DiploNews – Issue 410 – 5 January 2021
Happy New Year!
May 2021 be full of health, joy, and success. May it be your best year so far, only to be superseded by the following ones. May we all grow in wisdom, talent, and unity.
2021 will be what we make of it!
Upcoming study opportunities
â—† Apply now! Online Meetings and Conferences: How to Run Effective and Secure Events
Online meetings and conferences are now a necessity for most organisations. In this highly interactive, practice-based course participants learn how to plan, manage, and run successful online events: choosing and using an appropriate technical platform, planning the entire process from the initial idea to follow up, and effectively moderating interaction in an online environment. The course starts on 22 January 2021. Read more and apply by 8 January.
A limited number of full and partial scholarships will be provided by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland.
â—† Apply now! February 2021 online diplomacy and digital policy courses
These popular courses start on 22 February 2021. Apply by 18 January 2021 for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses listed below, or visit our courses webpage. Register now to reserve your place.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from the realm of science fiction into our everyday lives. But what exactly is AI, and how does it change our socio-economic landscapes? What is at stake for governments, businesses, and citizens?
Interactive voice assistants, targeted online advertisement on social media, and autonomous cars and weapons are just some examples of the varied applications of AI. This online course provides in-depth knowledge that enables participants to critically assess the consequences of AI, and understand the opportunities and challenges AI is creating across a broad spectrum of topics, including policy and diplomacy. It provides an interdisciplinary coverage of AI, encompassing technical, political, legal, economic, security, and ethical issues.
This course can be taken as part of the Advanced Diploma in Internet Governance.
Capacity development has been the central approach to development for more than 20 years. It has gradually shifted the development process from simple financial and technical aid towards a complex paradigm which entails the active involvement of individuals and communities involved in the aid programmes. This type of development takes a broad approach and looks at the political, social, and economic environment in which the projects are taking place. It coexists with the older forms of development, and is continuously being improved as on-site experiences change capacity development policy, practice, and theory.
This online course introduces the key concepts, principles, and values of capacity development, and focuses on teaching practical skills for the optimal design, planning, implementation, and assessment of development initiatives.
Diplomats are members of a profession that has developed over centuries. But do we still need them in a world transformed by e-communications? This online course examines the nature of diplomacy, the advantages and disadvantages of different diplomatic methods, techniques for securing agreements, the elements of a successful mediation, and much more.
The materials for the course were developed by Prof. GR Berridge, author of Diplomacy: Theory and Practice, a comprehensive guide to diplomacy used by universities and institutions in courses on diplomacy, international studies, and related subjects. Prof. Berridge is an Emeritus Professor of International Politics at the University of Leicester and a DiploFoundation Senior Fellow.
Apply now 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 of writing and submitting major course assignments and the final research paper in French or Spanish.

- Introduction to Internet Governance
Do cyber-threats worry you? What about online surveillance, the security of your online files, and net neutrality? Do you believe that Internet regulators can protect us without interfering with the innovative developments which are at the heart of the web? These are only a few important issues regarding Internet governance (IG), and learning more about them will help you understand how IG impacts both your personal and professional life.
This course introduces IG policies and covers a variety of topics, such as: broadband policy, management of domain names and IP addresses (including the transition from IPv4 to IPv6), network neutrality, jurisdiction, intellectual property rights, open source and piracy, privacy protection, data security and cybersecurity, child protection, human rights, content management, digital signatures, and emerging issues such as policies related to social networks and cloud computing.
This course can be taken as part of the Advanced Diploma in Internet Governance.
We are witnessing a new level of transparency in the interaction between governments and countries, a change influenced by factors such as the democratisation of diplomacy, globalisation, the resurgence of diplomatic methods (bilateral, regional, and multilateral), and the growing public focus on external and internal issues.
With more public interest in foreign affairs than ever before, ordinary people are demanding open diplomacy from their leaders, and governments are increasingly obliged to respond with public information about how funds have been spent and the results they achieved. Through in-depth case studies, this online course covers the goals and methods of public diplomacy, and outlines its powers and limitations.
â—† Need financial assistance? Scholarships are available.
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 2021. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information.
Sign up for our courses mailing list to stay informed about upcoming courses.
Blogs and publications
â—† Blog post: ‘Establishing standards for IoT devices: Recent examples’
Internet of things (IoT) devices improve our lives, but their use raises security, privacy, and trust concerns, and requires IoT privacy and security standards. How are countries and standard-setting organisations regulating and defining IoT standards? Find out more in Ms Efrat Daskal’s blog post.
Don’t miss…
â—† Diplo collaborates with the National Science Policy Network
DiploFoundation has started collaborating with the National Science Policy Network (NSPN), within NSPN’s Science Diplomacy Exchange and Learning (SciDEAL) pilot programme, and will design a course to explore the practice of science diplomacy as it relates to the UN sustainable development goals. Learn more about Diplo–NSPN collaboration.
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