DiploNews – Issue 137 – 30 April 2009
Upcoming Study Opportunities
Call for Applications: Climate Change Diplomacy
Climate change is becoming an important issue in global and regional negotiation processes. In the past, a few negotiators trained specifically for the Kyoto process could effectively cover climate change issues, but today officials involved in an increasing range of fields (such as energy, human rights, telecommunications, and health) need knowledge about climate change issues. This course will equip participants to represent and promote the interests of their own countries in the global climate change policy process. In addition, the course will broaden participants’ general understanding of climate change and the global policy response to climate change. Diplo will run two sessions of Climate Change Diplomacy in 2009:
Session 1: June 8 – August 14, 2009. Application deadline: May 18
Session 2: September 28 – December 4, 2009. Application deadline: September 7.
We are currently accepting applications for the June session. Full scholarship support will be provided by the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to diplomats, civil servants, and academics from small and developing states involved in climate change policy processes and negotiations. Please see the Diplo Climate Change Diplomacy website for further information and to apply.
Summer Courses with Diplo
Free time this summer? Expand your knowledge with an online course starting 27 July:
- Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
- 21st Century Diplomacy
- Multilateral Diplomacy
These courses are available as University of Malta Accredited Courses (application deadline 25 May) and as Diplo Certificate Courses (application deadline 22 June). For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website.
Last Call for Applications: May 2009 courses
Places are still available in the following courses that begin the week of 11 May 2009:
- Diplomacy of Small States
- Multistakeholder Diplomacy
These courses are available as Diplo Certificate Courses. Apply as soon as possible.
Implications of New Communication Technology for Diplomacy
An interesting usage of new communication technology appeared during the G20 summit in London on 2 April of this year. The Guardian, the Times, the Observer, the BBC, and others had journalists reporting from the events in the streets using Twitter. Similarly, protesters used the same technology to co-ordinate their activities and to inform each other regarding police activities. Twitter is an online network that can transmit very short text messages of no more than 140 characters. Users can update others on their current activities and thoughts by using their computer or sending text messages from their phones. One interesting example for its possible effect occurred during a press conference on the war in Gaza held by the Consulate General of Israel in New York on 30 December 2008. For two hours, the Israeli Consul of Media and Public Affairs, David Sarranga, answered questions on Twitter. For a discussion of the way journalists used Twitter during the G20 summit, access "Media Talk" of the Guardian.
Earth Day: Lobbying for a Greener Future
On 22 April, “Earth Day” was celebrated worldwide through various local activities. Although the idea originated in the 1970s with the birth of the environmental movement, this year, in conjunction with the upcoming negotiations for a new international climate change regime in Copenhagen in December, special focus was placed on the promotion of renewable energy as the cornerstone of a carbon free future. For more information, see the Earthday Network.
Global Media Forum: Conflict Prevention in the Multimedia Age
From 3 to 5 June, the Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany, will bring together specialists from a wide range of fields including journalists, conflict prevention specialists, public relation specialists, members of the military and governments, and political parties. The three-day conference focuses on the role of the media in conflict prevention. Topics will include the multimedia revolution and its effects on conventional media; media behaviour in conflict zones; the role of media in post-conflicts environments; security leaks in cross-border data flow; suppressed websites new media, and diaspora intervention in conflict resolution. More details on the conference can be found at the conference website.
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