Diplo seeks to:

• Increase the power of small and developing states to influence their own futures and development
• Increase international accountability and inclusivity
• Increase the legitimacy of international policy making
• Improve global governance and international policy development

Diplo does this by:

• Providing capacity development programmes in areas such as climate change and Internet governance
• Using and developing tools for e-participation in global governance, including remote participation in international meetings and social media for global negotiations
• Training officials (including diplomats and others involved in international relations) from small and developing countries
• Providing specialised and effective academic programmes for professional diplomats seeking cost-effective but high-quality training in both traditional and contemporary diplomacy topics
• Strengthening participation of non-state actors - including those from academia and civil society - in international relations and policy processes.

Diplo’s main activities are:

Capacity development. Diplo’s capacity development support begins with individuals, but through the activities of these individuals, our impact reaches into the larger systems of which they and their organisations are a part. Our approach includes online training, policy research, policy immersion, and the development of communities of practice, combined in various ways, as appropriate to each policy context.

• Read more in our capacity development section, or find out how to support us in our ongoing and future projects.

Events. In order to deal with pressing issues in global governance, our events bring people together from different perspectives, including diplomats, business professionals, and members of civil society. Our events often have an 'afterlife', evolving into teaching activity, publication, or online interaction.

• Find out more: Events

Courses.  We offer postgraduate level academic courses and training workshops on a variety of diplomacy-related topics for diplomats, civil servants, staff of international organisations and NGOs, and students of international relations. Combining a highly developed learning methodology with our unique online learning platform, our diplomatic training courses are flexible, personal, interactive and community-building. Courses are delivered online, face-to-face and in blended format.

• Find out more: Courses

Research. We are addressing the limitations of existing policy research through internet-based techniques including crowd-sourcing, trend analysis, and collaborative research. Topics include diplomacy of small states, virtual diplomacy, health diplomacy, and environmental diplomacy.

• Find out more: Future plans - special focus

Publications. Our publications range from examination of contemporary developments in diplomacy to new analyses of traditional aspects of diplomacy. Many of our publications are available online as well as in traditional print format and some have been translated into several languages. We also publish DiploNews, a biweekly e-mail newsletter distributed to a mailing list of over 5000 recipients.  

Diplo in the media. Access our archive of stories about Diplo