DiploNews – Issue 316 – 16 January 2017

Course application deadlines approaching

GIP just-in-time course on Internet governance

The Geneva Internet Platform will offer a course to assist permanent missions in Geneva in actively following the increasingly relevant field of digital politics. The course, delivered by DiploFoundation from 23 January to 26 March 2017, will benefit diplomats who follow Internet governance and other Internet-related policy fields (e.g. telecommunications, human rights, cybersecurity, trade), with a special focus on International Geneva. Read more and apply now to reserve your place.

February 2017 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 16 January 2017 for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses listed, or visit our courses webpage. Late applications will be considered as long as places remain in the course.

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

Humanitarian Diplomacy

We’ve added a few extra days to apply for the next session of the popular online course Humanitarian Diplomacy, offered in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). This highly interactive 12-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb and a team of experienced practitioners, extends the knowledge base and develops practical skills of current and future practitioners in humanitarian diplomacy and policy. The course familiarises participants with basic definitions, concepts, actors, and institutions in the field of humanitarian diplomacy, introduces international humanitarian law, hones advocacy and negotiation skills, develops participants’ research skills, and increases their understanding of national and regional humanitarian diplomacy activities.
 The course is offered in English; however, participants have the option of writing and submiting some course assignments and the final research paper in Spanish or French.
 The next session starts 6 February 2017 and the extended application deadline is 20 January 2017. Please visit the course webpage to read more and apply.

Capacity Development

Capacity development has been emerging as a central approach within development for more than two decades. To help development professionals better understand and master this paradigm, this interactive course, offered in cooperation with the Learning Network for Capacity Development (LenCD), introduces the key concepts, principles, and values of capacity development. The main focus is on building practical skills for better design, planning, implementation, and assessment of capacity development initiatives. The course is taught online by Jenny Pearson and Carol Kiangura. The next session starts 6 February 2017 and the extended application deadline is 20 January 2017. Please visit the course webpage to read more and apply.

Malta scholarships

Thanks to support from the government of Malta, partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 50-70% of course fees and can be applied to most online courses in 2017. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information.

Master/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy 2017 workshop starting 1 February

DiploFoundation and the University of Malta are hosting the 10-day introductory workshop for the 2017 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy programme, starting 1 February. A group of participants from all over the world will attend a workshop in Malta, as the first stage of the  2017 Master/Postgraduate Diploma programme. This well-established annual programme attracts diplomats, staff from international organsiations, participants from the business and NGO sector, journalists, and academics. The group includes participants who are reading for their Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy with Internet Governance as an area of specialisation. Learn more.

Digital policy: looking back to look ahead

The start of the year presents a great opportunity to look back at the main developments for 2016, and to reflect on what we can expect in the coming months. Two new reports have been published with the aim of ‘looking back to look ahead’.

The report Top Digital Policy Developments of 2016: A Year in Review  identifies the top 20 developments that have shaped digital policy in 2016, and includes – for each development – a summary of facts, an analysis of the significance of each development, timelines, and resources.

In Digital Politics in 2017: Unsettled Weather, Stormy at Times, with Sunny Spells, Diplo director Dr Jovan Kurbalija starts his 2017 forecast with an analysis of the general backdrop for digital policy in 2017, representing broad conceptual references for understanding the specific digital policy developments. A prediction of ten main digital policy developments for 2017 follows in the second part of the annual ‘crystal ball’ exercise.

Reflections continue throughout January, with further analysis on Diplo’s blog roll and the GIP Digital Watch observatory, culminating on 31 January with the first GIP briefing of the year.

Internet governance in January

What were the main Internet governance updates in the first month of the year, and how will they shape future developments? What can we expect in the months to come? Join us for our next monthly briefing, on Tuesday, 31st January, for a round-up of the major global Internet governance and digital policy developments of the month. We will also reflect on developments in 2016 and predictions for 2017. Join us in Geneva, from any of our local hubs, or online. Learn more and register.

What’s been happening in Diplo’s blogsphere

In Diplo’s blogsphere, two recently published pieces stand out. In Conducting public diplomacy in filter bubbles, Diplo’s Barbara Rosen Jacobson addresses the social and political implications of online filter bubbles and suggests ways in which public diplomacy can address the challenges posed by a customised and divided online experience. Dr Kurbalija’s  Digital politics in 2017: Unsettled weather, stormy at times, with sunny spells outlines three broad trends – the Internet and the crisis of globalisation, digital developments and employment, and the social impact of the Internet – and makes ten specific predictions the year. On Diplo’s IG community portal, Dr Kurbalija’s first message of the year to the community refers to the ‘crystal ball’ exercise which this year drew on the continuous monitoring of digital policy carried out through the GIP Digital Watch observatory and further discussed during the GIP’s monthly webinars.