What is the aim?
To provide the strategy drafting team with feedback on their draft.
Why do it?
Seeking feedback from people who have drafted a national strategy before provides an additional source of advice. Asking another country’s strategy team to assist is a confidence-building measure and can strengthen a bilateral relationship.
What are typical outputs?
The drafting team will receive comments and suggestions on the draft strategy.
How is it delivered?
The drafting team request feedback from people who have previously drafted a strategy and/or bilateral partners.
How easily can a country do it themselves?
Very easily. Countries will have bilateral partners they can request feedback from. Implementers and/or the GFCE can provide introductions to others who have drafted strategies.
What good practice guidance is available?
N/a
- Reach out to your existing partners and stakeholders to ask for feedback.
- Get in contact with the GFCE which can introduce you to experts who can comment on the strategy.
- Consider publishing the draft document and inviting stakeholders to comment. This opens an additional opportunity for valuable input.
Cost
Nil.
Duration
Allow a couple of weeks for finding experts who will help and then a couple of weeks will be needed for them to read the draft text and return comments.
Countries often consult partners, other stakeholders or the general public on their draft strategy which has become good practice:
Botswana had already received assistance from, among others, MITRE and the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization in preparing a draft. They then asked at least two bilateral partner countries, who were GFCE members, for feedback on the draft text.
Cyber policy officials in these two countries drew on their knowledge of their own national strategies and others in Africa to provide suggestions. As a result, the policy drafting team in Botswana were able to draw on advice from a number of sources and decide which feedback it felt was most appropriate to its circumstances and goals.
In 2018, the government of North Macedonia developed a national cyber strategy with assistance from the World Bank and after a CMM review by the Global Cyber Security Centre (GCSCC), they asked several partners, including the GCSCC, for comments on the draft strategy.
A broader consultation was chosen in 2020 by The Gambia, which published the draft documents of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy, the National Cybersecurity Action Plans, the National Broadband Policy, and National Broadband Strategy on the Ministry’s website and invited the public to comment. Additionally, the government asked the GFCE ”Friends of The Gambia”* for feedback as part of the clearing house process.
*When a Clearing House request is underway, a “Friends of (requesting country)” Group is formed to coordinate existing projects, understand the detail of the requirement and provide advice when solicited.