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DiploNews – Issue 207 – 6 July 2012

 

Upcoming study opportunities

Humanitarian Diplomacy online course

Diplo is pleased to cooperate with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to offer the Humanitarian Diplomacy online course. This 12-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb, aims to enrich and empower current and future actors in the field of humanitarian diplomacy and policy. In a supportive international online environment, the class will familiarise participants with basic definitions, concepts, actors, and institutions in the field of humanitarian diplomacy, introduce international humanitarian law, hone advocacy and negotiation skills, develop participants’ research skills, and increase their understanding of national and regional humanitarian diplomacy activities. The course starts on 10 September 2012; the application deadline is 13 July 2012. For more details and to apply, see the course website.

 

Migration and Development online course

The Instituto Matías Romero of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and DiploFoundation offer an online course on Migration and Development in English and Spanish, starting 17 September 2012. The course provides participants with a conceptual framework and analytical tools to address the many aspects of the relationship between international migration and economic and social development. See the course webpage for more information and to apply.

 

By bringing together scholars, advocates, and policymakers, this cutting-edge joint undertaking by DiploFoundation and Instituto Matias Romero has provided an excellent venue to share ideas and cultivate action agendas to advance the mutual well-being of migrants, home countries, and host communities.

Ryan Gener – Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines

 

Autumn online courses

We are now accepting applications for our interactive autumn online courses: 

Courses start the week of 8 October 2012. Apply by 6 August for University of Malta Accredited Courses and by 3 September for Diplo Certificate Courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website. Register now to reserve your place.

 

What's happening in Diplo's blogosphere

Algeria celebrates 50 years of independence this month. The Evian negotiations that led towards Algerian independence are one of the great success stories of diplomacy in spite of all odds. Professor Dietrich Kappeler, protagonist of these negotiations as junior diplomat at the Swiss consulate in Algiers, provides a summary of the process and asks if such negotiations would be possible today. Aldo Matteucci, a former Swiss diplomat, draws a few lessons from the ways in which the Evian negotiations were conceptualised and run. Both texts open the question as to what remains as relevant today as was 50 years ago and what has changed in diplomacy in the Internet era. Although they deal with an historical theme, they discuss the future of diplomacy.

In her post a very public tiff on Twitter Mary Murphy wonders whether she would like her Head of State to engage in such a public squabble on social media. Steven Nelson offers some thoughts on the Rio+20 Environmental Summit while Pete Cranston explores the states of eDiplomacy.

These posts and others are available for comment on www.diplomacy.edu

 

Discussing Internet governance

With so many developments and events taking place in Internet governance, it was only natural that our June webinar would focus on a mid-year review. Dr Jovan Kurbalija hosted an excellent discussion, in which he ranked the main developments and looked at what might be in store in the next few months. The podcast, digest, and PPT are available here.

In Diplo’s Internet governance blogosphere, Arvin Kamberi talks about the remote hub organised in Belgrade for the EuroDIG meeting which took place recently in Stockholm. In What the numbers say: The success of Diplo's EU/ACP project, we take a quick look at the numbers and the main successes of one of Diplo’s major projects, which was successfully concluded last year.

On our IG community platform, Diplo’s Virginia Paque shares thoughts on a recent webinar on blogging, organised for IGCBP12 Advanced Phase participants, while webinar host Mary Murphy shares even more blogging tips. In Journalist or blogger? Arsene Tungali carries the discussion forward with reflections on how to distinguish between the two. Participants of the Advanced Phase of the Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme have also been particularly active: Pierre Peterson describes various elements, applications, and examples of e-participation; Bruce Avasadanond discusses social media as an important aspect of e-participation; and Rising Osazuwa explores the relevance of consultation and collaboration in e-participation. Related to infrastructure, Tom Kizito Mayengo asks whether African countries are ready for the analog switch-off and digital migration; Enock Othin explores factors that influence the cost of Internet access in developing countries, while in separate posts, he discusses Uganda’s experience in the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 and shares concerns about e-waste in Africa which poses serious health and pollution problems. Robert Kikonyogo shares info about a recent meeting in Uganda on cyberlaw regulations, which was attended by ministers and ICT stakeholders. On a separate note, Tim Davies explores different issues on Open Government Data for a background paper for an upcoming session at the next IGF. His blog post reminds us that the 7th IGF is now only a few months away.

 

Fourth edition of An Introduction to Internet Governance in Armenian

The book An Introduction to Internet Governance (4th edition) by Dr Jovan Kurbalija (DiploFoundation, 2010) has been published in Armenian. The Armenian version, Համացանցի կառավարում, has been produced by the Media Education Center and the Internet Society of Armenia. The electronic version is available for download here, while the online version can be viewed here. Other versions and translations are also available.

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