Global Cyber Competencies Forum
About us
The GCCF is the flagship convening of the International Coalition on Cyber Security Workforces (ICCSW) — a coalition of nations united by a shared belief that cyber security talent development is a global challenge requiring global solutions.
Founded with members including the UK, Canada, Singapore, Ghana, Japan, and United Arab Emirates, the ICCSW works to establish a common language for cyber skills, promote mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and strengthen workforce pipelines across jurisdictions.
The Forum is structured across two days.
Day 1 is a closed-door working session exclusively for ICCSW member nations, focused on advancing active workstreams, reviewing interim research findings — including the ICCSW's landmark exploratory pilot on harmonising cybersecurity disciplines — and agreeing working group commitments and a forward roadmap.
Day 2 opens to a broader audience for high-level keynotes and panel discussions, bringing in perspectives from government, industry, certification bodies, and academia to shape the global agenda on cyber workforce development.
Hosted by DESC in Dubai, the GCCF reflects the UAE's leadership in professionalising the cyber security sector and its central role in the Coalition's work to date — including as a co-subject of the Dubai–UK professional framework comparison pilot.
Strategic Topics
1. Mutual Recognition of Cyber Security Professionals
How can nations move toward trusted, cross-border recognition of qualified cyber professionals? Drawing on the ICCSW's pilot comparing the Dubai Cyber Force Program and the UK Professional Titles Framework, this session explores practical pathways — including shared role level mappings, bridging requirements, and recognition equivalencies — that enable workforce mobility without compromising national standards.
2. Harmonising Frameworks and Professional Standards Nations are at different stages of professionalising their cyber workforces
This session examines how to align national frameworks around shared foundations — common role definitions, competence levels, and CPD requirements — while respecting each jurisdiction's legal and regulatory context. The Washington Accord model for engineering provides a long-term roadmap for what cyber could achieve.
3. Building the Coalition: Expanding Membership and Scope
The ICCSW began with six nations. This session explores how the coalition grows — both in membership and in the range of disciplines it covers beyond Penetration Testing and Incident Response — including governance questions, onboarding new nations, and sustaining momentum across the ongoing series of forums.
4. Cyber Workforce Strategy and National Policy Alignment
How do member nations embed international collaboration into their domestic cyber workforce strategies? This session connects the ICCSW's collective agenda to national policy priorities, including workforce gap reduction, critical infrastructure protection, and the talent pipeline from education to employment.
Technical Topics
1. Certification Mapping and Accepted Standards
An examination of how internationally recognised certifications (e.g., CREST CRT/CCT, GIAC GPEN/GCFA, OffSec OSCP, Cyber Scheme CSTM/CSTL) can serve as a common baseline across jurisdictions. Discussions will address the criteria for mutual acceptability of certifications and how new certification bodies can be recognised across coalition programs.
2. Assessment Models: Certification-Led vs. Evidence-Based Pathways
A technical-policy session exploring the tension between Dubai's certification-driven recognition model and the UK's flexible, peer-reviewed portfolio approach. Participants will explore hybrid models that combine the rigour of certification with the inclusivity of evidence-based assessment — and how both can underpin trusted professional recognition.
3. Competency Frameworks and Role Taxonomy
Working session on establishing shared role definitions, proficiency levels, and competency descriptors across disciplines — drawing on international frameworks including NICE, SFIA, and national equivalents. Outputs will feed into the development of a minimum discipline profile usable across ICCSW member programs.
4. CPD, Renewal, and Maintaining Professional Currency
A practitioner-focused session on how different nations handle continuing professional development and recertification — from Dubai's certification-renewal model to the UK's 75-hour CPD cycle. The session will explore equivalent mechanisms and the feasibility of recognising CPD activities completed in another jurisdiction.
Collaborative Partners
DUBAI ELECTRONIC SECURITY CENTER
Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) was founded in 2014, pursuant to Law No. 11 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. The Center was established in line with the visionary objectives to ensure that Dubai becomes a leader in cyber security and the protection of information from external cyber threats. The Center reinforces the technological progress and smart transformation that has been adopted and engrained in the foundations of the emirate, by establishing Dubai as a global leader in innovation, safety and security.
DESC implements the values of reliability, innovation and cooperation to achieve the goals set out by the Dubai Cyber Security Strategy. The strategy involves the implementation of five domains including; maintaining a secure digital environment, preserving the flexibility and the free flow of information within cyberspace, ensuring the continuity of IT systems and promoting research and innovation in the field of cyber security. Other objectives include increasing awareness within the community and urging individuals to be more observant of digital threats.
As technological advancements continue, the Center seeks to protect Dubai digitally, by securing and protecting the emirates’ information, telecommunication networks, and information systems. By developing, modifying, and using the necessary tools within cyber security, the Center aims to support all Dubai government entities to ensure they are in compliance with information security. The Center supports the increasing requirements for a cyber-secure digital landscape during the economic and social growth within the emirate and is dedicated to Dubai to training excellence within cyberspace.
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