DiploNews – Issue 471 – 17 July 2023

Contents

Diplo Academy upcoming courses and programmes

🎓 2024 MA in Contemporary Diplomacy (with internet governance specialisation)

Diplo is accepting applications for the 2024 online Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy with a specialisation in internet governance, run in cooperation with the University of Malta Department of International Relations. The programme starts on 29 January 2024.

During 16 to 20 months of online study, the programme guides working diplomats, international relations professionals, and internet policymakers through the theoretical and practical building blocks of diplomacy, with a focus on contemporary issues and challenges.

❗ Financial assistance available:

Diplo alumni are entitled to a 20% reduction in tuition fees.
Applicants from developing countries can be awarded a limited number of partial scholarships.
Maltese applicants can benefit from up to 70% off the fee in tax credits as part of the Get Qualified scheme.

For further information and to apply, please visit the MA/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy web page.

People, Person, Graduation, Face, Head, Text

⭐ Humanitarian Diplomacy online course: Applications open!

Applications are now open for our Humanitarian Diplomacy online diploma course, offered in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Learn how to advance your career and improve the work of your organisation!

Starts: 18 September 2023; Application deadline: 14 August 2023

🚨 Last call: Applications for summer courses closing soon!

Last chance to reserve your place in our popular summer courses!

For further information and to apply, click the course titles above or visit Diplo’s course catalogue.

◆ Need financial assistance? Scholarships and alumni discounts are available.

Thanks to the support from the government of Malta, partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 30%–60% of course fees and can be applied to most 2023 online courses. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information.

Upcoming events

◆ Webinar: Update for the Least and Other Developing Countries About International Cybersecurity Processes (18 July, Online)

The webinar, coorganised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Diplo, and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), aims to enhance the participant’s knowledge about international cyber diplomatic processes, with a focus on the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) on securing ICTs. It is specifically tailored for technical professionals in cybersecurity, policymakers, and diplomats from least developed countries (LDCs) and other developing countries to better understand current cyber diplomacy discussions happening at the international level. Experts from UNIDIR and Diplo, as well as voices from developing countries, will participate in the discussion.

The event will take place online on Tuesday, 18 July, 10:00–11:30 CET. Register here!

◆ Discussion: Data Transfers and eCommerce: Towards International Cooperation (20 July, Brazil)

If you are in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, make sure to join the session Data Transfers and eCommerce: Towards International Cooperation, organised by Diplo and Women Inside Trade, as part of CPDP LatAm 2023. The discussion will take place on Thursday, 20 July, at 11:40 GMT-3. Visit the official website.

Main takeaways from our recent events

◆ Empowering African Digital Diplomacy

Learn more about Africa’s digital priorities, international digital governance processes, and strategies for enhancing African stakeholders’ engagement in International Geneva. Watch the recording!

Blogs and publications

◆ Exploring the power of AI: Diplomatic language as Turing test

Can AI decipher the multifaceted meanings of diplomatic language? In his post, Dr Jovan Kurbalija analyses the nuances, ambiguities, analogies, and contextual nature of the diplomatic language, as well as new opportunities for the use of AI in diplomacy. Read the blog post!

◆ Tech diplomacy could help solve global challenges

Could tech diplomacy be the key to global cooperation? Dive into Diplo alumnus Mouloud Khelif’s latest blog post to discover how tech diplomacy tackles pressing challenges like climate change and cybersecurity. Read the blog post!

◆ Is war a biological trait?

Could war become a thing of the past? Uncover the role of memes in shaping cultural attitudes towards conflict in Aldo Matteucci’s latest post. Read the blog post!

◆ AI transforming the tech industry: From job losses to AI literacy and revolutionary applications

In its latest diary entry, Diplo’s AI continues to discuss the latest AI-related news, including layoffs and hirings, AI’s programming abilities, efforts for AI literacy, AI-powered drone fighters, data scraping, breaking language barriers, empowering music creators, and more. Read Diplo AI’s diary entry!

◆ Digital Watch Monthly #81

July’s issue of the Digital Watch Monthly newsletter is out!

Editorial: Top 3 digital policy trends in June
Governing AI: What are the appropriate AI guardrails? And why could it be the SDGs?
Digital identification schemes gain traction
Content moderation: Gearing up for the Digital Services Act
MOVEit hack: What is it and why is it important?
The main global digital policy events in July and August
A retrospective of digital policy developments in June

Read the newsletter and subscribe to get notified of upcoming issues.

◆ ConfTech Digest #26

In the latest ConfTech Digest, we go through the latest updates from Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, Google Meet, and Zoom, including a team calendar, a higher resolution for the active speaker, the lobby chat feature, an AI summary of the video meeting, companion mode check-in, and an AI-powered smart assistant.

Read it here and subscribe to receive upcoming issues in your inbox!

◆ DW Weekly #119

In Weekly #119, read about:

T(h)reading on familiar ground: Meta launches Threads, its Twitter-killer app
EU and USA reach agreement on personal data transfers
AI for Global Good 2023: Guardrails are needed for AI to benefit everyone
UN Security Council to address AI
China announces new export controls
US federal judge blocks Biden admin from communicating with social media companies on content removal
France’s Macron suggests curbing social media access during riots
SCO member states emphasise digital transformation

Read the newsletter, and subscribe to receive upcoming issues in your inbox!

Latest videos

◆ Zachary Kallenborn: DiplomacyLight podcast #011

In this episode, Ljupčo Gjorginski talks to Zachary Kallenborn about a special form of autonomous lethal weapon systems called ‘swarms’ (robots and drones that mimic natural swarm formations). Kallenborn is a policy fellow at George Mason University and a fellow at the US National Institute for Deterrence Study.

◆ DWshorts #14: TikTok and mental health

In this DWshort, Diplo’s Arvin Kamberi talks about European Digital Identity and how a former Kenyan TikTok employee plans to sue ByteDance. Watch it below!