DiploNews – Issue 79 – 23 November 2005
Roma Diplomacy Conference
The international conference "Roma Diplomacy: A Challenge for European Institutions?" is organised through cooperation between Diplo and the European Roma Information Office (ERIO). It will take place in Brussels, December 8 – 9, 2005, hosted by the European Parliament and opened by European Parliament President Josep Borrell.
Following its resolution from April 29, 2005, which acknowledged the discrimination and substandard living conditions faced by Roma in Europe, the European Parliament forwarded a series of recommendations asking the Commission to "raise the Roma issue to a pan-European level." This conference will provide a forum where European level civil servants, diplomats, politicians and Roma rights activists can exchange views towards this goal. The conference will examine options and strategies, and prepare a list of recommendations for European institutions.
The conference forms part of the Roma Diplomacy project which aims to train young Roma rights activists as public diplomats with the skills needed to represent their communities. Besides traditional lobbying activities and human rights advocacy, Roma diplomats will be called upon to function on the international diplomatic scene.
For further information, the conference agenda, and to register, please visit conference website or contact roma@diplomacy.edu.
Discount Offer for New Diplomacy Publication
Essence of Diplomacy, by Christer Jonsson and Martin Hall, explores the essential, timeless features of diplomacy, drawing on the historical record of over three millennia. In their effort at making international relations (IR) theory relevant to diplomacy, and diplomacy relevant to IR theory, the authors identify three essential dimensions of diplomacy: communication, representation and the reproduction of international society.
Essence of Diplomacy is published by Palgrave Macmillan in hardback at £45.00 (ISBN 1-4039-9225-8). Readers of DiploNews can purchase the book by mail order at a special discount price of £22.50 + p&p. To claim, enter the reference code WESSENCE05a at the checkout stage when ordering online at www.palgrave.com. Alternatively ring 01256 302866, fax 01256 330688 or email orders@palgrave.com, quoting the reference WESSENCE05a. Offer expires 31st January 2006.
For further information, please visit the Palgrave website.
Call for Abstracts – International Conference on Internet Governance: The Way Forward
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis resulted in the decision to establish an Internet Governance Forum. The decision taken by parties at the WSIS indicates WHAT the Forum should do and WHO should be involved (multistakeholder approach). However, it remains to be seen HOW the Forum will be organised. This conference, to be held from February 10 – 12 in Malta, aims to provide an initial mapping, through addressing questions such as:
- How can the structure of the Forum appropriately involve various stakeholders covering a wide range of issues?
- How can the Forum promote a bottom-up and inclusive nature, while maintaining an efficient and operational organisation?
- How can complementarity between all stakeholders be increased?
- What solutions from other international organisations / initiatives could be adapted for the Forum?
- How can meaningful participation of institutions and individuals from developing countries in the Forum be facilitated?
Prominent players in the Internet Governance debate will also address the following topics:
- Internet Governance Capacity Building
- Implementation of the WSIS Conclusions on Internet Governance
- Multistakeholder Approach to Internet Governance
- International Cooperation and Internet Security
- Legal Challenges of Internet Governance
We invite the submission of proposals for paper on topics within the conference themes. Prospective authors should submit a short abstract (400 words) and a biography (150 words) by December 12, 2005. Proposals can be submitted via the conference website, or by e-mail to conference@diplomacy.edu.
Please see the conference website for further details.