DiploNews – Issue 264 – 14 November 2014

Geneva Internet Conference

A big week is ahead for the Geneva Internet Platform with the Geneva Internet Conference (GIC) taking place from 17 to 19 November. The GIC will address critical issues, gaps, and future developments in Internet governance (IG) and digital politics. The conference will provide a neutral and inclusive space for debates as it paves the way to 2015, building on the main events and developments in 2014, including the announcement of the transition of  IANA’s oversight of Internet functions, NETmundial and the Internet Governance Forum. Follow the conference remotely and the extensive live session reporting at www.giplatform.org/gic

Jurisdiction in the Internet era – summary

‘Innovate with wisdom’ was the gist of a rich discussion addressing the problem of jurisdiction in the Internet era, hosted by the University of Geneva and the Geneva Internet Platform on 6 November 2014. Innovation should come in new approaches such as Massive Online Micro-Justice. Wisdom should ensure that traditional courts preserve their role. Courts are a result of thousands of years of delivering justice in human society. They are part of common wisdom of humanity. See more information here.

Visit of Hon. Dr. G. Vella, Minister of Foreign Affairs on Malta: Small states, big challenges – a multilateral solution

Small states are being faced with an increasing plethora of challenges. From climate-change to migration, from environmental sustainability to pollution, from illiteracy to water scarcity, from human rights to development. Our states are often the weakest link. Legitimate and sustainable solutions can be only achieved with participation of all states. On 5 November, DiploFoundation and the Permanent Mission of Malta to the UN organised an event with Hon. Dr George Vella, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta. See more here.

Upcoming Study Opportunities

Capacity Development

Capacity development has been emerging as a central approach within development for more than two decades. This approach has gradually shifted the focus of development practice from simple financial aid and technical cooperation towards a complex new paradigm that encourages and demands active involvement and ownership from the people and communities involved in aid programmes. To help you better understand and master this complex paradigm, this course introduces the key concepts, principles, and practical skills for implementing capacity development activities. The course was developed with the support of the SDC, the UNDP, LenCD, and Learn4Dev. Visit the course webpage to read more about this unique course, and apply online. The next session starts on 19 January 2015; please apply by 10 December 2014.

Online Diploma Course in Humanitarian Diplomacy

The next session of the Humanitarian Diplomacy online diploma course, offered by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in cooperation with DiploFoundation, will start on 23 February 2015. This 12-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb, will extend the knowledge base and develop practical skills of current and future practitioners in humanitarian diplomacy and policy. This course is currently offered in English, however participants who are more comfortable with French will have the option to write and submit some course assignments and their final research project in French. The application deadline is 12 January 2015. For more details and to apply, please visit the course webpage.

February 2015 online diplomacy courses

Start the new year with one of our most popular online courses:

• Diplomatic Theory and Practice
• Public Diplomacy
• Introduction to Internet Governance

Apply by 15 December 2014 for University of Malta accredited courses and by 12 January 2015 for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses webpage. Register now to reserve your place.

Sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses.

Discussing Internet governance

The Geneva Internet Conference (#IGeneva) is just a few days away. Registration for in situ and remote participation is available: please register here. Meanwhile, if you missed the last preparatory event, you can read the digest and view the recording here. Diplo director Dr Jovan Kurbalija, Centre for Socio-Economic Development director Dr Lichia Yiu, and Internet Society Chief Economist Mr Michael Kende discussed the common challenge in IG of lack of data and evidence: from the challenges in implementing the MDGs and paving the way for the sustainable development goals, to the challenges faced by economists due to lack of data, to challenges in combatting cybercrime due to the inability to gain better insights into the actual threats.

In an update from the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency world, Diplo’s Simona Cioroiu discusses donations made in Bitcoin. While many retailers are now accepting Bitcoin as a payment method, some non-profit organisations have also decided to make a change and say yes to donations in bitcoins.

On Diplo’s IG community space, Hamza Ben Mehrez – a current participant of Hivos’ Introduction to Internet Governance online training programme offered in collaboration with Diplo – discusses the post-Arab Revolution mandate for IG in the MENA region. In another post, he discusses ways of enhancing open governance advocacy for IG in Tunisia.

Follow more IG-related news and discussions on Diplo’s Internet governance channel, and on Diplo’s IG community blog roll.

See you online or in Geneva next week for the Geneva Internet Conference!