupled its cybersecurity assessment score, reflecting substantial improvements in its overall digital resilience.

This measurable progress contributes to strengthening the Hub’s ability to protect its operations, staff, and community, allowing it to focus on what matters most: connecting and supporting the organisations working to create positive change.

“The Hague aims to be an international leader in cybersecurity. That means investing in technology and new talent, as well as in the people who already work every day to keep us digitally safe. We want skilled cybersecurity professionals not only to come and work here, but also to want to stay.” said  Richard de Mos, Deputy Mayor of The Hague.

–The Hague