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The Hague Shares Free Cybersecurity Blueprint to Help Cities Protect Civil Society
On 1 October, at the beginning of the European Cybersecurity Month, the City of The Hague and Protect.ngo have launched 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.
Richard de Mos, Alderman for Economic Affairs, City of The Hague: "Local businesses, charities, sports clubs and community organisations are the backbone of every city. They strengthen neighbourhoods, support people and keep our communities connected. They should be able to focus on what they do best, not on defending themselves against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. As a city, we believe we have a role in helping protect the organisations that make our city stronger. By sharing this blueprint, we hope more cities will do the same."
Building Digital Resilience Together
The launch event brought together representatives from the City of The Hague, civil society, academia and the cybersecurity sector to discuss how cities and civil society organisations can strengthen their digital resilience. The programme opened with remarks by Richard de Mos, Alderman for Economic and International Affairs, followed by a harm story from Nadja Houben of Human Rights in the Picture and Stéphane Dugain of Protect.NGO.
The first session 'Securing Cities and Citizens' focused on the Digital Resilience Blueprint for Civil Society and featured Marcela Neves of The Hague Humanity Hub, Ilse Parra of Women4Cyber Netherlands, Derk Hazekamp of PEP Den Haag and Piotr Kijewski of Shadowserver. The second session 'A New Cyber Agenda for The Hague' brought together Liesbeth Holterman of Cyberveiligheid Nederland, Lilian Knippenberg of the Municipality of The Hague, Daan Weggemans of Leiden University and Martijn Neef of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.
The event concluded with closing remarks and networking drinks, providing participants with an opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss practical ways to build stronger cybersecurity support networks for civil society.
HSD Partners involved
