Current Activities Open Forum: IGF Bali, 2013 DiploFoundation
Current Activities
Open Forum: IGF Bali, 2013
DiploFoundation
Contents
DiploFoundation Current Events
Introducing DiploFoundation
Our aim
Our main activities
Capacity development
Current and recent capacity development partnerships
Our partners
Our focus on Internet governance and ICT policy
Outreach to decision-makers – in situ workshops
Results of our Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme
DiploFoundation Current Activities
Background Information - Events
http://www.diplomacy.edu/calendar
Moderator: Mr Vladimir Radunovic
Emerging Language of Internet Diplomacy: The Language of IG using IGF as
corpus textus
http://www.diplomacy.edu/IGFLanguage/
Dr/Mr Jovan Kurbalija
E-participation as an area of intensive activities in 2013
http://www.diplomacy.edu/e-participation
http://www.diplomacy.edu/calendar/webinar-e-participation
Mr Guy Girardet or Ms Marilia Maciel
E-diplomacy and IG
http://www.diplomacy.edu/tags/ediplomacy
http://www.diplomacy.edu/e-diplomacy/mapping
http://www.diplomacy.edu/capacity/e-diplomacy
Mr Vladimir Radunovic
IG as a diplomatic priority, new MA in Contemporary Diplomacy with a focus on
Internet governance
http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/MAPGD
Ms Ginger Paque/Ms Hannah Slavik
Introducing DiploFoundationIn 2009, DiploFoundation featured in the World e-Democracy Forum’s list of
‘Top 10 who are changing the world of Internet and Politics’.
DiploFoundation emerged from a project to introduce information and communication
technology (ICT) tools to the practice of diplomacy, initiated in 1993 at the Mediterranean
Academy of Diplomatic Studies in Malta. In November 2002, Diplo was established as an
independent non-profit foundation by the governments of Malta and Switzerland. In 2009,
DiploFoundation featured in the World e-Democracy Forum’s list of ‘Top 10 who are changing the
world of Internet and Politics’.
Today, Diplo works to address the gap between the limited capacities and the growing needs of
small and developing states, as well as marginalised groups, for meaningful participation in global
policy processes. Through online and in-situ training, online policy research and policy
immersion, Diplo has helped many developing countries, organisations, and individuals to
participate meaningfully in the global governance of the Internet.
We offer online training in diplomacy and Internet policy, alongside capacity development
programmes which combine high-quality online and face-to-face training, policy research in real
contexts, and policy immersion (e.g. on-the-job training). We have developed online tools for
distance learning, knowledge sharing, and e-participation, and customised in situ training
approaches for senior professionals. All our activities share a common focus: to support the
emergence of communities of practice in the developing world which deal with new and complex
policy issues, such as Internet governance. Strong communities of practice ensure the
sustainability of capacity development interventions.
Diplo staff and associates are a dynamic and diverse team. While we operate from three offices
(Geneva, Belgrade, and Malta), the majority of staff and associates work online, spread worldwide
from the Pacific islands via Africa and east Europe to the Caribbean and Latin America. Our
approach is multidisciplinary and each of our staff members is involved in a number of activities.
Since 1993, Diplo has been building online training and capacity development methodologies that
are proven to work; it has become a leading actor in this field. Diplo’s programmes respond to the
real needs of practitioners in developing countries and to a strong international demand. Diplo
has received wide recognition for its work, including consultative status with the United Nations
(UN).
Our Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme (IGCBP) has trained over 1000
professionals from over 140 states worldwide since its inception in 2003. Diplo’s contribution
through this programme to the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF; an outcome of the World
Summit on Information Society (WSIS) process) by extending the outreach of and involvement of
institutions and organisations from the developing world in global debates has been widely
acknowledged by many international actors – the UN, the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU), the Internet Society (ISOC), a number of national regulators and governments, etc.
Our aim
Diplo seeks to:
● increase the power of small and developing states to influence their own futures and
development;
● increase international accountability and inclusivity;
● increase the legitimacy of international policy-making; and
● improve global governance and international policy development.
We do this by:
● providing capacity development programmes in areas such as Internet governance and
ICT policy.
● using and developing tools for e-participation in global governance, including remote
participation in international meetings and social media for global negotiations;
● training officials (including regulators, parliamentarians, diplomats and others involved in
international relations) from small and developing countries;
● providing specialised and effective academic programmes – accredited with the
University of Malta – for professional diplomats seeking cost-effective but high-quality
training in both traditional and contemporary diplomacy topics; and
● strengthening participation of non-state actors – including those from academia and civil
society - in international relations and policy processes.
