Diplo Academy upcoming courses and programmes
☀️ Applications open! Diplo’s 2025 summer online courses
Register now to reserve your place in our specialised summer courses!
👉🏼 Application deadlines for certificates issued by Diplo: 16 June 2025
For further information and to apply, click the course titles above or visit Diplo’s course catalogue.
◆ Need financial assistance? Scholarships are available!
Thanks to support from the government of Malta, partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 30%–60% of course fees and can be applied to most 2025 online courses. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information.
Upcoming events
◆ Internet Governance Forum 2025
The 20th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) will be hosted by the Government of Norway in Lillestrøm from 23 to 27 June 2025. IGF 2025 will be hosted under the overarching theme Building Digital Governance Together.
Diplo will participate in several tracks. Further information will be provided in DiploNews #517, as well as our website, and the Digital Watch Observatory.
Blogs and publications
◆ Can the Vatican mediate peace in Ukraine?
The Vatican’s potential role in mediating peace between Russia and Ukraine highlights its historical significance in diplomacy. Amid today’s geopolitical complexities, Pope Leo XIV’s initiative, together with the Community of Sant’Egidio’s proven mediation successes, reflects the Vatican’s unique moral authority. This diplomacy prioritises dialogue over condemnation, aiming to foster trust and reduce conflict. As the Vatican seeks to create diplomatic space, it emphasises the essential human dimension in an era dominated by digital discourse and disinformation, potentially setting a precedent for the involvement of traditional institutions in contemporary diplomacy. Read the blog post!
◆ What can we learn from 160 years of tech diplomacy at ITU?
On 17 May 1865, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was founded by 20 European states to streamline telegraph messaging across borders, highlighting the need for multilateral cooperation in communication. Over more than 160 years, ITU has upheld its mission to balance national sovereignty with shared connectivity amid evolving technologies. History shows that crises can prompt necessary change, while advances in technology continue to shape global power dynamics. Read the blog post!
◆ Compromise is not a dirty word – It’s the glue holding humanity together
While observing Lucid cars in Geneva, the slogan Compromise Nothing prompted a reflection on the meaning of compromise, which is often misunderstood as a sign of weakness. Derived from Latin, compromise denotes a ‘joint promise’ – an essential foundation for coexistence, relationships, and governance. Although it may appear as surrender, true compromise requires the courage to acknowledge differing interests. Read the blog post!
◆ Negotiating the climate: The politics of a changing planet
As the planet warms, power dynamics shift – unlocking new frontiers, deepening old conflicts, and forcing global diplomacy to reckon with the existential stakes of climate change. From Arctic rivalries to water wars, and climate-driven migration, the struggle for survival is rewriting the rules of international relations. Read the blog post!
◆ Empowering communities through bottom-up AI: The example of ThutoHealth
In Botswana, a silent epidemic claims nearly half of all lives. Hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and other non-communicable diseases are responsible for 46% of deaths nationwide. While these conditions are preventable or manageable with early intervention, access to healthcare, education, and tools remains uneven – particularly in rural communities. In this story of systemic challenge, a local innovator is proving that homegrown AI-powered solutions can turn the tide. Read the blog post!
◆ The rise of tech giants in healthcare: How AI is reshaping life sciences
AI-powered tools from Google, IBM, and start-ups improve diagnostics, clinical documentation, and patient care – reducing clinician workloads and enhancing healthcare outcomes worldwide. Read the DW analysis!
◆ The rise of AI in Hollywood, gaming, and music
AI is reshaping how stories are told in film, games, and music, raising questions about authorship, ethics, and artistic identity. Read the DW analysis!
◆ Between theory and practice: Rethinking diplomatic theory
Diplomatic theory says: follow orders. Practice shows: shape reality. Between theory and practice lies the diplomat’s quiet craft. This blog posts asks if theory can catch up. Read the blog post!
◆ What is it like to be a goshawk?
What is it like to be a goshawk? Helen Macdonald sought to find out – not through theory, but through experience. Her book, H is for Hawk, is not just about falconry – it’s about patience, attention, and connection. Read the blog post!
◆ DW Weekly #214
In the latest issue of the DW Weekly newsletter:
- The EU tightens its grip on digital governance
- Crypto landscape
- Last week in Geneva
◆ Geneva Manual on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace: Chapter 2
The second chapter of the Geneva Manual on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace focuses on the implementation of agreed norms and confidence-building measures by relevant non-state stakeholders to protect critical infrastructure. Read Chapter 2!
◆ Reporting: West African IGF 2025
Diplo contributed to the 2025 meeting of the West Africa Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF) by engaging with parliamentarians from West African countries, facilitating discussions on national and regional priorities for digital governance, and exploring ways to strengthen West African contributions to global digital policy processes. The GIP Digital Watch observatory provided just-in-time reporting. Consult the transcripts, messages, and analysis of the WAIGF 2025 discussions!
Latest videos
◆ DW shorts #29 – Coinbase Chaos
In Digital Watch Shorts #29: Deepfake scams are getting a glow up, the UK tightens its grip on crypto, and Coinbase is back in court. Watch the episode below!
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