Small and developing states with limited geographical, human, and financial resources face the challenge of doing more with less: they need to employ all available methods to increase their representation, including networks, alliances, and information technology tools. The effective presence of such states in International Geneva is vital for their social and economic development, as Geneva is the main governance hub for issues such as trade, climate change, health, and migration. Yet, diplomats representing small and developing states often lack the experience and exposure to Geneva-based institutions and processes that would allow them to ensure the interests of their nations are well represented.
Please read the course details below to learn more about the programme and to determine if you are eligible to apply.
This programme is run in cooperation and with the support of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA).
Lecturers
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.
Prof. Dr Milan Jazbec
Ambassador and Professor of Diplomacy
Prof. Dr Milan Jazbec is an ambassador in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, and a professor of diplomacy at the University of Ljubljana and the New University in Kranj in Slovenia. He was the Slovene ambassador to North Macedonia, as well as a visiting professor at the South East European University and at the International Balkan University in North Macedonia.
Jazbec is a poet and a writer, and has published 60 books and over 130 articles in 14 languages. He has a long and distinguished career covering diplomacy, business, journalism, and politics.
He obtained a PhD in the sociology of diplomacy from the University of Klagenfurt (Austria) and has lectured at various universities, including Columbia (New York) and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (Austria). He was also a visiting professor at the Bilkent University, the Middle East Technical University, and the University of Ankara in Turkey.
Jazbec was ambassador of Slovenia to Turkey, and an accredited non-residential ambassador to Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. He served as minister plenipotentiary at the Embassy of Slovenia in Stockholm (Sweden), covering five Nordic and three Baltic states. He was the last Yugoslav consul in Klagenfurt, and the first ever Slovenian consul. Jazbec was state secretary at the Ministry of Defence of Slovenia, and the director of Policy Planning and Research at the Foreign Ministry of Slovenia.
He is a member of the Slovenian Association of International Relations, the Slovenian Association of Political Sciences, the Slovenian PEN Centre, as well as the editor of the international journal European Perspectives. He holds the distinguished Grand Golden Decoration of Honour with Star for Merit of the Republic of Austria.
Amb. Christopher Lamb
Former Australian Ambassador and Humanitarian Diplomacy Head, IFRC
Christopher Lamb is a former Australian Ambassador and is now Special Adviser to the Australian Red Cross and the IFRC. He also has advisory responsibilities with many RCRC National Societies, business groups and universities. He is president of the Australia Myanmar Institute and holds positions with several NGOs and foundations. As Special Adviser on International Relations for the IFRC until his retirement in June 2010, he was responsible for the diplomatic positioning of the IFRC and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the international intergovernmental and non-governmental communities. He coordinated the development of IFRC positions in various humanitarian and political fields, supporting the work of National Societies in these respects through the development of the IFRC’s policy on humanitarian diplomacy. Before joining IFRC in 2000, he was an Australian diplomat and Ambassador to Myanmar, Serbia, Romania, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, after serving in several multilateral and bilateral posts and as foreign ministry legal adviser.
Ms Solange Mike
Lecturer, DiploFoundation
Solange Mike (nee Cross), a national of both the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago, holds degrees in the field of International Relations from the University of the West Indies, the University of Malta, and the University of Reading. Solange has worked on a number of research consultancies in the Caribbean region for various clients ranging from government agencies, international organisations, and multi-national corporations. She has also served as a facilitator in many diplomatic training programmes. Her areas of research interest include small state diplomacy, information and communication technologies in international relations, and geopolitics and energy diplomacy. She has lectured in the area of diplomacy at the Institute of International Relations, the University of the West Indies St. Augustine campus on Trinidad and Tobago, and currently is an associate faculty member in DiploFoundation’s academic programmes through the University of Malta.
Ms Virginia Paque
Internet Governance and E-diplomacy Programmes
Born (and currently residing) in the United States, Ms Virginia (Ginger) Paque lived in Venezuela for more than 35 years. An educator and administrator by profession, she has 25 years’ experience in business and manufacturing systems consulting. As a board member of the United Nations Association of Venezuela, her work as the Venezuelan member of the World Federation of United Nations Associations Task Force on WSIS marked her entry to the world of Internet governance (IG) during the Geneva PrepComs. Active in Civil Society discussions on IG, Ginger served as IG Caucus co-coordinator for two years. She was a member of the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) from 2015 to 2017, with a specific focus on moving online 'observation' to online 'participation' for greater inclusion. Having completed a Master in Contemporary Diplomacy with a thesis focusing on the importance of IG as a new diplomatic priority, Ginger currently lectures on IG for Diplo and curates human rights topics for the GIP Digital Watch observatory. Accessibility to support inclusion is a high priority, particularly through support for persons with disabilities and multilingual approaches.
Ms Michaela Told
Executive Director, Global Health Centre, Graduate Institute Geneva
Ms Michaela Told is currently Executive Director of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. Prior to moving into academia, she has been working more than 10 years with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement at local, regional and international level in all continents, most recently heading the Principles and Values Department of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva. She then was also involved in negotiations and policy-making within the statutory bodies of the RCRC Movement. Earlier in her career, she worked with the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Division of Development Cooperation and later served as Secretary General of an international women’s human rights NGO based in Geneva.
In her current position as Executive Director of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute she is responsible for the successful implementation of all activities of the Global Health Centre. In her research and teaching she focuses on Global Health Diplomacy, among others, she directs the online courses in global health diplomacy. She holds a MSW (School of Social Work, Vienna), a MCom (Development Economics, University of Economics and Business Administration, Vienna), and a MA in Development Studies (Women & Development, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague), as well as a PhD (School of Law and Social Sciences, University of East London, UK).
