• Log In
  • COVID-19
  • Projects
      • Geneva Internet Platform (GIP)
      • Digital Watch
      • ConfTech: From onsite to online
      • Geneva Engage
      • Geneva Dialogue
      • Innovation Hubs
      • Civil Society in Internet Governance
      • Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy
      • RightOn
      • Past Projects
  • Topics
      • COVID-19
      • AI and Diplomacy
      • Future of Meetings
      • Data and Diplomacy
      • Digital Diplomacy
      • Cybermediation
      • Digital Foreign Policy
      • Cybersecurity
      • History of Diplomacy and Technology
      • Internet Governance and Digital Policy
      • Diplomacy of Small States
      • E-commerce
      • Intercultural Communication
      • Language and Diplomacy
      • Diplomatic Reporting
  • Courses
      • Classroom Login
      • Course Catalogue
      • Master in Contemporary Diplomacy
      • Advanced Diploma in IG
      • Learning with Diplo
      • Training Solutions for MFAs
      • Workshops
      • Faculty
      • Alumni Hub
      • Reviews
      • Dissertation Library
  • Events
      • Upcoming Events
      • Past Events
  • Resources
      • Diplo Blog
      • Webinars
      • Texts and Articles
      • Books and Publications
      • Book Reviews
      • Briefing Papers
      • DiploNews
      • Diplomacy Hub
      • Videos
      • Illustrations
      • Photos
  • About Us
      • About DiploFoundation
      • Impact and Results
      • People
      • Partners
      • Finance and Funding
      • Press Releases
      • Diplo in the Media
      • Contact us
close× Call Us
close×

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. CyberMediation conference

CyberMediation conference

 World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Geneva   19 Nov 2019       

[Update] Read the press release for this event.

Technological developments impact all aspects of society. Similarly, they impact the practice of diplomacy. Mediation, the process whereby a third party assists parties, with their consent, to resolve conflicts is no exception. The UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, DiploFoundation, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), and swisspeace joined forces in March 2018 to develop the CyberMediation initiative to explore how digital technology is impacting the work of mediators in preventing and resolving violent conflicts.

During the conference, the CyberMediation partners will share with the audience their findings in a number of areas including social media, data for peace, and artificial intelligence and their links to prevention and the peaceful resolution of conflicts through the use of mediation. Through the different thematic panels, practitioners and experts will exchange their experience of how mediators are incorporating digital tools in their work and how they are dealing with the new challenges resulting from the development of new technologies.

Programme 

The conference will take place on Tuesday, 19th November 2019, at DiploFoundation, WMO/OMM building, 7bis, Avenue de la Paix, Geneva. All times are in CET. 

10:00 – 10:30
Welcome Coffee
 
10:30 – 10:45
Opening and welcome
Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director DiploFoundation
Asif Khan, Chief of the UN Mediation Support Unit
 
10:45 – 12:15
Roundtable on the CyberMediation Initiative’s findings

During this session, representatives from the CyberMediation Initiative’s consortium will present the findings and recommendations stemming from their work.

Panellists:

  • Katharina Höne, Senior Researcher, DiploFoundation
  • Ahmed Eleiba, Program Officer, swisspeace
  • Jonathan Harlander, Acting Project Manager, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue
  • Enrico Formica, Senior Political Officer, Mediation Support Unit, United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

Moderator: Camino Kavanagh, Senior Consultant, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

12:15 – 13:15
Networking lunch
 
13:15 – 14:30
#participation: leveraging social media for inclusion
While social media can serve to consult constituencies which have historically been marginalised during peace processes or are unable to attend negotiations for safety reasons, their nascent use by mediators asks questions with regards to the representativity of exchanges taking place on such platforms and risks of interference from third parties. In this session, panellists will explore the opportunities, risks and challenges resulting from the use of social media for inclusion during peace processes. Panellists will use concrete cases studies to build their arguments and identify clear lessons learned from existing or past processes. As the negative impact of social media on armed conflicts and armed conflict mediation has been very well documented, panellists will be encouraged to also explore some of the productive use of social media to advance a process or support the implementation of agreements.

During this session, representatives from the CyberMediation Initiative’s consortium will present the findings and recommendations stemming from their work.

Panellists:

  • Supinya Klangnarong, former Commissioner of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, Thailand
  • Andreas Hirblinger, Researcher, Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva
  • Antje Herrberg, Senior Mediation Advisor at European External Action Service

Moderator: David Lanz, Co-Head, Mediation Program, swisspeace
 
14:30 – 14:45
Coffee break
 
14:45 – 16:00
#trust: AI and trust in the context of a mediation
AI tools, especially those related to textual analysis, sentiment analysis, and image recognition, can usefully support the work of mediators and their teams. The suggestions in this area remain tentative and it remains to be seen to what extent various AI tools can be taken up in practice. However, it is already clear that the use of AI tools as part of mediation processes will have an impact on trust.  Trust is an important element on the way towards conflict resolution and hence such questions demand our full attention. To what extent can AI tools help in building trust? Where are potential pitfalls leading to the erosion of trust?
 
