The DiploFoundation (or Diplo, in short) is a non-profit organisation based in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, with offices in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

and

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

History and mission

The founding of Diplo emerged from a project to introduce

information and communications technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers, ...

(ICT) tools to the practice of

diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

, initiated in 1992 at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies in Malta. In November 2002, Diplo was established as an independent non-profit foundation by the

Government of Malta A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

and the

Government of Switzerland The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governme ...

. In June 2006, the organisation was granted Special Consultative Status with the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

(ECOSOC). In September 2007, Diplo’s online courses received academic accreditation from the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

. Diplo's mission is to strengthen the meaningful participation of all stakeholders in

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

, and policy areas such as

Internet governance Internet governance consists of a system of laws, rules, policies and practices that dictate how its board members manage and oversee the affairs of any internet related-regulatory body. This article describes how the Internet was and is currentl ...

and

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. It aims 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.

Programmes

A major focus of the organization is capacity development on subjects pertaining to diplomacy and international relations, including

public diplomacy In international relations, public diplomacy or people's diplomacy, broadly speaking, is any of the various government-sponsored efforts aimed at communicating directly with foreign publics to establish a dialogue designed to inform and influen ...

, e-diplomacy, and

internet governance Internet governance consists of a system of laws, rules, policies and practices that dictate how its board members manage and oversee the affairs of any internet related-regulatory body. This article describes how the Internet was and is currentl ...

. The foundation's

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

program in contemporary diplomacy, with a separate track on

, is accredited through the

. In the area of

, Diplo runs the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP), an initiative of the Swiss authorities launched in April 2014,"Genève se renforce dans la gouvernance d'Internet"
Tribune de Genève, 8 April 2014 and the GIP Digital Watch initiative, including the Digital Watch observatory.

Executive

Diplo is run by administrators, staff and associates, consisting of highly experienced diplomats, academics, learning specialists, and computer programmers. The Board of Administration is composed of the following: * Prof. Dietrich Kappeler, Honorary President, Diplo Senior Fellow and former Director, Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, Malta; * Amb. Victor Camilleri, President, Ambassador of Malta to Libya; * Amb. Theodor Winkler, Vice-President, Ambassador and former Director of the

Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces DCAF - ; Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance ( French: ''Centre pour la gouvernance du secteur de la sécurité, Genève,'' German: ''Das Genfer Zentrum für die Gouvernanz des Sicherheitssektors'') is an intergovernmental foundation-b ...

; * Amb. Saviour F. Borg, Board member, Ambassador and former Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations; * Prof. Isabelle Calleja Ragonesi, International Relations Department,

; * Prof. André Liebich, Vice President, Professor, International History and Politics,

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, or the Geneva Graduate Institute (french: Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement), abbreviated IHEID, is a government-accredited postgraduate institution ...

, Geneva; * Amb. Maud Dlomo, Ambassador of South Africa to Madagascar; * Dr Jovan Kurbalija, Board secretary and Director of DiploFoundation.

References

External links

The University of Malta
{{Authority control Foundations based in Malta