DiploNews – Issue 263 – 3 November 2014

Upcoming Study Opportunities

2015 Master in Contemporary Diplomacy – deadline extended and scholarships

The application deadline for the 2015 Master in Contemporary Diplomacy, and the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy with an Internet Governance Specialisation, has been extended. 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. Partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries, with priority given to applicants from small island developing states. The programme starts on 2 February 2015. The application deadline is 10 November 2014 for international applicants and 1 December 2014 for Maltese applicants.

Capacity Development

Capacity development has been emerging as a central approach within development for more than two decades. This approach has gradually shifted the focus of development practice from simple financial aid and technical cooperation towards a complex new paradigm that encourages and demands active involvement and ownership from the people and communities involved in aid programmes. To help you better understand and master this complex paradigm, this course introduces the key concepts, principles, and practical skills for implementing capacity development activities. The course was developed with the support of the SDC, the UNDP, LenCD, and Learn4Dev. Visit the course webpage to read more about this unique course, and apply online. The next session starts on 19 January 2015; please apply by 10 December 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 23 February 2015. 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. This course is currently offered in English, however participants who are more comfortable with French will have the option to write and submit some course assignments and their final research project in French. The application deadline is 12 January 2015. For more details and to apply, please visit the course webpage.

February 2015 online diplomacy courses

Start the new year with one of our most popular online courses:

• Diplomatic Theory and Practice
• Public Diplomacy
• Introduction to Internet Governance

Apply by 15 December 2014 for University of Malta accredited courses and by 12 January 2015 for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses webpage. Register now to reserve your place.

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

Geneva Internet Conference: 17-19 November

The Geneva Internet Conference, an international conference which will address critical issues, gaps, and future developments in Internet governance and digital politics, is taking place in Geneva on 17-19 November. Mr Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO of ICANN will deliver a keynote speech in the evening of 17 November.

The conference will provide a neutral and inclusive space for debates as it paves the way to 2015, building on the main events and developments in 2014, including the announcement of the transition of the IANA oversight of Internet functions, NETmundial, and the Internet Governance Forum.

If you are not in Geneva on 17-19 November, join the conference remotely, or participate through one of our remote hubs. Get involved in the pre-conference debates; the last preparatory webinar and online discussion is on Evidence and measurement in IG. What kind of numbers are we talking about?

The programme is available at this link.

Webinar briefing on Internet governance

The Geneva Briefing on Internet Governance takes place on the first Tuesday of every month. Every month, we look back at what happened and look ahead to what’s to come. For a 'zoomed-out' update of the major global IG and digital policies developments and IG-related events in October, and a discussion on what's to come in November, join us for our next briefing on Tuesday, 4th November, at 13:00 CET (12:00 UTC/GMT). The webinar takes place online and in situ at 7 bis Avenue de la Paix, Geneva (WMO building, 2nd floor). Last month's Geneva Briefing focused on IG developments that took place throughout September. Read the digest here.

Events in Geneva this week

An exciting week ahead in Geneva:

• 4 November: Geneva Briefing on IG (Geneva and online)
• 5 November: Small States, Big Challenges – A Multilateral Solution with a speech by the Hon. Dr George Vella, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malta (Geneva only)
• 6 November: Jurisdiction in the Internet Era (Geneva only)

Internet governance discussions and updates

The status of the Internet root zone has been one of the most controversial issues in Internet governance politics. In a new policy brief, Dr Jovan Kurbalija elaborates on the legal, technical, and policy ways of achieving the global inviolability of the Internet root zone, and offers practical solutions. In Preparing for the Geneva Internet Conference: major IG events in 2014, David Rüfenacht reviews the main IG developments and events in 2014, while Simona Cioroiu reviews the developments surrounding Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency world.

Diplo’s IG community has been particularly active following the recent IGF in Istanbul. Clifford Agugoesi writes about the need to enhance Internet access and use for challenged people. Robert Andrew argues that growth of mobile Internet, if well regulated, presents numerous opportunities for Africa's economic growth. Yahaya Gobir reports on Internet and network security DDoS trends from Akamai's State of the Internet Security Report for this year’s third quarter.

Mamadou Lo writes about multilingualism as a key factor of good governance of the Internet (blog post in French). Virgile Ahissou writes about press freedom in L’aspect « liberté de presse » dans la gouvernance de l’Internet (blog post in French).

Wisdom Kwasi Donkor explores the social and economic factors shaping the future of the Internet, and in a separate blog argues that the lack of transparency of the Internet infrastructure can lead to investment inefficiencies. Grace Githaiga writes about developing trust in multistakeholderism; reacting to it, Deirdre Williams asks who the stakeholders are.

Stephanie Borg Psaila reports that earlier last month, the Civil Society Coordination Group (CSCG) announced the names of the CS nominees who were endorsed by the CSCG, and sent to the IGF Secretariat as candidates for the 2015 Multistakeholder Advisory Group.

If you missed Diplo’s IG webinars, follow the recordings and read the digests of the September webinar on The right to be forgotten: from Spain to Luxembourg and beyond, and the October webinar on Evidence and measurement in Internet governance. To receive webinar announcements, subscribe to the IG webinars mailing list.