DiploNews – Issue 283 – 1 September 2015

Upcoming study opportunities

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.

Workshop in Malta: Modern Diplomacy for Small States

The Modern Diplomacy for Small States workshop 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 cost of the training course and accommodation. You can find more information about the schedule, scholarships, and faculty by visiting workshop website. To apply as a self-funded applicant, e-mail your CV and a letter of intent to Ms Sylvana Bugeja on s.bugeja@diplomacy.edu

Autumn online courses

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

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

Apply for Diplo certificate courses by 16 September. 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.

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.

Diplomacy training events in Bangkok

It has been a busy week in Bangkok for Diplo. Two interactive workshops were organised on 24-29 August. The first workshop, on 24-27 August, welcomed diplomats from Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) countries to a public diplomacy training. The second workshop, on Asia Cyber Diplomacy for diplomats from ASEAN countries, was organised on 28-29 August in partnership with the Dutch government, Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

An Introduction to Internet governance  now available in Thai

The sixth edition of Dr Jovan Kurbalija's An Introduction to Internet Governance is now also available in Thai. The book’s aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the main issues and actors in the field through a practical framework for analysis, discussion, and resolution of significant issues. Read more about the book, which is also available in other languages.

Diplo's Jovan Kurbalija at African Union meeting in Addis Ababa

Jovan Kurbalija, Director of DiploFoundation and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform will provide two training sessions at the African Union meeting ongoing in Addis Ababa this week.

Internet governance developments in July, August

Cybersecurity, the global IG architecture, the IANA transition process, privacy and data protection, and the responsibility of Internet intermediaries ranked high on the digital policy agenda during the summer months as revealed by the IG Barometer for July and August. Fewer developments took place with regard to ICANN and the new domain system, net neutrality, jurisdiction, and e-commerce. A round-up of the main developments during the summer months was the focus of last week’s Geneva Internet Platform webinar briefing, delivered by  Vladimir Radunovic, Diplo’s Director of Cybersecurity and E-diplomacy Programmes. The digest, recording, and presentation are now available. Join us for the next briefing on 29 September.  Registration is now open.

Discussing Internet governance

Bitcoin, the world’s leading cryptocurrency, is at a crossroads. The network needs to scale up, but any decision needs to be based on consensus. The camp is split in two: some are in favour of expanding, while others are in favour of the status quo. Read more in Arvin Kamberi’s blog post.

In Diplo’s IG community, Romina Florencia Cabrera discusses e-justice, including electronic documents and digital signatures, and the digitisation of justice. Read the blog post (in Spanish): Algunas reflexiones sobre la e-justicia. Mamadou Lo shares updates on digital policy: read his weekly web reviews for 14 August, 21 August, and 28 August. Follow more IG-related news and discussions on Diplo’s Internet governance channel and on Diplo’s IG community blog roll.

What's been happening in Diplo's blogosphere

Aldo Matteucci, in his blogpost on the Internet’s silent and hidden effects, opens with words of  Flannery O’Connor: conviction without experience makes for harshness. He posits that 'the complexity of the silent and hidden effects we contemplate and recognise demands a corresponding complexity in institutions we create to harness its silent and hidden effects.' Soneel Ram, International Humanitarian Law Dissemination and Communications Officer at the Fiji Red Cross Society, recently completed the online diploma course on Humanitarian Diplomacy offered by DiploFoundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). In Understanding the essence of time, he talks to us about his experience.

Comments on any of Diplo’s blog posts are welcome. Let us know if you’d like to be a guest blogger.