DiploNews – Issue 273 – 27 March 2015
Upcoming study opportunities
May 2015 online diplomacy courses
Starting in May 2015 we offer courses on diplomacy topics both classic and contemporary:
[NEW] Partial scholarships are available for all courses, for qualified applicants from developing countries. The scholarships offer up to 50% discount on course tuition fees.
Apply by 30 March 2015 for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses webpage. Late applications will be considered if places remain in the courses. Register now to reserve your place.
Sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses.
Just-in-time course on Internet governance for Geneva-based diplomats
In the framework of the Geneva Internet Platform, Diplo is offering a 'just-in-time' course on Internet governance for diplomats based at permanent missions to the UN and international organisations in Geneva. This course combines dynamic exchange in an online classroom with weekly lunchtime learning sessions at the Geneva Internet Platform. The course will start on 20 April 2015. More information is available on the course leaflet. Scholarships are available for Geneva-based diplomats from developing countries, generously provided by the Swiss government.
Next week: Discussion on fighting cybercrime through closer international cooperation
The Geneva Internet Platform is organising the second Cybersecurity Day on Fighting Cybercrime through closer International Cooperation, on Monday, 30th March, in Geneva, in collaboration with the Swiss Confederation. Participants will learn how cybercrime is committed, combated, and prevented. Together with experts, engineers, and diplomats, they will discuss international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime in the context of preparations for the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Doha, 12-19 April 2015). At the Cybersecurity Lab, they will also learn the skills needed to increase their security in cyberspace. Read more on the event webpage.
Just-in-time briefing: Internet governance developments in March
The UN Human Rights Council has just adopted a resolution appointing a new UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy, elevating the importance of this right. In Asia, the Manila Principles of Intermediary Liability were launched. Developments on copyright reform, Digital Single Market, and net neutrality are moving at a fast pace in Europe, while many updates are also taking place globally on e-commerce, cybersecurity and the global IG architecture. What else is happening this month, and what does the IG Barometer reveal? What can we expect in April? Join us online, or in Geneva, for our next webinar briefing on Tuesday, 31st March, at 13:00 CEST (11:00 UTC). Read more and register.
Latest on IANA Transition, ICANN Accountability processes
The historical contractual relationship between the US government and the key Internet domain name functions entered a new phase with the Department of Commerce’s NTIA announcement in March 2014 of its intent to delegate its oversight role to a global multistakeholder community. This process also triggered a discussion on the accountability of ICANN and the minimum accountability pre-requisites for the transition to happen, separating it from a broader reform of ICANN in the post-transition period. A dedicated information page on the IANA Transition, ICANN Accountability processes – prepared by the Geneva Internet Platform – provides details about the processes, latest updates, and key documents.
MIKTA diplomacy: Current developments and vision for the future
As a follow-up to the first MIKTA event in 2014 in Geneva, a seminar on 24 April, Mikta diplomacy: Current developments and vision for the future, aims to generate input in preparation for the Ministerial MIKTA meeting to be held in Seoul in May 2015. The seminar is organised by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea, the current chair of MIKTA, and DiploFoundation. Other partners include the permanent missions of Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, and Australia. Read more and register on the event webpage.
Discussing Internet governance
The Internet poses a wide range of challenges for modern diplomacy, including how to protect national cybersecurity, how to govern the Internet on the global level, and how to keep up with the content policy dynamics. These and many other questions were discussed during a number of lectures in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, delivered by Diplo director and Geneva Internet Platform head Dr Jovan Kurbalija. Meanwhile, a round table on Open Innovation in the Proprietary World took place in Geneva; read the report for a summary of the discussions. You can also read our update from the 2015 Geneva Auto Show, in which new technologies and concepts were on display.
A year on, the Geneva Internet Platform has successfully cemented its status as a neutral and inclusive space for digital policy discussions, drawing on Geneva’s position as a global hub for policy processes. The GIP’s operations in the past year and its plans for the upcoming months were the focus of last week's discussion in Bern, Switzerland.
On Diplo’s IG community space, Avis Momeni shared the text of the recently adopted African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms, and an update from the first forum on sub-regional cybersecurity and the right against cybercrime and cyberterrorism in Central Africa. Mamadou Lo writes about a recent conference in which stakeholders in Senegal called for a national forum on the IANA Transition process, while in a separate blog the same author shares a weekly web review on Internet governance developments.
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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