DiploNews – Issue 279 – 2 July 2015

Upcoming study opportunities

Workshop in Malta: Legal Instruments for the Internet Economy

DiploFoundation is organising the 9th edition of the pan-Commonwealth training workshop, Legal Instruments for the Internet Economy, in Malta on 14-19 September 2015. The workshop is being organised on behalf of the Government of Malta and in association with the Commonwealth Secretariat, and is intended primarily for government officials and professionals holding senior to middle management positions related to ICT and telecoms regulation. Applicants from Commonwealth countries may apply for a scholarship which covers the costs of the training course and accommodation. Learn more about the workshop.

Workshop in Malta: Modern Diplomacy for Small States

The 7th workshop on Modern Diplomacy for Small States will take place in Malta, 30 September – 9 October 2015. It is organised by DiploFoundation, and sponsored by the Government of Malta and the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC). Applicants from Commonwealth countries may apply for a scholarship which covers the costs of the training course and accommodation. You can find more information about the schedule, scholarships, and faculty by visiting workshop website.

Call for nominations: Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy Training Initiative

DiploFoundation, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), and the National Centre for Research on Europe at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, announce a call for nominations for a short face-to-face training programme on Public Diplomacy. This programme is part of the Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy Training Initiative which aims to improve public diplomacy efforts between the countries of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process. The programme is financially supported by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland and ASEF.

The training will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 24 to 27 August, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand. Please note that this call is open only to ASEM country nationals, and that the priority will be given to candidates nominated by their MFAs. Training costs, including travel to Bangkok, are covered by the organisers. You can read more about the programme and apply online.

Online Diploma Course in Humanitarian Diplomacy

The next session of the Humanitarian Diplomacy online diploma course, offered by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in cooperation with DiploFoundation, will start on 1 September 2015. This 12-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb, will extend the knowledge base and develop practical skills of current and future practitioners in humanitarian diplomacy and policy. This course is currently offered in English, however participants who are more comfortable with French will have the option to write and submit some course assignments and their final research project in French. Partial bursaries are available for applicants from developing countries who work in the humanitarian field. The application deadline is 20 July 2015. For more details and to apply, please visit the course webpage or contact admissions@diplomacy.edu

2016 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy

DiploFoundation is now accepting applications for the 2016 Master/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy, and the Master/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy with an Internet Governance specialisation. These unique postgraduate programmes, offered in cooperation with the University of Malta, include a 10-day residential workshop in Malta followed by 16–20 months of online learning. Visit the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy webpage to learn more and to apply. Scholarships covering 20–50% of the Postgraduate Diploma fee are available for applicants from small and developing states. The programme starts on 1 February 2016. The application deadline is 1 October 2015 for international applicants and 15 November 2015 for Maltese applicants.

Internet governance for the MENA region

From data privacy and cybersecurity to content regulation and net neutrality, policymakers, and advocates face complex challenges related to the Internet. What background knowledge is necessary to understand these complex topics? How can civic actors engage in these issues and effectively advocate for policies that benefit Internet users? What are the unique challenges and opportunities for civic actors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)? Diplo and Hivos, through the IGMENA programme, are working together to offer the third annual online course on Internet Govenance for the MENA Region, starting on 3 September 2015. The course creates a unique opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and tools to address these issues; communicate with actors from government and the technical community; and to influence policy outcomes. Tuition fees are fully covered through fellowships from Hivos. Read more and apply by 27 July.

Autumn online courses

Diplo offers a wide range of exciting onlne courses this autumn:

• Consular and Diaspora Diplomacy
• Cybersecurity
• Development Diplomacy
• Economic Diplomacy
• Language and Diplomacy

Apply by 3 August 2015 for University of Malta accredited courses and by 31 August 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.

Summer online courses

Diplo's summer online courses start on 20 July 2015:

• 21st Century Diplomacy
• Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
• Multilateral Diplomacy

We are still accepting applications up until 6 July 2015 for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses webpage.

Malta scholarships

Thanks to support from the Government of Malta, partial scholarhships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 50-70% of course fees and can be applied to any online course in 2015. Please browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information.

Sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses.

Internet governance in June

June proved to be another intensive month for cybersecurity, privacy and data protection, and net neutrality, the IG Barometer for June revealed. New cyberattacks were reported, including a resurrection of an advanced piece of malware. The new Special Rapporteur on Privacy is expected to be named this week, while controversy surrounds the EU as a possible trade-off of roaming charges with net neutrality emerges. More developments took place in other policy areas. The main developments and their impact on future developments were discussed during the regular end-of-month briefing, which took place this week. Read the digest, and view the recording:

and join us again on 25 August for a round-up of the main developments in July and August. The monthly Internet governance briefings are organised by the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP), a Swiss initiative run by DiploFoundation.

Vienna Cyber Diplomacy Day: Diplomacy between Tradition and Innovation

More than 40 diplomats, computer specialists, and academics addressed the impact of the Internet on the changing landscape in which diplomacy operates (geo-politics, economy), the emergence of new Internet topics on diplomatic agendas (cybersecurity, data protection), and the use of new digital tools for diplomatic activities (digital archives, social media). The event – Vienna Cyber Diplomacy Day – was organised last week in the framework of the Joint Swiss-Serbian Chairmanships of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Read the event report and view the photo gallery.

June activities in Geneva

June has been a busy month for the Geneva Internet Platform. We facilitated a briefing for the French think-tank Renaissance Numérique on Switzerland and Internet governance. On 17 and 18 June we coorganised a conference with the University of Geneva (a member of the Steering Committee of the Platform) on jurisdiction and dispute resolution in the Internet Era. Also with the University of Geneva, we held a session for the students of their summer school on Internet law, providing updates on developments in Internet governance and the role of Geneva. On 19 June two events were held: in the morning, Diplo facilitated a briefing session for Commonwealth ambassadors with the special envoy of the Prime Minister of Malta in preparations for the CHOGM meeting. Later in the day, we held a session on Law of the Sea – Law of the Internet: Inspiring Analogy? We also held a session for the Internet Freedom Fellows programme organised by the Permanent Mission of the US in Geneva. This year's just-in-time course for Geneva diplomats in Internet governance concluded this month with graduates from 13 countries.

What's been happening in Diplo's blogosphere?

In a guest post on non-technical considerations around LMS implementation at Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, Dr Shujaat Wasty and Timothy M. Stephens of the Canadian Foreign Service Institute discuss the technical and non-technical challenges the CFSI faced in developing its new integrated learning management system (ILMS). Check out this and other posts at https://www.diplomacy.edu/blog and remember that you, too, can have your say by commenting on this or any of our blog posts. And, if you’d like to be a guest blogger, let us know.