This course aims to assist permanent missions and international organisations in Geneva to increase their knowledge and capacity to engage in digital commerce-related negotiations and discussions. It provides an interdisciplinary coverage of e-commerce, from both digital and trade perspectives. The course is offered by DiploFoundation (Diplo), CUTS International Geneva, the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP).
The course will benefit diplomats who follow digital trade negotiations on the multilateral and bilateral levels. While improving their knowledge of e-commerce, participants will also gain the practical skills and information required to discuss specific digital policy aspects, such as cross-border data flows, data localisation, cybersecurity, consumer protection and the implication of emerging technologies to digital trade, such as the Internet of Things and 3D printing. The course focuses in particular on digital trade negotiations and policy processes taking place in International Geneva.
Due to the blended learning course format which includes weekly face-to-face meetings, registration for this session of the Digital Commerce course is open only to applicants based in Geneva.
Lecturers
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.
Ms Marília Maciel
Digital Policy Senior Researcher
Brazilian-born Ms Marília Maciel is currently based in Strasbourg, France. She is involved in several Internet- governance-related projects, notably on the fields of digital economy, e-commerce, and cybersecurity. She also curates the topics of e-commerce, Access and Digital Divide for the GIP Digital Watch Observatory and represents Diplo at various meetings.
Prior to joining Diplo, Ms Marília Maciel was a researcher and coordinator of the Center for Technology and Society of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (CTS/FGV) in Rio de Janeiro. She served as a councillor at ICANN´s Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) representing the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG). Marília is a former member of the Working Group on Improvements to the Internet Governance Forum (2011–2012), created under the auspices of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UN CSTD). She was also a member of the Multistakeholder Executive Committee of NETmundial and represented CTS/FGV in meetings of the Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). She served in the Consultative Chamber on Internet Security and Rights of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br).
Marília is a PhD candidate at the University of Bordeaux Montaigne, on Information and Communication Sciences. She holds an MA in Latin American Integration from the Federal University of Santa Maria (2008) and a law degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco (2005), where she was awarded a research grant from the State of Pernambuco Research Foundation (FACEPE) to investigate issues related to taxation and electronic commerce.
This course aims to assist permanent missions and international organisations in Geneva to increase their knowledge and capacity to engage in digital commerce-related negotiations and discussions. It provides an interdisciplinary coverage of e-commerce, from both digital and trade perspectives. The course is offered by DiploFoundation (Diplo), CUTS International Geneva, the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP).
The course will benefit diplomats who follow digital trade negotiations on the multilateral and bilateral levels. While improving their knowledge of e-commerce, participants will also gain the practical skills and information required to discuss specific digital policy aspects, such as cross-border data flows, data localisation, cybersecurity, consumer protection and the implication of emerging technologies to digital trade, such as the Internet of Things and 3D printing. The course focuses in particular on digital trade negotiations and policy processes taking place in International Geneva.
Due to the blended learning course format which includes weekly face-to-face meetings, registration for this session of the Digital Commerce course is open only to applicants based in Geneva.
Course outline
1. Global digital flows: Business models and technical enablers. We discuss the notion of global digital flows from a business and a technical perspective. We zoom in to understand how packets of data flow through the digital ‘pipes’ and arrive at their destination, identifying some bottlenecks and vulnerabilities in the digital logistic infrastructure that carries the global flows of online trade. We also examine some online business models which help to explain the soaring flows of data.
2. Digital economy: Economic policy issues of relevance for digital commerce. We consider the economic value of data and the aspects of the digital economy that impact on the development of e-commerce, including digital payment systems, taxation, competition and anti-monopoly policies. We analyse the impact of regulations on data localisation and on access to the source code.
3. Digital commerce in international organisations and regional trade agreements. More than half of the World Trade Organization (WTO) members have signed at least one regional trade agreement (RTA) that contains a standalone digital commerce provision. We analyse key digital commerce provisions in RTAs, as well as trade-related issues being addressed in regional integration initiatives in different parts of the world, including Asia-Pacific and Africa. We discuss the work of international and global organisations that contribute to shaping digital commerce.
4. Digital commerce discussions at the World Trade Organization. The WTO plays an important role in facilitating diplomatic talks about digital commerce within the framework of the multilateral trading system. We summarise the evolution of WTO discussions on digital commerce, including in the lead up to the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in 2019. We also analyse the plurilateral negotiations on trade-related aspects of e-commerce taking place among some WTO members.
5. Digital commerce and Internet governance. We tackle the interplay between digital governance and trade policy by providing an overview of the inclusion of digital regulatory aspects in trade negotiations. We discuss trade-related aspects of policies in the fields of cybersecurity, encryption, privacy and data protection, and consumer protection.
Module 5 also includes an optional reading: Digital commerce: Emerging technologies and issues. Technology has already significantly transformed trade. We focus on four emerging technologies that revolutionise human activities, including digital commerce: the Internet of things, big data, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing.
The course will be of interest to:
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Geneva-based diplomats
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Other Geneva-based professionals
Priority will be given to applicants with previous professional or academic experience in digital commerce, and efforts will be made to ensure regional and gender balance.
The course will run from 9 October to 2 December 2019, using a blended learning technique combining a dynamic exchange in an online classroom with lunchtime learning sessions.
Throughout each course week, participants will interact in the online classroom. The weekly discussion will continue during group meetings scheduled for 13.00 to 14.00 each Wednesday.
During the informal sandwich lunch, the course faculty will clarify pending issues from the week’s online interaction, and discuss ongoing policy processes with participants. The first face-to-face meeting, an introductory/orientation meeting, is scheduled for Wednesday, 16 October. Participants who complete the course successfully will receive a course certificate issued by the partner institutions.
Applicants for this course must be based in Geneva. They should have basic knowledge of trade and commerce negotiations.
The course fee is 990 CHF. Selected applicants will be granted a full waiver of course fees, through support from the course organising partners.
Please apply online using our online application form by 25 September 2019.
Please apply for this course only if you are based in Geneva. Applications from other locations cannot be considered for this session.
Please do not forget to fill out the short motivation statement on the application form (100 - 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?
Late applications will be considered only if places remain in the course.
For questions, please contact Ms Marilia Maciel at mariliam@diplomacy.edu