Our main activities
Our flagship publication, An Introduction to Internet Governance, is now in its
fourth edition and has been translated into many languages including Russian,
Serbian, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, and French.
Capacity development. Diplo’s capacity development support begins with individuals, but
through the activities of these individuals, our impact reaches into the larger systems of which
they and their organisations are a part. Our approach includes online training, policy research,
policy immersion, and the development of communities of practice, combined in various ways, as
appropriate to each policy context. As an example, or IG/ICT Policy community has over 1000
members worldwide, including former students, interested institutions, and partners. Our active,
every increasing social media presence ensures that close contact is maintained within this
community and a two-way flow of information is promoted.
Events. In order to deal with pressing issues in global governance, our events bring people
together from different perspectives, including diplomats and civil servants, business
professionals, and members of civil society. Our events often have an 'afterlife', evolving into
teaching activity, publication, or online interaction.
Courses. We offer postgraduate level academic courses and training workshops on a variety of
diplomacy-related topics for diplomats, civil servants, staff of international organisations and
NGOs, and students of international relations. Combining a highly developed learning
methodology with our unique online learning platform, our diplomatic training courses are
flexible, personal, interactive and community-building. Courses are delivered online,
face-to-face and in blended format.
Research. We are addressing the limitations of existing policy research through internet-based
techniques including crowd-sourcing, trend analysis and collaborative research. Topics include
Internet governance and ICT policy, diplomacy of small states, virtual diplomacy, health
diplomacy, and environmental diplomacy.
Publications. Our publications range from examination of contemporary developments in
diplomacy to new analyses of traditional aspects of diplomacy. Many of our publications are
available online as well as in traditional print format and some have been translated into several
languages. Our flagship publication, An Introduction to Internet Governance, is now in its fourth
edition and has been translated into many languages including Russian, Serbian, Chinese, Arabic,
Portuguese, and French. We also publish DiploNews, a biweekly e-mail newsletter distributed to
a mailing list of over 5000 recipients.
Capacity developmentMost small and developing states do not participate equally in global policy
processes. By starting with the empowerment of individuals, our capacity
development has strengthened NGOs, government institutions, and global
policy processes themselves.
We believe that good capacity development
● goes far beyond training;
● needs both traditional and emotional intelligence;
● acknowledges that what is learned on courses may be difficult to implement on the
ground; and
● requires a large component of communication and follow-up.
Therefore, our long-term programmes combine:
● practice-oriented learning activities adapted to the context;
● collaborative policy research and immersion;
● facilitation and support for communities of practice;
● support for partner and beneficiary initiatives, projects and interventions; and
● inclusion of programme participants as partners and co-designers in future capacity
development.
Our capacity development has the following specific features:
● context-sensitive implementation (adjusted to specific national, organisational, and
professional needs);
● multiple target groups, from individual to organisation, network and system;
● support for international processes and preparations for important international summits
and conferences;
● multiple levels of delivery, from the general public through visibility materials and
awareness building, via students and practitioners through long online trainings, to
policy-shapers and high-level decision-makers through short, in situ training workshops;
● promotion of sector-wide coherence by involving various government departments and
professionals; and
● a multistakeholder approach involving governments, civil society, business, academia,
and other actors.
Current and recent capacity development
partnershipsDiplo is constantly forging new partnerships with organisations worldwide to
address pressing issues in global governance. Some of these projects will
become the capacity development programmes of the future.
Policy Area Description Scope/Results Time-frame
Internet
Governance and
ICT Policy
Comprehensive programme
encompassing analysis of context,
online training at beginning and
advanced levels, policy research,
policy immersion, and support for
emerging community of practice.
●National (Serbia &
Montenegro)
● Regional (Europe, other
major UN regions)
●Global
● < 1000 participants
Has been running
on an annual basis
since 2004
Climate Change After analysis of the policy context, an
introductory online course on climate
change diplomacy was developed and
has been offered over the last three
years. Potential to develop into a more
comprehensive programme.
●Global
● 130 participants over 3
years
Pilot course ran in
2008, 2 courses per
year in 2009 and
2010
Migration
Policy
Diplo worked with the Mexican MFA to
develop an online learning module on
Migration and Development in
preparation for the 2010 Global
Migration Forum held in Mexico.
Potential to develop into a more
comprehensive programme.
Mexico and global
30 Mexican participants,
12 international
participants
2010
‘Public
Diplomacy’ for
Roma
Aiming to create a group of Roma
‘public diplomats’, this project
included practical skills building and
knowledge sharing, online learning,
policy research, policy immersion and
support for emerging communities of
practice.
