DiploNews – Issue 326 – 19 June 2017

Upcoming study and training opportunities

Humanitarian Diplomacy Diploma course

We are 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 13-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 to write and submit major course assignments and the final research paper in French or Spanish.
 The next session starts 11 September 2017 and the application deadline is 25 July 2017. Please visit the course webpage to read more and apply.

New course: Negotiation Skills for Education Diplomacy

Education diplomacy uses diplomatic skills to build bridges across sectors, diverse actors, and borders to advance education. This practical, interactive online course equips participants with the skills to successfully prepare, undertake, and conclude negotiations in formal and informal settings with government and non-government actors alike. This new online course, starting 18 September 2017, is offered by the Center for Education Diplomacy (an initiative of the Association for Childhood Education International) in partnership with Diplo. Read more and apply by 21 August.

Summer courses on diplomacy and digital policy

Applications for our summer courses are now open. The following courses start on 31 July 2017:

• 21st Century Diplomacy
• Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
• Internet Technology and Policy: Challenges and Solutions
• Multilateral Diplomacy

Apply by 19 June for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the title of the courses listed above, or visit our courses webpage. Register now to reserve your place.

Partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses through support from the Maltese government. These scholarships cover 30-70% of course fees and can be applied to most online courses in 2017.

For more information on any of our courses and on partial scholarships, contact admissions@diplomacy.edu. You can also sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses.


Applications open for the 2018 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy

Diplo is now accepting applications for the 2018 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy, and the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy with a specialisation in Internet governance. These unique postgraduate programmes, offered in co-operation 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 read more. Scholarships covering 20–50% of the Postgraduate Diploma fee are available for applicants from small and developing states. The programme starts on 5 February 2018. The application deadline is 15 October 2017 for international applicants and 15 November 2017 for Maltese applicants.

Policy immersion in Geneva within CD Multi

Twenty-six representatives from small and developing states in Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Islands participated in the Capacity Development Programme in Multilateral Diplomacy (CD Multi) ten-day policy immersion in International Geneva. Most of them came from states which either do not have diplomatic representation in Geneva or are represented by small missions with a few diplomats. Their stories, research, and experiences shed light on how small developing states address global problems. More information on CD Multi.

Just-in-time reporting from WSIS Forum 2017

The Geneva Internet Platform and DiploFoundation provided just-in-time reporting from the annual WSIS Forum (12-16 June, Geneva). Reports from most sessions are available on a dedicated space on the GIP Digital Watch observatory. Read the daily summaries: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3| Day 4| Day 5. The forum, organised by the ITU, UNESCO, the UNDP, and UNCTAD, in close collaboration with other actors, provides an opportunity for information exchange, knowledge creation, and sharing of best practices related to the WSIS action lines for advancing sustainable development. The final report will be available later today.

Internet governance in June

What were the main Internet governance updates in June, and how will they shape future developments? What can we expect in the next few months? Join us for our next monthly briefing, on Tuesday, 27th June for a round-up of the major global Internet governance and digital policy developments. Stay tuned for June’s Geneva Digital Watch newsletter, out on 30 June. The IG briefings are held on the last Tuesday of every month.

DeadlineR: a new way of keeping track of digital policy events

On of the aims of the GIP Digital Watch observatory is to address concrete and pressing needs of the digital policy community in a practical and functional way. One of the needs is to keep track of the many policy events and their related deadlines. With this in mind, we have developed DeadlineR, a notification system built into the observatory. With DeadlineR, users of the observatory can receive reminders for deadlines to register for an event, to submit workshop proposals, to submit papers, etc. Try out the pilot version by visiting our Upcoming Events section.

What’s been happening in Diplo’s blogsphere

Diplo’s blog has been occupied by three topics in the last two weeks: our data diplomacy initiative, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the 9th International Conference on Cyber Conflict (CyCon). Diplo’s Sorina Teleanu provides summaries of each of the five days of WSIS, which took place from 12 to 16 of June in Geneva (Day 1 | Day 2| Day 3| Day 4| Day 5). Continuing our series on data diplomacy, in her blog Has diplomatic reporting shifted from narrative to data?, Virdzinija Saveska analyses the role of data in diplomatic reporting. While reporting is often narrative-based and qualitative, there is evidence of the inclusion of data in cases of international problems such as terrorism, human and labour trafficking, migration, viruses, and natural disasters. She concludes that while there are areas in diplomatic reporting that cannot be captured by data, data and statistics are used for specific topics. It will be important to work towards using data responsibly and with a critical eye towards what data cannot capture. Diplo’s Marília Maciel provided an overview of discussions that took place during the CyCon, a conference annually organised by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, which brings together decision-makers and experts from government, military, and industry fields. Topics under discussion included the protection of the core critical Internet infrastructures, the use of automation, artificial intelligence and big data in cybersecurity strategies, and the Digital Geneva Convention, proposed by Microsoft.