DiploNews – Issue 252 – 15 May 2014

Webinar: Does diplomatic law really protect?

'Until recently, the conventional wisdom was that the Vienna Conventions regarding diplomats and consular officers were complied with by states, and provided good protection to diplomatic and consular officers. With the Snowden revelations, however, we now have confirmation that communications from embassies and consulates to headquarters are monitored consistently, contrary to the Conventions.'

This is how Diplo's new lecturer on Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities, Mr Alan Franklin, introduces his upcoming webinar, scheduled for 13.00 GMT, Tuesday, 20th May. This webinar will focus on a number of provocative questions related to diplomatic law, providing essential information for diplomats and other international relations professionals. You will have the chance to ask questions and take part in discussion. Please read more and register online for this free event.
 

Upcoming study opportunities

New online course: Global Health Diplomacy

The Global Health Programme at the Graduate Institute Geneva and Diplo are pleased to announce a new interactive online course on Global Health Diplomacy. As health moves beyond its purely technical realm to become an ever more critical element in foreign policy, security policy, and trade agreements, new skills are needed to negotiate global regimes, international agreements and treaties, and to maintain relations with a wide range of stakeholders. This course focuses on health diplomacy as it relates to health issues that transcend national boundaries and are global in nature. The course discusses the challenges facing health diplomacy and how they are being addressed by different groups and at different levels of governance. The first session starts on 15 September 2014. Read more about the course and apply online by 1 August.

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.

2015 Master in Contemporary Diplomacy

We are now accepting applications for the 2015 Master in Contemporary Diplomacy, and the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy with an Internet Governance specialisation. These unique postgraduate programmes, offered in cooperation with the University of Malta, include a 10-day residential workshop in Malta followed by 16–20 months of online learning. Please visit the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy webpage to read more and to apply. The programme starts on 2 February 2015. The deadline to apply for international applicants is 1 October 2014 and for Maltese applicants it is 15 November 2014.

Online Diploma Course in Humanitarian Diplomacy

The next session of the Humanitarian Diplomacy online diploma course, offered by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in cooperation with DiploFoundation, will start on 8 September 2014. This 12-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb, will extend the knowledge base and develop practical skills of current and future practitioners in humanitarian diplomacy and policy. The application deadline is 28 July 2014. For more details and to apply, please visit the course webpage.

Sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses.
 

What's been happening in Diplo's blogosphere?

Jovan Kurbalija looks at the story of two Raouls and the great legacy of Swedish diplomacy, an interesting take on how these two men used diplomacy to prevent the ruination of two great cities.

Online crowd funding is deeply fashionable so we ventured into this new world with some trepidation. Just how valuable is Diplo’s work in supporting small and developing states develop capacity for effective engagement in international meetings and negotiations? Pete Cranston asks this and more in his post Crowd Funding a Scholarship Fund for Developing States

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

Professor Vladimir Veljasevic is the illustrator behind the now famous NETmundial ‘football match’ illustration, and many other IG illustrations. He speaks on Diplo’s blog for the first time on the power and limitations of visual metaphors.

On Diplo’s IG community platform, Javier Rodriguez writes about the evolution of the Internet and access costs along the years in 2050: The Internet Odyssey. How we lost it and a way to get it back.

Follow more IG-related news and discussions on Diplo’s Internet governance channel, and on Diplo’s IG community blog roll.
 

Small and Developing Country Scholarship Fund: We need your help!

Thanks to your generous support, we have reached almost 30% of our crowdfunding goal for the Small and Developing Country Scholarship Fund in just 10 days! We need your continued support in order to reach or exceed our full goal this month.

You know the value of our work in helping to strengthen the voices of small and developing states at international conferences and negotiations, to enable them to better represent national needs and interests. We want to build this fund because we know the impact of scholarships for many people who couldn’t otherwise participate in Diplo’s programmes. Yet the financial resources available to provide this support are reducing, as donor priorities change. You can help:

• Make a donation. Donations do not have to be large – even 10 USD will make a difference.
• Help us share the news about our campaign widely. You can share it on Facebook or Twitter, and through any other networks. If you know people who share our vision, and can us to establish this fund, please tell them about Diplo and our campaign.

For more information or to make a donation please visit our fundraising campaign page. Thank you for your participation!