Panellists:
  • Miloš Strugar, Senior Mediation Advisor and Director of the Conflux Center
  • Katharina Höne, Senior Researcher, DiploFoundation
  • Eleonore Pauwels, United Nations University 
  • Stefania Grottola, PhD researcher, University of Geneva

Moderator: Marco Lotti, Project Manager, DiploFoundation
 
16:00 – 16:30

Wrap-up and closing
Way forward: Enrico Formica, Senior Political Officer, Mediation Support Unit, United Nations Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

Version: 18 November 2019

 


Registration

You are invited to express your interest in attending the conference by completing the application form. Places are limited; registration confirmations will be sent within 3 working days. Participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation arrangements and expenses.

For more information, please contact Mr Marco Lotti (marcol@diplomacy.edu).


Printer Friendly and PDF

Our experts involved

Dr Katharina Höne
Director of Research
 

Dr Katharina Höne
Director of Research

Dr Katharina (Kat) E Höne researches, writes, and teaches on a number of issues in the area of diplomacy, global governance, and the impact of technology on international relations. Over the last years, she has focused on research at the intersection of diplomacy and technology. She was part of a research project on Data Diplomacy: Updating diplomacy to the big data era and the lead researcher and author of Mapping the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence for the conduct of diplomacy report, both supported by the Ministry for Foreign of Affairs of Finland. In addition, she has more than 10 years of experience in teaching international relations at universities in the UK and Germany, and in delivering in-situ, blended, and online training to diplomatic practitioners. Kat holds an MA in Diplomatic Studies (University of Leicester, UK) and a PhD in International Politics (University of Aberystwyth, UK). In her work, she is driven by her aim to level the playing field at international negotiation tables through capacity development, and to provide out-of-the-box thinking and inspiration by drawing on her passion for science-fiction.

Dr Jovan Kurbalija
Executive Director
 

Dr Jovan Kurbalija
Executive Director

Dr Jovan Kurbalija is the Executive Director of DiploFoundation and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP). He was a member of the UN Working Group on Internet Governance (2004‒2005), special advisor to the Chairman of the UN Internet Governance Forum (2006‒2010), and a member of the High Level Multistakeholder Committee for NETmundial (2013‒2014). In 2018-2019, he served as co-Executive Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations (UN) High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation.

A former diplomat, Jovan has a professional and academic background in international law, diplomacy, and information technology. He has been a pioneer in the field of cyber diplomacy since 1992 when he established the Unit for Information Technology and Diplomacy at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies in Malta, and later, DiploFoundation.

Since 1997, Jovan’s research and articles on cyber diplomacy have shaped research and policy discussion on the impact of the Internet on diplomacy and international relations. His book, An Introduction to Internet Governance, has been translated into 9 languages and is used as a textbook for academic courses worldwide. He lectures on e-diplomacy and Internet governance in academic and training institutions in many countries, including Austria (Diplomatic Academy of Vienna), Belgium (College of Europe), Switzerland (University of St Gallen), Malta (University of Malta), and the United States (University of Southern California).

His publishes regular articles on DiploFoundation's blog, and the Huffington Post. 

Browse events

By type
  • Climate change (5)
  • Community (4)
  • Diplomacy (241)
  • E-diplomacy (121)
  • Internet Governance (398)
  • Other (67)
  • Training and courses (95)
  • WebDebate (41)
  • Webinar (230)
By month
  • April 2021 (2)
  • March 2021 (5)
  • February 2021 (8)
  • January 2021 (5)
  • December 2020 (4)
  • November 2020 (8)
  • October 2020 (18)
  • September 2020 (11)
  • August 2020 (1)
  • July 2020 (2)
  • June 2020 (7)
  • May 2020 (10)
By year
  • 2021 (23)
  • 2020 (82)
  • 2019 (75)
  • 2018 (89)
  • 2017 (102)
  • 2016 (74)
  • 2015 (47)
  • 2014 (71)
  • 2013 (61)
  • 2012 (63)
  • 2011 (51)
  • 2010 (23)
  • 2009 (10)
  • 2008 (8)
  • 2007 (10)
  • 2006 (4)
  • 2005 (3)
  • 2004 (1)
  • 2003 (1)
  • 2002 (2)
  • 2001 (2)
  • 2000 (1)
  • 1999 (1)

DiploFoundation

Towards more inclusive and effective diplomacy

Diplo is a non-profit foundation established by the governments of Malta and Switzerland. Diplo works to increase the role of small and developing states, and to improve global governance and international policy development.

      

Twitter feed

Tweets by @DiplomacyEdu

Subscribe to DiploNews

Bi-monthly news, events and courses updates.

Please select your preference

Footer menu

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Web accessibility
  • Terms and conditions
  • Sitemap
Copyright © 2021 by DiploFoundation