DiploNews – Issue 163 – 20 July 2010
Upcoming Study Opportunities
New Online Course: Migration and Development
In the months leading up to the November 2010 meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Mexico, the Instituto Matías Romero of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and DiploFoundation will offer a new online course on Migration and Development. This course will be offered simultaneously in English and Spanish and will take place from August 31 to November 6, 2010. It will be of interest to diplomats, civil servants, academics, and civil society representatives involved in migration policy processes and negotiations. Please see the course webpage for further details and to apply. Since places are limited, apply as soon as possible to reserve seating.
Climate Change Diplomacy: September 2010
Do you need to brush up on your climate change diplomacy knowledge and skills before the November/December 2010 climate change meeting in Mexico? Diplo’s online course on Climate Change Diplomacy provides relevant knowledge and practical skills for diplomats, scientists, and others who participate in the climate change policy process. At an introductory level, the course focuses on scientific, economic, social, legal, and governance aspects of climate change, with emphasis on development issues. The course aims to equip participants to represent and promote effectively the interests of their own countries in national, regional, and global climate change policy processes. Scholarships are available for diplomats, civil servants, and academics from developing states involved in climate change policy processes and negotiations, with priority given to applications from small developing states. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malta and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation have helped to develop and to support this course. The next session of Climate Change Diplomacy begins the week of 20 September 2010 (application deadline 23 August). For more information and to apply, please visit the course webpage or contact us at climate@diplomacy.edu.
2011 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy
You are invited to apply for the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy, offered through the University of Malta. This flexible programme includes a 10-day residential workshop in Malta followed by 1.5 – 2 years of online study. The programme offers a valuable opportunity for diplomats and other international relations professionals to continue studies and extend professional networks while remaining on the job. The application deadline is 15 October 2010. For more information and to apply, please see the course webpage.
Autumn 2010 Online Courses
What I enjoyed most from the Diplo course was the fact that it opened up a window of global experiences and opinions to me through my classmates and professors, allowing me to increase my knowledge and skills at a tremendous speed and depth.
– Angelic del Castilho, Ambassador for the Republic of Suriname to Indonesia
You are invited to apply for the following courses beginning the week of 11 October 2010:
- Language and Diplomacy
- Development Diplomacy
These courses are available as University of Malta Accredited Courses (application deadline 9 August) and as Diplo Certificate Courses (application deadline 6 September). For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website.
Climate Change Diplomacy: September 2010
Do you need to brush up on your climate change diplomacy knowledge and skills before the November/December 2010 climate change meeting in Mexico? Diplo’s online course on Climate Change Diplomacy provides relevant knowledge and practical skills for diplomats, scientists, and others who participate in the climate change policy process. At an introductory level, the course focuses on scientific, economic, social, legal and governance aspects of climate change, with emphasis on development issues. The course will equip participants to represent and to promote effectively the interests of their own countries in national, regional, and global climate change policy processes. Scholarships are available for diplomats, civil servants, and academics from developing states involved
in climate change policy processes and negotiations, with priority given to applications from small developing states. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malta and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation helped develop and support this course. The next session of Climate Change Diplomacy begins the week of 20 September 2010 (application deadline 23 August). For more information and to apply, please visit the course webpage or contact us at climate@diplomacy.edu.
Internet Governance Training Workshop
Diplo and partner ICT4D Jamaica held an Internet governance training workshop for diplomats in Kingston, Jamaica, on 30 June – 1 July as part of the Africa/Caribbean/Pacific EU-funded information and communications technology and Internet governance project. It offered training for twenty participants from regional and sub-regional Caribbean institutions and organisations and included an overview of Internet governance issues, actors, processes, and advocacy techniques; as well, it touched upon strategic planning for information and communications technology. It also addressed multistakeholder diplomacy with a simulation of a multistakeholder negotiation. Another particularly successful element was a series of short debates that reinforced basic information on current controversies and gave the participants practice in presenting their views in concise, substantial position statements.
Books on Diplomacy in July
As we know that diplomats have little time to fit reading and study into their schedules, we hope that a monthly review of new publications may assist in choosing some of the most relevant. This month’s offering is relevant for those interested in the workings of the United Nations.
Michael Soussan. Backstabbing for Beginners. My Crash Course in International Diplomacy. New York: Nation Books, 2008.
Backstabbing for Beginners, first published in 2008, became available in paperback format in July 2010. The book centres on the crisis surrounding the Oil-for-Food Programme that caused considerable damage to the public image of the United Nations. The author uncovers the involvement of individuals and of different parts of UN organisations in the scandal. While the so-called Volcker report of 2005 was the summary of the United Nations investigation into the programme that was supposed to bring food to Iraqi people, the author takes a different approach, matching his journalistic style and manner of research. Moreover, he was involved in the Oil-for-Food Programme as a Program Coordinator. Diplo’s own Petru Dumitriu has reviewed the book, concluding that 'Backstabbing for Beginners is a very fine book about a dramatic episode in United Nations history. The special introspection of a vulnerable UN freshman marries happily the inquisitive instinct of a journalist. The narration is animated by an appealing style, where truth, despite common wisdom, does not have a scratched face. After all, Michael Soussan spent very well his time with the United Nations.' The publisher’s website provides general information on the book and one can access the full Diplo review at Diplo’s book review section.
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