DiploNews – Issue 249 – 4 April 2014
Event: Official launch of the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP)
Reshaping Digital Governance: Why Geneva Matters – More than 50% of global IG is conducted in Geneva. The Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the main IG umbrella body, is based in Geneva. Telecommunication issues are addressed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). For online human rights, there is the UN Human Rights Council. The Geneva Internet Platform will add to this vibrant scene by bridging policy silos, strengthening the participation of small and developing countries, monitoring digital policies, and facilitating research for evidence-based IG. If you are based in Geneva, join us on 8 April 2014 at the World Meteorological Organization Building.
Event: Prepare for the new multilingual Internet's greatest opportunities and biggest challenges
Maximize the potential of emerging markets' current and next multi billion Internet users and learn of the seismic change to the global Internet and its ripples that will impact you. The Multilingual Internet Group (MLi Group) and Geneva Internet Platform (GIP), a Swiss initiative operated by DiploFoundation, invite you to their event on 11 April 2014 which will investigate how to prepare for the new multilingual Internet's greatest opportunities and biggest challenges, and how to maximize the potential of emerging markets' current and next multi billion Internet users. More information and registration available here.
Upcoming study opportunities
It's not too late to apply for May online courses in diplomacy
We still have a few places left in the following courses which start the week of 5 May 2014:
Apply as soon as possible for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website.
Reminder: Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy Training Initiative
Please get in touch with us to register for the Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy Training Initiative, a joint initiative of Diplo, the Asia-Europe Foundation, and the National Centre for Research on Europe. An online course and face-to-face training in Geneva are offered to diplomats and other partners with investment in Asia-Europe relations. Please note the call is only available to members of ASEM.
Summer online courses
The summer is a great time to focus on professional development with our online courses starting the week of 21 July:
- Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
- Multilateral Diplomacy
- 21st Century Diplomacy
- Infrastructure and Critical Internet Resources
Apply by 19 May for University of Malta accredited courses and by 16 June for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website. Register now to reserve your place.
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What's been happening in Diplo's blogosphere
More inclusive and effective diplomacy is a necessity, said Malta’s President-Designate the Hon. Dr Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, when she met with Friends of Diplo at Diplo’s office in Geneva recently. ‘Diplo’s work on making diplomacy more inclusive and effective is a necessity of our time. We need to engage the broader society in crucial discussions on the future of our world’.
In her post Oops! What did I do wrong? Mary Murphy wonders at the efficacy of data protection. She recounts a story from Ireland where a homeowner, having posted a video of burglars in the act, was told by the Irish Data Protection Commission to remove it or pay a fine – the burglars hadn’t given him permission to post their photos. She also looks at recent report from NEF that shows how Climate scientists beat economists at predicting the future and wonders what the climate change sceptics would have to say about it.
DiploFoundation recently was honored to contribute tangibly to the growth and development of diplomacy in Myanmar through a donation of multiple copies of 16 titles (in both print and e-book format). Read more in The articulate diplomat’s best friends: book donations to the Myanmar MFA.
Remember, you too can have your say by commenting on these or any of our blog posts. And, if you’d like to be a guest blogger, let us know.
Discussing Internet governance
March was a busy time for IG webinar discussions. In the first of two IG webinars, Andrea Glorioso from the European Commission discussed the European Commission’s recent communication on Europe’s role in shaping the future of the Internet, and explained the Commission’s aims and upcoming plans. The webinar recording and digest are available here.
The second webinar discussed the preparations leading up to NETmundial (23-24 April, São Paolo) and updates from Latin America. Raúl Echeberría, executive director of LACNIC and co-chair of NETmundial’s Executive Multistakeholder Committee, and Rodrigo de la Parra, ICANN vice-president, Stakeholder Engagement, Latin America and the Caribbean, discussed the preparations for NETmundial, the outcomes that we can expect from the meeting, and the contributions that have been received by the organising committee. The webinar recording and digest are available here.
On Diplo’s IG community platform, Jean Paul Nkurunziza announced the inauguration of the first Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in Burundi. In Burundi X : Le premier point d'échange Internet du Burundi lancé le 21 Mars 2014, he talks about the developments that lead to the setting up of the IXP, and refers to the project AXIS (Système Africain de Point d'Echange Internet), who was behind both the Burundi and the Namibian IXPs.
In The rise of Silicon Valley and TCP/IP, Hamisi Ramadhani Kisinzah shares links to two articles on the history of the Internet and the rise of Silicon Valley. What is the relationship between the two, he asks?
Follow more IG-related news and discussions on Diplo’s Internet governance channel, and on Diplo’s IG community blog roll.
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