DiploNews – Issue 280 – 17 July 2015

Upcoming study opportunities

Workshop in Malta: Legal Instruments for the Internet Economy

DiploFoundation is organising the 9th edition of the pan-Commonwealth training workshop, Legal Instruments for the Internet Economy, in Malta on 14-19 September 2015. The workshop is being organised on behalf of the Government of Malta and in association with the Commonwealth Secretariat, and is intended primarily for government officials and professionals holding senior to middle-management positions related to ICT and telecoms regulation. Applicants from Commonwealth countries may apply for a scholarship which covers the cost of the training course and accommodation. The deadline to apply for a scholarship has been extended until 31 July. Learn more about the workshop.

Workshop in Malta: Modern Diplomacy for Small States

The Modern Diplomacy for Small States workshop will take place in Malta, 30 September – 9 October 2015. It is organised by DiploFoundation, and sponsored by the Government of Malta and the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC). Applicants from Commonwealth countries may apply for a scholarship which covers the cost of the training course and accommodation. You can find more information about the schedule, scholarships, and faculty by visiting workshop website. Apply by 5 August 2015.

2016 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy

DiploFoundation is now accepting applications for the 2016 Master/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy, and the Master/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy with an Internet Governance specialisation. These unique postgraduate programmes, offered in cooperation with the University of Malta, include a 10-day residential workshop in Malta followed by 16-20 months of online learning. Visit the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy webpage to learn more and to apply. Scholarships covering 20–50% of the Postgraduate Diploma fee are available for applicants from small and developing states. The programme starts on 1 February 2016. The application deadline is 1 October 2015 for international applicants and 15 November 2015 for Maltese applicants.

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 1 September 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. Partial bursaries are available for applicants from developing countries who work in the humanitarian field. The application deadline is 20 July 2015. For more details and to apply, please visit the course webpage or contact admissions@diplomacy.edu

Internet governance for the MENA region

From data privacy and cybersecurity to content regulation and net neutrality, policymakers, and advocates face complex challenges related to the Internet. What background knowledge is necessary to understand these complex topics? How can civic actors engage in these issues and effectively advocate for policies that benefit Internet users? What are the unique challenges and opportunities for civic actors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)? Diplo and Hivos, through the IGMENA programme, are working together to offer the third annual online course on Internet Govenance for the MENA Region, starting on 3 September 2015. The course creates a unique opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and tools to address these issues; communicate with actors from government and the technical community; and influence policy outcomes. Tuition fees are fully covered through fellowships from Hivos. Read more and apply by 27 July.

Autumn online courses

Diplo offers a wide range of exciting onlne courses this autumn:

• Consular and Diaspora Diplomacy
• Cybersecurity
• Development Diplomacy
• Economic Diplomacy
• Language and Diplomacy

Apply by 3 August 2015 for University of Malta accredited courses and by 31 August 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.

Malta scholarships

Thanks to support from the Government of Malta, partial scholarhships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 50-70% of course fees and can be applied to any online course in 2015. Please browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information.

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

Second issue of Digital Watch newsletter is out

The second issue of the Digital Watch newsletter is out. The newsletter provides updates on Internet governance and digital policy developments, with a special focus on Geneva. This month's newsletter features:

• The top digital policy developments related to human rights, cybersecurity, and Internet governance on page 1.
• The main events and developments in Geneva, on page 2.
• The Actors in Internet governance section, on page 3, features the Internet Society, and Mexican diplomat Maria Victoria Romero Caballero, who received the Geneva Internet Platform’s first award to a leading digital diplomat.
• A comprehensive digest of developments in digital politics is on pages 4-5: from cybersecurity to online privacy and data protection, from net neutrality to the IANA transition process.
• The WSIS+10 overall review process is our issue in focus on pages 6-7. What are the main updates so far? The timeline includes major events and the process of drafting resolutions leading up the high-level meeting in December.
• After watching many demonstrations of verbal dexterity in the digital policy events in May and June (WSIS Forum, CSTD, WSIS+10, ICANN), and inspired by the wonderful Geneva Perception team's cookbook on International Geneva, our speech cooks have come up with a recipe for writing a digital policy speech, on page 8, guaranteed to satisfy all appetites and keep your audience coming back for more. Enrich this recipe with your suggestions.

The Digital Watch newsletter is published by the Geneva Internet Platform, an initiative of the Swiss authorities operated by DiploFoundation.

Discussing Internet governance

Earlier this month, Rafik Dammak, Diplo tutor and chair of ICANN's Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group, was interviewed by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). Read the interview in which Rafik talks about the policy process around domain names, recent developments, and the role of civil society.

On Diplo’s IG community channel, Rim Hayat Chaif talk about Internet access in Algeria and the state monopoly of Algeria Telecom. Stephanie Borg Psaila shares an announcement about a research position at University of Exeter. Mamadou Lo shares updates on digital policy: read the weekly web review for 3 July and 10 July.

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

Following the IANA transition and WSIS+10 process

The IANA transition process and the WSIS+10 overall review process are two of the most important processes in Internet governance taking place right now. The Geneva Internet Platform is following the latest updates and events on dedicated pages.

Bookmark the IANA transition and ICANN accountability page, and the WSIS+10 process page to learn about each process in detail, latest updates, upcoming and past events, actors, key instruments, and resources.