DiploNews – Issue 343 – 16 March 2018

Upcoming study and training opportunities

Digital Policy and Internet Governance (just-in-time New-York-based course)

This new course aims to assist permanent missions to the UN in New York to actively follow the increasingly relevant fields of digital policy and Internet governance (IG), with a focus on dynamics in the UN. The course, offered by the Geneva Internet Platform and delivered by DiploFoundation, will benefit diplomats who follow IG, digital policy, cybersecurity, and related policy fields (e.g. telecommunications, human rights, trade). While improving their knowledge of digital policy, participants will also gain the practical skills and knowledge required to follow current IG processes. The course focuses on diplomatic and policy processes in the UN in New York. Due to the blended-learning course format, which includes weekly face-to-face meetings, registration is open only to applicants based in New York. For selected applicants, the course costs are fully covered by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland. The course starts on 4 April 2018. Read more on the course webpage, and apply by 23 March.

Negotiation Skills

Non-traditional areas of diplomacy (education diplomacy, health diplomacy, Internet governance, humanitarian diplomacy, development diplomacy, and more) require the use of diplomatic skills to build bridges across sectors, diverse actors, and borders. This course on Negotiation Skills, offered by DiploFoundation and the Center for Education Diplomacy, is a practical, interactive course that equips participants with the skills to successfully prepare, undertake, and conclude negotiations in formal and informal settings with government and non-government actors alike. The course introduces the concept and principles of negotiation and reflects on the role of power and empathy in negotiation. It introduces key skills supported by case studies and practical learning activities, including an online simulation exercise. Rather than going into the theoretical considerations of negotiation, such as game theory or group decision-making theory, the course focuses on key skills that are valuable for a variety of negotiations. The course starts on 23 April 2018. Read more on the course webpage and apply by 26 March 2018.

May 2018 online diplomacy courses

Starting on 7 May 2018, we offer courses on diplomacy topics, both classic and contemporary:

Apply by 2 April 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.

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 30%–60% of course fees and can be applied to most online courses in 2018. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information. You can also sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses. 

Diplo & the GIP at WSIS Forum 2018 in Geneva

DiploFoundation and the Geneva Internet Platform will be actively engaged at WSIS Forum 2018, on 19-23 March in Geneva. Join us for the workshop on Recipes for success: The funding dimensions of capacity development, on Thursday, 22nd March at 1.15pm (Room K2, ITU Montbrillant), and for other workshops. Read our just-in-time session reports from most sessions on digital policy, which will be available by the end of each day at dig.watch/wsisforum2018, and follow us on @genevagip for links to reports and more updates. In addition, we will summarise the main themes in a final report. For news and updates on major projects and capacity development activities, visit us at the booth throughout the week. View more details.

#CyberMediation initiative launched at DiploFoundation

The #CyberMediation initiative was launched on 13 March by the UN Department of Political Affairs, DiploFoundation, the Geneva Internet Platform, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, swisspeace, and researchers from Harvard University. The initiative aims to explore how digital technology is impacting the role of mediation in the prevention and resolution of violent conflict, how digital tools can be used by peace mediators, and what safeguards are needed to protect the integrity of the mediation process. The initial phase, until the end of 2018, will explore four main thematic streams: the impact of new technologies; the role of social media; the use of data for mediation; and the use of artificial intelligence, including text mining. For more information, visit the event page or consult the press release.

Diplomats receive blockchain certificates for digital commerce course graduation

The six-week Digital Commerce course was offered to Geneva-based delegates of developing and least-developed countries. It covered a wide range of issues of relevance to current e-commerce discussions, with particular emphasis on the intersection between digital policy and trade. Participants had the opportunity to engage in the study of topics such as emerging online business models, e-payments, taxation, competition cybersecurity, privacy and data protection, cross-border data flows, regional trade agreements and multilateral discussions at the World Trade Organization. The blended learning course format included weekly face-to-face meetings.The ceremony of delivery of certificates was preceded by a lecture on Blockchain technology and Bitcoin, delivered by Diplo’s cryptocurrency expert Mr Arvin Kamberi. The course was offered by DiploFoundation, CUTS International Geneva, the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the Geneva Internet Platform, and was delivered with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. It was funded by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Diplo’s Senior Researcher on IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group

The Secretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has announced the renewal of the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG). Diplo’s Digital Policy Senior Researcher Sorina Teleanu is among the newly appointed MAG members. The MAG is tasked with advising the UN Secretary-General on the programme and schedule of the IGF meetings, and comprises representatives of all stakeholder groups: governments, the private sector, civil society, and academic and technical communities.

February’s Geneva Digital Watch newsletter is out!

Published on 28 February 2018, Issue 28 of the Geneva Digital Watch newsletter provides the latest digital policy updates which took place in February. The main highlights include an overview of the top digital policy trends in February, including renewed calls for rules and norms to tackle cybercrime and cyber conflict, companies and countries preparing for the upcoming entry into force of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, new details emerging about EU’s proposals for new taxation rules for the digital economy, computer systems and websites exploited to mine cryptocurrencies, and calls for stronger cooperation among stakeholders to protect children online and address the issue of child sexual abuse online. It also includes an analysis of the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (CLOUD Act) introduced in the US Congress to clarify the conditions under which US authorities can access data stored by US companies outside national borders, and an overview of several reports and studies that shed light on how the sharing economy, automation, and artificial intelligence are expected to change the world of work, and how stakeholders can better prepare for these changes. Download your copy!

Digital policy event reports available

In the past two weeks, rapporteurs of the GIP Digital Watch observatory reported from several events. The reports provide a useful summary of discussions held at various policy events around the world, and give practitioners the opportunity to keep up-to-date with more discussions as they happen. Read the reports:

Expert Workshop on the Right to Privacy in the Digital Age – 19-20 February
UN Human Rights Council – 37th Session (Side events) – 26 February to 23 March
EBU Big Data Week – 28 February to 2 March
Who Controls the Global Internet? – 6 March

Internet governance in March

What were the main Internet governance updates in March, and how will they shape future developments? What can we expect in April? Join us for our next monthly briefing, on Tuesday, 27th March, for a round-up of the major global IG and digital policy developments. Registrations are now open.

What’s been happening in Diplo’s blogsphere

In their blog State behaviour in cyberspace: a new challenge for the international community Francesca Casalini and Stefania Di Stefano look at Microsoft’s proposal for a Digital Geneva Convention and explore the general prospects and challenges of a convention on cybersecurity. They suggest that ‘a multi-stakeholder discussion on a potential Tech Accord, as proposed by Microsoft, and the institution of a third-party entity with governance powers, could constitute a productive way forward’. In their second blog post on State behaviour in cyberspace: moving away from a military discourse, Casalini and Di Stefano take a closer look at the analogy with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) which underlies the proposal for a Digital Geneva Convention. They argue that that IHL, especially the principle of military necessity, is not always applicable in cyber-operations. Hence, they advocate a move away from the analogy.