Digital Technologies and the Environment: a Synergy for the Future
Environment and digital technology are two pillars at a turning point of humanity’s future. Recent alarming reports on the state of the environment emphasising the urgency to mitigate climate change have included digital technologies as one of the ways to accelerate environmental efforts. With the onset of digital technologies and their potential for disruptive transformation and positive change, the link between digital developments and the environment is now becoming part of international and national policies.
Report: The geopolitics of digital standards: China’s role in standard-setting organisations
Standards for digital technologies are all around us, enabling devices to interact with each other, allowing us
to connect to mobile networks, and facilitating the exchange of information. By providing rules or guidelines
for the development and functioning of technologies, products, and services, standards foster interoperability
and enable safety and quality of service. This report provides an overview of the digital standardisation ecosystem
and explores China’s role within this ecosystem.
Improving the practice of cyber diplomacy: Training, tools, and other resources – Final study
This study analyses the capacity development of cyber diplomacy, including training opportunities, tools, and other resources, and looks at their reach, take-up, and what should come next. Why? Because although cyber diplomacy, the conduct of diplomacy with respect to a state’s interests in cyberspace, is too important to ignore, the participation of countries is far from ideal.
Digital Commerce Course: a five-year assessment
The publication evaluates the impact of the Digital Commerce Course, aimed at providing capacity building on e-commerce to trade professionals. Over the years, the course has helped trade negotiators navigate an ever more complex e-commerce agenda, which currently encompasses a vast range of issues, from trade facilitation to data protection and cross-border data flows. This course has been offered for five years (2017-2021) by means of a partnership between Diplo Foundation, CUTS International Geneva, the International Trade Centre and the Geneva Internet Platform. For more information about the course, visit Diplo's course catalogue.
Improving the practice of cyber diplomacy: Training, tools, and other resources – Phase I
Cyber diplomacy, the conduct of diplomacy with respect to a state’s interests in cyberspace, is too
important to ignore. Yet, the participation of countries is far from ideal.
2021: The emergence of digital foreign policy
While digital tools, in particular social media, have been gradually introduced to the practice of diplomacy, many open questions remain regarding the impact of digitisation on foreign policy and the environment in which diplomacy is practised. This is where digital foreign policy becomes important.
The report is available for download.
The summary and recordings of the online conference 2021: The emergence of digital foreign policy are also available.
The future of (multilateral) diplomacy? Changes in response to COVID-19 and beyond
The year 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN). It is also the year that the world was faced with responding to the emergence of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, an unprecedented global challenge that has left no area of society and no individual life untouched.
Sustainable Capacity Building: Internet Governance in Africa – An Action Plan
Enhancing sustainable capacity building on internet governance (IG) would have positive consequences within and beyond the African context. Considering the importance of the issues that fall under the framework of IG – ranging from providing access
to infrastructure to promoting cybersecurity and fostering emerging technologies – it is possible to conclude that
strengthening IG capacity building could ultimately contribute to developing the capacities required for implementing
the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020-2030) (African Union, 2020a) and the Agenda 2063 (AU Commission, 2015), Africa’s strategic framework for achieving the continent’s development and technological transformation.
Mediation and artificial intelligence: Notes on the future of international conflict resolution
Over the last years AI has emerged as a hot topic with regard to its impact on our political, social, and economic lives.
Diplomacy and Secret Service
Intelligence officers working under diplomatic protection are rarely out of the news for long, and the last two years have been no exception. How did the relationship between diplomacy and secret intelligence come about? What was the impact on it of the bureaucratization of secret intelligence that began in the late nineteenth century? Is diplomatic immunity the only reason why intelligence officers still cluster in embassies and consulates today? What do their diplomatic landlords think about their secret tenants and how do the spooks repay the ambassadors for their lodgings? These are among the key questions considered in this historically grounded work on the contemporary interface between diplomacy and secret service. It also has guidance on further reading and contains numerous illustrations.
