Event summary
The Executive Training in Diplomatic Negotiations and AI and Diplomacy for the Saud N. Al-Sabah Kuwait Diplomatic Institute participants was delivered between 22 and 26 April 2024 in Malta.Â
The Diplomatic Negotiations Training (April 22-23) with Diplo faculty, Amb. Amr Aljowaily provided a comprehensive overview of essential concepts and strategies in diplomatic negotiations, focusing on multilateral settings. The program was structured over two days, incorporating lectures, discussions, exercises, and practical examples.
The training began with introducing the workshop's objectives and key concepts, including negotiations and influence. Participants were acquainted with crucial principles such as positions vs. interests, integrative and distributive bargaining, and pre-negotiation strategies. Additionally, the session delved into the dynamics of multilateral negotiations, emphasising formal structures, conference officers, and influencing strategies. Participants explored informal processes and outcomes in multilateral negotiations, discussing textual and procedural techniques for advancing negotiation outcomes in multilateral diplomacy. The training concluded with a session on document analysis and an overview of key takeaways and conclusions.
 Â
The AI and Diplomacy Training (April 24-26) provided participants with a multifaceted understanding of AI's implications for diplomacy, equipping participants with insights and practical strategies for navigating the new diplomatic realities. Dr Jovan Kurbalija explained AI geopolitics, emphasising its impact on global economic and societal landscapes. A strategic exercise powered by DiploAI tools followed, focusing on crafting a first draft of a new diplomacy approach for the New Kuwait 2035 Vision. AI tools applicable to diplomacy were presented, and the role of big tech companies in AI was explored, followed by covering AI-related topics, such as cybersecurity, human rights, and autonomous weapons policy perspectives, by Diplo experts.
The training culminated in participants drafting the New Kuwait 2035 diplomacy blueprint and reflecting on AI's role in implementing the New Kuwait 2035 Vision, followed by the certificate award ceremony.
Event description
New digital technologies have had, and will continue to have, a profound impact on both the practice and content of diplomacy. The digital ecosystem in which diplomats operate nowadays offers new opportunities but also challenges traditional organisational structures.
The in situ Executive Training in Diplomatic Negotiations and AI and Diplomacy for the participants from the Saud N. Al-Sabah Kuwait Diplomatic Institute will take place between the 22 and 26 April 2024.
The goal of the training is to equip diplomats to deal with the changes and challenges imposed by digital technologies and to turn them into opportunities that will help them pursue their countries’ foreign policy goals. By the end of this training, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the most recent developments in AI tools and learn how to use them in their daily work.
The training will be based around the following topics:
- AI and diplomacy
How to use big data in analysis and policymaking, and how to effectively use AI tools in daily work. At the end of this session, participants will understand geopolitical and practical aspects of using AI in diplomacy. - Diplomatic negotiations
Skills and strategies that enable diplomats to engage effectively with their counterparts and other stakeholders. At the end of this session, participants will understand the basic concepts, tools and techniques to become successful negotiators and influencers in diplomatic settings.
