Multilateral Diplomacy II: Current Issues in the United Nations

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This course introduces participants to the most important areas of work of the United Nations. It reviews issues high on the UN agenda, focusing on current developments, to ensure relevance for practitioners from all stakeholder fields. It assumes and builds on prior knowledge of the structure, methods, and processes of multilateral diplomacy, demonstrating how these processes influence the policy and operational activities of the United Nations. The course combines academic perspectives with first-hand knowledge and practical experience of working with the UN.

Course materials define principal concepts and terms, introduce participants to the historical evolution of the subject area, clarify core issues, identify principal actors (states, groups of states, non-state actors) and explain their main positions, and explore open questions. The materials highlight the interrelation between each subject area and the wider work of the UN.

By the end of the course, participants should be able to:

  • describe comprehensively the areas of work of the UN and the main subject areas it deals with;
  • identify and describe the salient current issues on the UN agenda;
  • explain the interaction of processes and policies in the United Nations;
  • assess and compare the effectiveness and efficiency of the UN across different fields and arenas.

 

Course Outline

  1. Maintenance of International Peace and Security. We discuss the Charter provisions relevant to this central and original area of the UN’s work, and the corresponding intergovernmental mechanisms. We identify and explain terms and concepts such as peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace building, with an overview of their evolution, common and specialised use. Finally, we look at the positions and perspectives of member states and other stakeholders.
  2. Disarmament and Arms Control. An examination of the role of the UN in disarmament and arms control, and its evolution. We address the work of main UN bodies dealing with these issues (primarily, the First Committee of the General Assembly, the Disarmament Commission, and the IAEA). We also examine the indirect influence of the UN on related processes that are technically outside of its framework such as the Review Conferences of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). New evolving and expanding roles for the Security Council are also analyzed.  
  3. Economic and Social Development. An overview of the UN’s continuing work in this field through its main organs and bodies, with focus on the activities of the Economic and Social Council, the Second Committee of the General Assembly and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. We study the agendas of UN Economic and Social World Conferences and Global Summits from the perspective of the organisation’s contribution to development discourse. We scrutinise the Millennium Development Goals and their periodic reviews.
  4. Current Issues in United Nations Reform. Continuing efforts aim to develop, adjust, or reform the institutional structure of the UN to enable it to confront the daunting challenges that it faces. We look at current “hot” issues, with particular focus on the current wave of negotiations on reforming the Security Council and expanding its membership. Other institutions under current review such as the Peace Building Commission and the Human Rights Council will also be addressed.
  5. Progressive Development and Codification of International Law. The codification and progressive development of international law is one of the fundamental tasks entrusted to the UN by the Charter. We look at the work of the International Law Commission, the main expert body responsible for drafting international conventions and treaties. Its work is complemented by other UN bodies that occasionally or permanently elaborate multilateral conventions in various specialised areas.
  6. Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. A synoptic view over all the mechanisms established by the UN for the promotion and protection of human rights, from the Universal Declaration to the most recent core treaties adopted by the General Assembly. We examine human rights monitoring and the work of treaty bodies as well as the special procedures of the human rights bodies.
  7. Financing the United Nations. A look into the budgetary and financial mechanisms less known to the general public, but highly important for the proper functioning of the UN. We examine the difference between assessed and voluntary contributions and the methodology used to determine the obligatory contributions of member states. The analysis covers the general structure of the UN regular budget and the bodies responsible for funding, programming and assessing matters.
  8. United Nations Concepts for Global Governance. This final lecture proposes ways that the UN can change the world, its own vision and its instruments without changing the Charter. Innovative concepts constitute a reaction to the dynamics of world affairs and to the challenges of globalisation. The concepts are illustrated by several multi-faceted approaches to an increasingly interdependent world where classic concepts such as development and security no longer reflect reality.

 

Who Should Apply

This course will be of interest to:

  • practising diplomats, civil servants, and others working in international relations who want to refresh or expand their knowledge under the guidance of experienced practitioners and academics;
  • post-graduate students of diplomacy or international relations wishing to study topics not offered through their university programmes or diplomatic academies and to gain deeper insight through interaction with practising diplomats;
  • post-graduate students or practitioners in other fields seeking an entry point into the world of diplomacy;
  • journalists, staff of international and non-governmental organisations, translators, business people and others who interact with diplomats and wish to improve their understanding of diplomacy-related topics.

