Workshop on Digital Diplomacy and Cybersecurity
In order to perform efficiently in Vienna’s Diplomatic Community, it is crucial for diplomats nowadays to have a sound knowledge of Digital Diplomacy and Cybersecurity. New digital technologies have had, and will continue to have, a profound impact on both the practice and content matter of diplomacy. COVID 19 has accelerated the digitalisation of diplomacy by forcing diplomats online. The digital ecosystem in which diplomats operate offers new opportunities, especially for smaller states, but also challenges traditional organisational structures. At the same time, cyberspace itself is throwing up a series of issues, range ranging from Internet governance to cyber security, as well as the consequences of the current global crisis with COVID-19, which require diplomacy. Inter-state rivalries are increasingly fought out in non-traditional areas like technology, international industrial standards and digital currencies.
This workshop will equip participants with the practical skills to make the best use of digital tools in pursuing diplomatic objectives, as well as a better understanding on how to address the challenges and difficulties digital technologies pose for diplomacy. It will look at the impact of COVID-19 on diplomacy and explore the longer term implications. At the same time, it will help participants better understand the broad range of problems being generated in cyberspace and how diplomacy can be applied to managing them. It will help them make the best use of digital tools in promoting diplomatic objectives and develop effective strategies for managing the multiple problems thrown up by the growing range of emergent disruptive technologies (EDTs). An outline of the course's specific sessions will be provided before the workshop starts.
- Identify the range of diplomatic tools available to facilitate and promote different diplomatic activities;
- Develop digital diplomacy strategies in pursuit of broader foreign policy objectives;
- Understand how COVID-19 has impacted the digitalization of diplomacy and the challenges it will pose to diplomats in the future;
- Identify the key problems of internet governance and how diplomatic mindsets and techniques can be applied to managing them;
- Distinguish between the different aspects of cybersecurity and the challenge they pose to governments, companies and society;
- Understand how inter-state rivalries affect EDTs and the challenges that EDTs pose to diplomacy and diplomats.
The expert will provide participants with an overview of both digital diplomacy and cyber security, providing the tools to promote broader diplomatic strategies and the use of diplomacy to tackle the issues arising in cyberspace. The programme includes time for Q&A sessions and discussions.
This workshop targets Vienna based diplomats accredited to the United Nations Office at Vienna. UNITAR reserves the right to make a selection among candidates.