Small and developing states with limited geographical, human, and financial resources face the challenge of doing more with less: they need to employ all available methods to increase their representation, including networks, alliances, and information technology tools. The effective presence of such states in International Geneva is vital for their social and economic development, as Geneva is the main governance hub for issues such as trade, climate change, health, and migration. Yet, diplomats representing small and developing states often lack the experience and exposure to Geneva-based institutions and processes that would allow them to ensure the interests of their nations are well represented.
The Capacity Development in Multilateral Diplomacy for Africa programme (CD Multi-Africa) is part of the Capacity Development in Multilateral Diplomacy programme (CD Multi) run in cooperation and with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
The CD Multi programme aims to:
- Increase the capacity of the selected states to participate efficiently and effectively in multilateral diplomacy.
- Strengthen functional links between participating states and International Geneva.
- Help the participating states make effective use of e-tools in order to overcome geographical, financial, and human resource limitations.
- Make participants from the selected states aware of the importance of the activities and decisions being taken or implemented in Geneva.
CD Multi-Africa combines the convenience of tutored online learning and research for geographically dispersed participants with the immediate benefits of face-to-face coaching and policy immersion in Geneva. The programme is designed for diplomats and officials, as well as participants from civil society and academia, from small and developing African states. There are three phases.
- During the six-week interactive online learning phase (31 October – 16 December 2016), participants attend an interactive six-week online training course. The course focuses on topics of special relevance for African nations governed by Geneva-based institutions (environment and climate change diplomacy, human rights diplomacy, trade diplomacy, health diplomacy, humanitarian diplomacy, and Internet governance and telecommunication policy).
- During the four-week policy research phase (16 January – 10 February 2017), participants select a research topic of relevance to their country and connected with the multilateral diplomatic scene in Geneva. They investigate and analyse this topic under the guidance of a research tutor, and with access to expert consultants for advice as needed.
- The policy immersion phase in Geneva (spring 2017, dates to be determined) brings the ten top participants from the online course to Geneva for visits to international organisations in Geneva, meetings with officials working on small state issues, discussion of the diplomacy of small states (main issues and challenges in multilateral diplomacy), and other activities.
Full and successful completion of the online learning and policy research phases is required in order for participants to be considered for the policy immersion phase in Geneva.
This course is open to diplomats and other government officials, as well as civil society and academia, from small and developing African states.
Please note that this programme requires six to eight hours of study time per week. Before you apply, please consider carefully whether you can commit the necessary time in order to complete the course successfully. Where appropriate, please make sure you obtain the endorsement of your line manager to attend this course.
The programme has three phases:
Online learning phase (31 October – 16 December 2016): During this six-week phase, reading materials and tools for online interaction are provided through an online classroom. The course is based on a collaborative approach to learning, involving a high level of interaction. Each week, participants read an assigned module text, adding questions and comments as hypertext entries. Lecturers and other participants read and respond to these entries, creating interaction based on the module text. Each week participants complete a quiz based on the readings for the week, and at the end of the week, participants, tutors, and guest experts meet online in a chat room to discuss the week’s topic.
Policy research phase (16 January – 10 February 2017): During the online learning phase, each participant will select a topic of relevance to their country and connected with the multilateral diplomatic scene in Geneva for the individual research project. During the 4-week research phase, participants continue their research under the guidance of a research tutor, and with access to expert consultants for advice as needed. At the end of the research phase, each participant submits a research paper of 2500 – 3000 words. Participants receive individual feedback and assessment of their research papers.
Participation in the online learning phase and policy research phase requires six to eight hours of study time per week.
Participants who successfully complete the online learning and policy research phases will receive an electronic certificate and will be eligible for consideration for the policy immersion phase in Geneva.
Policy immersion phase: (Geneva, spring 2017, dates to be determined): This phase brings the ten top participants from the online course to Geneva for visits to international organisations in Geneva, meetings with officials working on small state issues, discussion of the diplomacy of small states (main issues and challenges in multilateral diplomacy), an introduction to International Geneva (main players, approaches, plans), training exercises (simulations on multilateral negotiations, training on drafting and use of language), and consultancy on the relevance of Geneva’s diplomatic activities to the multilateral diplomacy of the participants’ countries.
Applicants must:
- be a citizen of, or reside in, a small, developing African state.
- have at least one year of work experience as a diplomat or other government official, or within civil society or academia, in their respective states.
- have sufficient knowledge of the English language to undertake postgraduate-level studies (including reading academic texts, discussing complex concepts with other course participants, and writing academic essays).
- have regular access to the Internet (dial-up connection is sufficient, although broadband is preferable).
- dedicate sufficient time for online study, which requires six to eight hours per week.
Participation in this course for selected applicants is fully funded by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (FDFA).
Please apply online using our online application form by 10 October 2016.
The application form asks you to provide a short motivation statement (150 words) explaining the reasons for your interest in this course. What are your personal and professional objectives for the future, and how will this course help you to reach them? You are also required to upload a current CV with your application.
Incomplete and late applications will not be considered.
This programme is open only to applicants from African states. Please consult the prerequisites for this programme before applying. Applicants who do not meet the prerequisites will not be considered.
Priority will be given to applicants who are diplomats or other government officials, and to applicants from small and developing states.
In case of enquiries, please contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu