DiploNews – Issue 272 – 17 March 2015

Roundtable on Open Innovation in the Proprietary World: Join us on 19 March

Diplo would like to invite you to join stakeholders from around the world in a reflection on the impact of the current EU Intellectual Property Rights protection regime on innovation and economic growth, and the future of Open Innovation in the proprietary world. The roundtable on Open Innovation in the Proprietary World takes place on Thursday, 19th March, in Geneva, and will be open for online participation. Remote participants are encouraged to register in advance and participate in the event. The roundtable is being organised by Diplo in collaboration with partner members of the Managing Alternatives for Privacy, Property and Internet Governance (MAPPING) project. More details, including an updated agenda and registration links, are available on the event webpage.

Diplo's Jovan Kurbalija on lecture tour in March

The Internet poses a wide range of challenges for modern diplomacy, including: How to protect national cybersecurity? How to govern the Internet on the global level? These and many other questions are being discussed in an ongoing lecture tour in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, delivered by DiploFoundation director Dr Jovan Kurbalija on 10-17 March. The lecture tour is part of the Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy Training Initiative, set up in 2013 by DiploFoundation, the Asia-Europe Foundation, and the National Centre for Research on Europe – University of Canterbury, to help to promote and facilitate skills training for diplomats and civil society actors. View more details about the Asia lecture tour.

Next week, Dr Kurbalija will join other speakers to discuss A digital magna carta, Internet governance and a new social contract. The event will take place in New York on 26 March. Read more.

Latest on WSIS+10 process

A series of developments is taking place as part of the WSIS+10 Process, which marks the ten-year milestone since the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). What are the latest updates, and why is the upcoming high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly important for the process? A dedicated information page on the WSIS+10 process – prepared by the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) – provides details about the process, provides the latest updates, and lists key documents. The GIP is a Swiss initiative operated by DiploFoundation.

Upcoming discussion on fighting cybercrime through closer international cooperation

The Geneva Internet Platform in collaboration with the Swiss Confederation, is organising the second Cybersecurity Day on Fighting Cybercrime through closer International Cooperation, on 30 March in Geneva. Participants will be able to learn how cybercrime is committed, combated, and prevented, and together with experts, engineers, and diplomats, can discuss international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime in the context of preparations for the forthcoming 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Doha, 12-19 April 2015). At the Cybersecurity Lab, they will also learn the skills needed to increase their security in cyberspace. Read more on the event webpage.

Event in Geneva: MIKTA diplomacy – current developments and vision for the future

As a follow-up to the first MIKTA event in Geneva, Diplo is co-organisation a seminar on MIKTA diplomacy: New dynamism or more of the same? The aim of this seminar on 24 April is to generate input in preparation for the Ministerial MIKTA meeting to be held in Seoul in May 2015. The seminar is organised by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea, the current chair of MIKTA, and DiploFoundation. Other partners include the permanent missions of Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, and Australia. More information is available.

Event in Bern: Geneva Internet Platform – Successful start and future developments

After the first year of activities, the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) has become one of the reference points in global digital policy. A growing demand for information, knowledge and dialogue on global digital policy issues is reflected in the numerous events and briefings the GIP organised in 2015. The event Geneva Internet Platform: one year of operations and outlook, on 20 March in Bern, will gather initial partners from the formation stage of the GIP and new partners who are interested in economic, policy, security, social and development aspects of digital developments. Learn more.

Internet governance developments in March

Several developments are taking place in March, including on the net neutrality, privacy, and jurisdiction fronts. Join us for our next briefing on Tuesday, 31st March, online and in Geneva, for a 'zoomed-out' update of the major global IG and digital policies developments in March, and an update from the IG Barometer. We will also look ahead at what to expect in April. If you are in Geneva, please join us in situ. Learn more and register.

Upcoming study opportunities

May 2015 online diplomacy courses

Starting in May 2015 we offer courses on diplomacy topics both classic and contemporary:

NEW: Partial scholarships are available for all courses, for qualified applicants from developing countries, with special priority to small states. The scholarships offer up to 50% discount on course tuition fees.

Apply by 30 March 2015 for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses webpage. Register now to reserve your place.

Just-in-time course on Internet governance for Geneva-based diplomats

In the framework of the Geneva Internet Platform, Diplo is offering a 'just-in-time' course on Internet governance for diplomats based at permanent missions to the UN and international organisations in Geneva. This course combines dynamic exchnage in an online classroom with weekly lunchtime learning sessions at the Geneva Internet Platform. The course will start on 20 April 2015. More information is available on the course leaflet. Scholarships are available for Geneva-based diplomats from developing countries, generously provided by the Swiss government.

Discussing Internet governance

In the past fortnight, Diplo’s team participated in a number of IG-related events, and prepared follow-up updates from each event. The Internet of Things topped the agenda at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which convened thousands of delegates on 2-5 March. The team covered the keynote address on Innovation for Inclusion, and a business-dominated session on Ensuring user-centred privacy in a connected world.

At UNESCO’s CONNECTing the Dots conference, high-level government representatives shared their perspectives, while privacy aspects in relation to legal frameworks, education and corporate responsibility were discussed during a dedicated break-out session. Building a legacy for future generations and connecting bridges were among the suggestions for future action made during the Options for Future Action session.

An update on the proceedings during the symposium on Cloud Collections is also available.

On Diplo’s IG community space, Grace Githaiga also shared her thoughts on multistakeholderism from UNESCO’s CONNECTing the Dots conference, while Simona Cioroiu provided her regular update from the world of cryptocurrencies. Rami AlHames wrote about the sex chats that end with Syrian hackers stealing info from the rebels, while Virginia (Ginger) Paque shared the IGF Secretariat’s announcement on workshop proposals.

Follow more IG-related news and discussions on Diplo’s Internet governance channel, and on Diplo’s IG community blog roll.

What's new in Diplo's blogosphere?

'New diplomacy' has become somewhat of a buzzword. In its current form it mainly describes new actors becoming more visible in the diplomatic process. We have also seen new terms such as health diplomacy being used more frequently. But what of the potential of so-called education diplomacy.

DiploFoundation and the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) are working together to develop an online course which is scheduled to run this fall. Having been inivited to speak at ACEI's Global Institute for Education Diplomacy (March 5-8, Washington, DC), Diplo's Katharina Hoene presented some thoughts on the nature of diplomacy and the emerging concept of education diplomacy.

Remember, you too can have your say by commenting on these or any of our blog posts. And, if you’d like to be a guest blogger, let us know.