Combining national and
regional level
- 25 participants from
central and eastern
Europe
June 2005 – April
2006
Human rights Capacity development to monitor the Serbia & Montenegro March – May 2005
(HR) domestic compliance of laws and
practices with the UN HR treaties, and
participate in reporting procedures
before the HR Treaty bodies.
- 26 participants
including judges,
government officials,
lawyers, civil society
activists
Policy Area Description Scope Time-frame
Health
Diplomacy
Capacity development for participation in
global health initiatives; focus on coordinating
Serbian health priorities with global initiatives
Serbia & Montenegro
- 25 participants,
including government
officials, medical
doctors, academics,
civil society activists
May – September
2006
Public
Diplomacy
This capacity development programme
consists of online training, policy research,
policy immersion and practical exercises for
parliamentarians, high government officials
and diplomats. The programme focuses on
public diplomacy in the context of South Africa
hosting the next Climate Change Summit (end of
2011).
South Africa
- 80 participants,
including junior
diplomats, senior
ministers and
parliamentarians
2011
International
Cooperation
to Combat
Terrorism
Diplo worked with the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime to develop and offer an online
capacity development programme aimed and
government, legal and law enforcement
officials in developing countries worldwide.
2008/2009
Our partners
● In June 2006, Diplo was granted Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC).
● Diplo plays an important role in a number of global networks, including the Internet
Governance Forum (IGF) and the Information & Knowledge Management (IKM) Emergent
Research Programme.
● Diplo has been involved with the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) since
the Society’s inception in 2002, contributing courses, publications, and awareness-building
activities. A number of Diplo’s representatives and alumni have been selected for key
consultative and managing bodies of WSIS and the IGF.
● Diplo has conducted joint capacity building programmes in Internet governance, ICT policy
and Diplomacy with the support of and in partnership with the European Union, Secretariat
of ACP Group of States, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth Secretariat, national
regulatory authorities such as Swiss OFCOM and ministries such as those of Egypt and India,
the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, the ITU, the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers (ICANN), ISOC, and others.
● Diplo’s academic programmes are run in cooperation with the University of Malta, which is
also our accrediting institution. In Malta, we also cooperate in various international
initiatives with our sister institution, the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies.
● Diplo is a member of the International Forum on Diplomatic Training, a group of around 80
diplomatic training academies and institutions worldwide. Diplo hosts the Forum’s website.
● In Geneva, Diplo cooperates extensively with the Graduate Institute of International
Studies and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy in educational and other activities.
● Diplo is a member of European Association of Development Research and Training
Institutes
● Diplo is one of the founding members of the European Diplomatic Training Initiative, which
brings together leading European institutions delivering training in diplomacy, European,
and International Studies.
● Working with a tripartite agreement signed in 2009 by the governments of Mexico, Malta,
and Switzerland, Diplo provides online training for Mexican diplomats and works together
with the Instituto Matias Romero (the Mexican Diplomatic Academy) in developing and
running new online training course in Spanish and English.
● Diplo works with the training institutions of national governments (including South Africa,
Bahrain, and Azerbaijan) to offer customized online and face-to-face diplomacy training
programmes.
Our focus on Internet governance and ICT policyAt Google.com, which can be considered an informal global relevance list,
DiploFoundation features among the top ten search results for the term
‘Internet governance’.
One of the main problems at the beginning of the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was
how to identify and include stakeholders, especially from the Global South and particularly small
and least developed countries, who could contribute to the IGF and bring benefits in terms of
developments back home. In 2005, recognising this gap in the participation of many stakeholders
in the global Internet debate, Diplo launched our annual Internet Governance Capacity Building
Programme (IGCBP). This programme is based on a 12-week online foundation online course, an
8-week online advanced course, followed by an 8-week online policy research phase with an
optional 3-month supervised research-writing period. The programme also includes the
possibility of policy immersion fellowships, the fourth of four distinctive, yet interrelated,
elements. As a direct follow-up activity, a community of participants is maintained through a
facilitated online environment long after the programme ends. An added multiplier effect
consists of the various spin-off activities that have arisen out of the online training and research
activities. One of the most substantial outcomes of the programme has been the building of
communities and the sharing of experiences among participants.
After the successful project application with the European Commission funding programme for
the capacity development programme for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states, Diplo’s
capacity building approach in Internet governance has been extended in two directions:
1. Topics – the development of new course materials such as ICT Policy and Strategic
Planning, Broadband and Critical Internet Resources but also the development of
in-depth materials covering issues of intellectual property rights (IPR), privacy and
personal data protection, security and child protection, e-voting, and e-participation.
