Asia Centre has implemented a comprehensive series of Digital Security Trainings, both End Beneficiary and Training of Trainers, from June 2025 to May 2026, in the Asia-Pacific region, to strengthen online safety, digital resilience, and trainer capacity among civil society, academia, media, youth, and community stakeholders.
Building upon the success of Asia Centre’s partnership with Google during the 2024–2025 Digital Security Training programme, this initiative scaled up efforts to reach high-risk users across the Asia-Pacific region. During 2024-2025, Asia Centre successfully delivered 42 training sessions across 15 countries, engaging 1,225 End Beneficiaries from diverse genders and professional backgrounds. The 2025–2026 programme is built on this foundation by expanding regional reach, strengthening trainer networks, and increasing opportunities for communities to develop practical digital security skills and resilience against evolving online threats.
At the end of 12 months of the 2025-2026 Digital Security Training programme, on 29 May 2026, Asia Centre had surpassed all set targets, delivering 204 sessions across 17 countries, reaching 7,634 direct and indirect beneficiaries, achieving 131.62% of the overall target. End Beneficiaries sessions reached 2,978 participants (297.80% or nearly 3 times the target), and Training of the Trainers sessions reached 968 potential master trainers (322.67% or surpassing 3 times the target), with a further 3,688 end beneficiaries reached through 106 peer-to-peer sessions delivered by Master Trainers certified under this programme.
The Digital Security Trainings reached a wide range of digitally vulnerable groups, including media professionals, civil society representatives, educators, women’s networks, gender groups, rights advocates, lawyers, youth & community leaders, and adolescent girls. Participants’ enthusiasm to both learn and share knowledge was a consistent feature throughout the year.
Across the Asia-Pacific region, Digital Security Trainings were delivered through diverse partnerships and formats, reaching communities with different digital security needs.
In Southeast Asia, the training engaged participants across Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam, reaching 1,874 beneficiaries in 50 training sessions through End Beneficiary and Training of Trainers sessions. The region demonstrated strong demand for practical digital security knowledge among civil society organisations, youth networks, media professionals, and community groups. Digital Security Training activities focused on strengthening awareness of cyber threats, protecting digital identities, and developing local capacity to share digital safety practices. Notable examples included Cambodia’s multi-partner approach engaging youth, educators, media, and civil society actors; Indonesia’s focus on inclusive digital resilience across diverse communities; and Thailand and Timor-Leste’s engagement with human rights defenders, advocacy networks, and community stakeholders. Myanmar’s sessions strengthened digital protection awareness among media and women-led networks, while Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam expanded engagement with university and community-based audiences.
In South Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, Digital Security Trainings reached over 5,357 participants through 144 online and onsite End Beneficiary and Training of Trainers sessions. The region represented one of the largest areas of engagement, with India and Bangladesh contributing significant reach through partnerships with universities, civil society organisations, and media networks. Digital Security Training efforts focused on supporting digitally vulnerable groups, including rural communities, educators, journalists, youth leaders, and rights advocates. Bangladesh’s training strengthened digital security capacity through extensive collaboration with academic institutions, civil society actors, and media partners, while India’s training expanded awareness and trainer development across multiple cities and high-risk communities. Nepal and Sri Lanka further contributed to community-level capacity building through youth-focused and grassroots initiatives, strengthening participants’ ability to identify digital threats and improve privacy and online safety practices.
In East Asia, including Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, 8 Digital Security Trainings were conducted, reaching 167 participants through online and onsite End Beneficiary sessions. As an underserved sub-region within digital security capacity-building efforts, East Asia presents significant opportunities for further expansion, particularly among civil society, youth, journalists, researchers, and human rights advocates who face evolving digital risks. The trainings focused on emerging digital threats and strengthening resilience, with Japan’s sessions addressing cybersecurity challenges affecting civil society groups, Taiwan’s sessions focusing on AI-enabled threats, privacy risks, and online safety among youth, media, and advocacy communities, and South Korea’s engagement highlighting gendered digital threats and AI-related risks affecting activists and democracy advocates. Additionally, 6 Regional open-call trainings strengthened knowledge sharing and trainer development, expanding cross-border networks of digital security practitioners across the Asia-Pacific and reaching an additional 236 participants.
The 2025–2026 Digital Security Training programme marks a definitive step forward in strengthening digital resilience across the Asia-Pacific. As of 29 May 2026, with over 7,630 beneficiaries reached, a 623% increase from last year’s Digital Security Training programme (1,225 beneficiaries in 2024-2025), and a growing network of community-based Master Trainers now active in the Asian region, the foundations laid this year will continue to benefit vulnerable communities well beyond the programme’s formal closure, and provide an opportunity to engage the community for digital resilience building and transformation in the future.
Looking ahead, regional demand continues to accelerate. Participants and partners have expressed a strong appetite for deeper engagement on emerging digital issues, specifically AI safety, algorithmic risks, and digital ethics. Asia Centre stands ready to build upon this momentum to meet these evolving needs.
