lighting, Diplomacy

Geneva E-diplomacy Day

16 November 2012 -

Geneva

Diplo swiss_permanent_mission maltese_logo itu_logo gcsp_logo

DiploFoundation

Permanent Mission of
Switzerland
to the UN – Geneva

Permanent Mission of
Malta
to the UN – Geneva

International Telecommunication
Union

Geneva Centre for
Security Policy


From the Geneva E-dipomacy Day (16 November 20120):

Geneva E-diplomacy Day

E-diplomacy is in the media focus; for example, we hear much about presidents and ministers tweeting. However, many international relations professionals and diplomats need more practical information on how e-tools can help them in their work.

Should diplomats blog? Can Twitter improve communication? How can diplomats manage the avalanche of information that faces them every day? Is online training a solution for continuous learning in diplomacy?

These and other questions were addressed by practising diplomats, specialists in international relations, and Internet experts during the Geneva E-diplomacy Day, which took place on 16 November at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

Some excerpts and presentations are available below within the conference programme.

 

Geneva E-Diplomacy Community

The E-diplomacy Day was organised for diplomatic community in Geneva. If you would like to join this community, be informed about future related events in Geneva and suggest activities, follow this link.

 

Programme

TIME

SESSION

9.00 – 9.30

Coffee and registration

9.30 – 9.40

Welcome by organisers and tour of the day

  • Ambassador Fred Tanner (Director, GCSP)
  • Dr. Jovan Kurbalija (Director, DiploFoundation)

9.40 – 10.25

Digital competences –  the five C’s (Curate, Critique, Collaborate, Create, Communicate) by

Pete Cranston, DiploFoundation

(Presentation in Slideshare)

10.25 – 10.40

Coffee break

10.40 – 12.10

Online learning for diplomatic services and international organisations

By the very nature of their professions, diplomats and international officials are scattered all over the world. E-learning is often the only feasible way to provide continuous training. HEID, IFRC, GCSP and Diplo will present their experiences in engaging their learning communities around the world.

Speakers:

  • HEID: Michaela Told and Pascale Wyss
  • IFRC: Ariel Kestens and Tore Svenning
  • GCSP: Dr. Barbara Zanchetta

Moderator: Dejan Dinčić (DiploFoundation)

12.10 – 13.00

Refreshments and canapés

13.00 – 14.00

E-diplomacy: Challenges for multilateral diplomacy

High-level panel with the following speakers:

  • Ambassador Alexandre Fasel (Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other IOs in Geneva)
  • Richard Boly (Director of the Office of eDiplomacy, US State Department)
  • Anders Norsker (Chief of the Information Services Department, ITU)

Moderator: Dr Jovan Kurbalija (Director, DiploFoundation)

14.00 – 14.45

Speakers available for informal discussion.

14.45 – 15.30

E-diplomacy labs (Technical discussions in small groups. Participants will select theme of their interest.)

  • E-diplomacy in diplomatic services (Richard Boly, US State Department)
  • Remote participation (Anders Norsker, ITU)
  • Social media (Pete Cranston, DiploFoundation)
  • Diplomatic aspects: protection of digital archives, immunities and protection of diplomatic communication (Jovan Kurbalija, DiploFoundation)

15.30 – 15.45

Coffee break

15.45 – 16.30

The Internet as a new topic on the diplomatic agenda: Summary of the approaches and current developments

Speakers:

  • Paul Charlton (First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN) (tbc)
  • Peter Major (Special Advisor, Permanent Mission of Hungary to the UN)
  • Dr. Gustav Lindstrom (Senior Fellow, GCSP)
   Moderator: Dr. Jovan Kurbalija (Director, DiploFoundation)

16.30 – 17.30

Individual consultations: hints, tips, and lessons learned 

This session could be described as: ‘everything you always wanted to know about e-diplomacy, but were afraid to ask.’ Individually or in small groups, participants will have the opportunity to discuss e-diplomacy tools (information aggregators, Twitter, Facebook, blogs) with Diplo team members.

 

For more information on Diplo's e-diplomacy activities, visit our e-diplomacy webpage.