Project Summary:

The overall objective of the project is to enhance the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)’s institutional resilience by modernizing its crisis management infrastructure and bolstering cybersecurity capabilities. This will enable the institution to effectively protect sensitive information and its staff, safeguard diplomatic communications, and improve the MFA's ability to respond to both cyber and diplomatic crises.

Objectives:

• MFA’s crisis management and cybersecurity policy frameworks are revised, ensuring a more adaptive, gender specific and effective response to crises;
• MFA’s crisis management infrastructure is improved, allowing for efficient and secure communication, especially during emergencies;
• Crisis management and cybersecurity capacities of MFA staff are strengthened through gender-responsive capacity building and the integration of modern technologies.  
   

Expected results:

• Cybersecurity Readiness Assessment of MFA conducted and a Roadmap for modernization prepared;
• Gender-responsive policies and internal protocols/procedures on cybersecurity developed;
• Detailed operations manual outlining standard procedures for crisis management developed;
• MFA’s certification under ISO 27001 and/or ISO 9001 standards facilitated;
• Comprehensive diagnostic assessment of MFA’s institutional frameworks for effective crisis management conducted; sectoral risk assessment conducted and an institutional crises management plan developed;
• Redesign and renovation/modernization (including technologies, furniture, SoP) of MFA’s crisis management infrastructure completed;
• Capacity building events (training sessions, simulation exercises, scenario-based drills) for MFA staffers on emergency protocols organized;
• Gender-responsive training on incident response, cyber defence protocols, and crisis communication and coordination delivered;
• Exercises to simulate real-world cyberattacks, testing decision-making processes and improving preparedness conducted;
• Cybersecurity hardware and software solutions deployed at MFA headquarters.