 

Structure and Methodology

This course is conducted entirely online over a period of ten weeks. Reading materials and tools for online interaction are provided through an online classroom. Each week, participants read the provided lecture text, adding questions, comments and references in the form of hypertext entries. Lecturers and other participants read and respond to these entries, creating interaction based on the lecture text. During the week, participants complete additional online activities (for example, further discussion via blogs or forums, quizzes, group tasks, simulations or short assignments). At the end of the week, participants and lecturers meet online in a chat room to discuss the week’s topic. To complete the course successfully, participants must write several essay assignments. Courses are based on a collaborative approach to learning, involving a high level of interaction.

 


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Lecturer(s)

Mr Amr Aljowaily
Multilateral Diplomacy

Mr Amr Aljowaily is currently Director of UN Affairs at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. His diplomatic duties have spanned from Geneva, where he followed developmental and information society issues, through Washington, to the cabinets of the Minister and First Undersecretary and the departments of multilateral political and economic issues. He chaired WTO’s Committee on Information Technology Agreement and the Global System of Trade Preferences Negotiating Group on Market Access. He holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo, and an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. His publications include early analytical work on ICTs and international relations. He has lectured in Political Science at the American University in Cairo and served as board member of the Diplomatic Institute. He was International Relations Coordinator of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

 

Dr Petru Dumitriu
Multilateral Diplomacy

Dr Petru Dumitriu is currently Director General for Multilateral Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania. Prior to this appointment he served in the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations in Geneva (2001-2005) and New York (1994-1998). Since 2006 he has served in the International Advisory Board of the Conference of New or Restored Democracy. He has been an elected member of the UN Committee on Contributions since 2001. He was rapporteur of the Geneva phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (2002). In 1997 he acted as Secretary-General of the Third International Conference of New and Restored Democracies. He was also vice-president of the UNICEF Executive Board (1995), the UN Commission on Disarmament (1997) and the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (1997). His flagship books are The United Nations System in the Context of Globalization. The Reform as Will and Representation (in Romanian) and Diversité dans l’unité. La capacité de négociation de l’Union Européenne au sein de la Commission des droits de l’homme des Nations unies.

 

Ms Katharina Höne
Multilateral Diplomacy, Climate Change Diplomacy

Ms Katharina Höne is currently writing her PhD at the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University, Wales. Her research focuses on states and their interaction in international organisations from a constructivist perspective. Previously, she was part of a research project on the Special Representatives of the UN Secretary-General and their role in peace processes at the University of Jena, Germany. She obtained a Master in Diplomatic Studies with distinction from the University of Leicester in the UK, and experienced the practical side of her studies during an internship with the German Foreign Ministry. Her research interests include international organisations, the UN Secretary-General, international mediation, theory of international relations, international environmental politics, and climate change diplomacy.

 

Prerequisites

Applicants must have:

  • an undergraduate university degree; OR three years work experience and appropriate professional qualifications in diplomacy or international relations;
  • sufficient ability in English language to undertake postgraduate level studies (including reading academic texts, discussing complex concepts with other course participants, and submitting written essay assignments of up to 2500 words in length);
  • unrestricted access to the Internet using Firefox or Internet Explorer web browsers (please contact us for more details if you are in doubt about your level of access).

 

Fees

Course fees depend on whether you wish to obtain university credit for the course:

  • 755 euros (University of Malta Accredited Course)
  • 575 euros (Diplo Certificate Course)

Applicants must pay full fees upon official acceptance into the course. The fee includes:

  • University of Malta application fee (for University of Malta Accredited Courses only);
  • full tuition;
  • course orientation pack where applicable (optional readings);
  • access to all course materials online, via Diplo’s online classroom;
  • access, via the Internet, to the University of Malta e-journal collection (University of Malta Accredited Courses only);
  • personal interaction via the online classroom with course lecturers, staff and other participants;
  • online technical support;
  • for Diplo Certificate Courses, postgraduate level certificate issued by DiploFoundation on successful completion of course requirements (interaction and participation, all assignments).

 

Financial Assistance

Discounts are available for more than one participant from the same institution. A limited number of partial scholarships are available for diplomats from developing countries. To apply for a scholarship please include your CV or resume, and a letter outlining your interest in the course and financial need, with your application package.

 

How to Apply

A number of routes for application are available, depending on the needs of the applicant: