DiploNews – Issue 314 – 16 December 2016

Season’s greetings from DiploTeam

With the holiday season upon us, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have expressed interest in our work and supported us in different ways. We hope that 2016 was successful for you, and we wish you and your families all the best for the festive season and the New Year. Thank you for your continued support.

Upcoming study opportunities

Humanitarian Diplomacy

Diplo is now accepting applications for the next session of the popular online course Humanitarian Diplomacy, offered in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). This highly interactive 12-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb and a team of experienced practitioners, extends the knowledge base and develops practical skills of current and future practitioners in humanitarian diplomacy and policy. The course familiarises participants with basic definitions, concepts, actors, and institutions in the field of humanitarian diplomacy, introduces international humanitarian law, hones advocacy and negotiation skills, develops participants’ research skills, and increases their understanding of national and regional humanitarian diplomacy activities.
 The course is offered in English; however, participants have the option of writing and submiting some course assignments and the final research paper in Spanish or French.
 The next session starts 6 February 2017 and the application deadline is 9 January 2017. Please visit the course webpage to read more and apply.

Capacity Development

Capacity development has been emerging as a central approach within development for more than two decades. To help development professionals better understand and master this paradigm, this interactive course, offered in cooperation with the Learning Network for Capacity Development (LenCD), introduces the key concepts, principles, and values of capacity development. The main focus is on building practical skills for better design, planning, implementation, and assessment of capacity development initiatives. The course is taught online by Jenny Pearson and Carol Kiangura. The next session starts 6 February 2017 and the application deadline is 9 January 2017. Please visit the course webpage to read more and apply.

February 2017 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 19 December 2016 for University of Malta accredited courses and by 16 January 2017 for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses listed, or visit our courses webpage. Register now to reserve your place.

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

Malta scholarships

Thanks to support from the government of Malta, partial scholarships 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 most online courses in 2017. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information.

Master in Contemporary Diplomacy graduation in Malta

Eight students recently graduated with the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy from the University of Malta and DiploFoundation. Two of the students undertook a specialisation in Internet governance.

The graduates and their research topics were: Alexander Omotayo Bandipo (The Role of the New Media in The Electioneering Process of Developing Nations, A Case Study of Nigeria 2015), Alex Henderson (How important is the Role of Small States Security in the Maintenance of International Peace and Security), Mustafa Mohamed Ibrahim (The Role of the Community and its Involvement in Deradicalization in Kenya: The Case of Nairobi and Mombasa Counties), Zakhele Mnisi (Italy from Recession to Recovery: A Critical Reflection of Italy during the Eurozone Financial Crisis), Grace Njeri Mutung’u (Stakeholderism in African Internet Governance: the Case of the .africa gTLD), Fauzia Nkunyingi (Geopolitics of Access to Oil Resources: The Case of Uganda), Philip J. Perinchief (In search of the most sustainable and coherent diplomatic approaches to addressing the fundamental challenges Small States – including Small Island States or SIDS – perennially face in an uncertain world of hegemonic giants), and Felix Samakande (Unlocking Sustainable Human Development Potential Using Cyberspace Resources and Diplomacy). Learn more.

Diplo and Geneva Internet Platform at 11th Internet Governance Forum

DiploFoundation and the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) were actively engaged at the 11th Internet Governance Forum, in Mexico and online, with a full programme of activities. In addition, the GIP Digital Watch observatory provided just-in-time session reports, an IGF Daily newsletter summarising the discussions of the previous day, and an IGF Report summarising the main themes and trends, and featuring language analysis of transcripts, outcome documents, interviews, and other content. Visit dig.watch/igf2016 for links to newsletters, session reports, and other updates. One of the aims of the just-in-time reporting is to address the challenge faced by participants and the wider community in general, both at the IGF and online, to absorb the vast amount of information and data provided in numerous and parallel sessions and other activities.

Seventh edition of An Introduction to Internet Governance is published

The 7th edition of An Introduction to Internet Governance, by Dr Jovan Kurbalija, was launched last week at the 11th Internet Governance Forum in Guadalajara. In addition to the English edition, the Spanish translation was also launched. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the main issues and actors in the Internet governance field. Written in a clear and accessible way, supplemented with figures and illustrations, it focuses on the technical, security, legal, economic, development, sociocultural, and human rights aspects of Internet governance. The text and approaches presented in the book have been used by DiploFoundation and many universities as a basis from training courses and capacity development programmes on Internet governance. Previous editions of the book have been translated into several languages, including French, Thai, Serbian, Armenian, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. Translations of the seventh edition are warmly encouraged. The digital version of the book, and any of the translated versions, can be downloaded from Diplo’s website.

What’s been happening in Diplo’s blogsphere

Vladimir Radunovic summarises the main points of a recent Diplo webinar on cybernorms where he and Angela McKay, Director of Cybersecurity Policy and the Strategy, Global Security Strategy and Diplomacy Team at Microsoft, focused on the importance of an inclusive dialogue and discussed a set of norms regarding cyber-offences, cyber-defence, and the global ICT industry. In The demography of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), Diplo director Jovan Kurbalija looks at the various IGF stakeholders and reflects on regional and gender balances. Barbara Rosen Jacobson, Roxana Radu, and Vladimir Radunovic summarise the key reflections and suggestions on Towards a Secure Cyberspace via Regional Cooperation a Secure Cyberspace via Regional Cooperation from an event of the second meeting of the UN Group of Governmental Experts (UN GGE).

Model ASEM Switzerland Spin-off 2017 on 1 March in Lausanne

Diplo, ASEF, EPFL, and the Swiss Federal Department for Foreign Affairs are organising the Model ASEM Switzerland Spin-off 2017, a one-day political simulation of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit on 1 March at EPFL in Lausanne. Students are invited to experience the ASEM process first-hand, negotiating a draft text of the ASEM Chair’s Statement, while representing an ASEM partner. The best negotiators will be invited to the 8th Model ASEM, which will take place in Myanmar in November 2017. Citizens of any of the 51 Asia-Europe Meeting partners, between the ages of 18 and 30, studying at a Swiss university are eligible to apply at www.diplomacy.edu/modelasem.