2. Activities – the introduction of short face-to-face workshops for mid- and high-level
professionals; the strengthening of the research phase by splitting it into a learning stage
and a practicing stage; the organisation of training-for-trainers programmes to enlarge
the pool of certified online tutors worldwide; and reinforcement of outreach and
awareness building through visualisations (illustrations, comics, videos, animations) and
publications.
The internal organising team has been enlarged and strengthened to allow Diplo to follow several
programmes and to work with more partners simultaneously, thereby extending the annual
IGCBP with stronger ACP and European components. For example, in 2009 and 2010, with support
from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and OFCOM, we organised a
European IG capacity building programme for participants from south-eastern and eastern
Europe, alongside fee-paying participants from developed European countries.
Since 2005, the number of participants in the IGCBP has grown considerably. More importantly,
the level of interaction, as indicated through the volume of hypertext annotations, links, and blog
postings throughout the course, has increased dramatically over the last five years. This
interaction and dialogue among the participants, tutors, experts, and facilitators marks the real
success of the programme, and the building of a community that has continued to thrive and
grow.
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
COURSE Number of participants 52 77 138 167 129 211
Number of countries 46 62 69 64 58 76
Number of annotations/links 1823 4662 11121 11857 11884 15227
Number of blogs and forum entries
(group interaction)
n/a n/a 4866 5847 3905 5821
Duration (weeks) 13 13 16 17 19 20
RESEARCH Number of participants 25 51 90 63 74 95
Number of countries 10 41 55 34 33 57
Number of research projects 6 9 11 5 8
Type of research tool brief
case
briefc
ase
wiki wiki wiki Research
proposal
Number of
annotations/links/research entries
(for briefcase) i.e. of pages (for wiki)
n/a 931 n/a 147
pages
493
Pages
in
9
Wikis
Duration (weeks) 12 13 13 10 10 8
POLICY
IMMERSION
Number of fellowships 8 17 24 19 34 38
Number of countries awarded 8 16 18 15 29 30
fellowships
Outreach to decision-makers – in situ workshops
These workshops were held in conjunction with major ICT-related
conferences and run collaboratively with partners, experts, and other
interested organisations. Through this collaboration, Diplo’s pool of practising
experts was further enlarged.
Following the approved action plan of the capacity building programme for ACP states
(www.diplomacy.edu/acp), with the financial support of the European Commission and the
Secretariat of the ACP Group of states, set of face-to-face workshops was organised in various ACP
countries for IG/ICT policy officials and decision-makers:
● 11/12 March 2010, Nairobi, Kenya: Held during the 37th ICANN meeting with the
assistance of ICT African specialists, IG experts and ICANN officials
● 13–14 May 2010, Accra, Ghana: Held as part of the pre-conference training programme of
the Fourth African Conference on FOSS and the Digital Commons, IDLELO 4 Conference
17–21 May 2010
● 30 June–1 July 2010, Kingston, Jamaica: Held in conjunction with project partner institution
ICT4D Jamaica
● 25 August 2010, Rarotonga, Cook Islands: Held in conjunction with the Pacific Islands
Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC) and ITU's Numbering and Licensing Workshops
● 1–2 September 2010, Suva, Fiji: The two workshops were held with the support from the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
● 13 September 2010, Vilnius, Lithuania: Held in conjunction with the 5th global Internet
Governance Forum
● 19–20 October 2010, Gaborone, Botswana: Organised in cooperation with the project
partner Botswana Information Technology Society
● 15–16 November 2010, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago: Organised in cooperation with the
Caribbean Telecommunications Union and the government of Trinidad and Tobago
● 6–8 April 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Organised in cooperation with the UN Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union.
● 12–14 April 2011, Pretoria, South Africa: Organised in cooperation with NEPAD
Commission of Africa.
Results of our Internet Governance CapacityBuilding Programme
One hundred and thirty-six (136) countries – mostly developing ones, including 25 Small Island
Developing States (SIDS) and 25 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) – have gained skills,
involvement or initial representation, including at the IGF, ICANN and regional negotiations.
Communities of practice have developed in the field of IG with over 1000 active online
participants at the beginning of 2011.
Country representation:
Afghanistan, Albania, Antigua, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Congo
RC, Cook Islands, Croatia, Dominica, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji,
France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy,
Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia,
Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, México,
Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand,
Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru,
Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra
Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Kitts, St Lucia,
St Vincent & the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria,
Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Netherlands, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia,
Turkey, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan,
Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Key: Small Island Developing States / Least Developed Countries / Both