Digital Diplomacy: Empowering Diplomats in the 21st Century Conduct of Diplomacy

Dr. Saeed K Al DhaheriChairman, Smartworld

Former Advisor of IT to H.H. the Minister of Foreign AffairsTwitter: @DDSaeed

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Updated presentation based on a previous lecture at UAE MoFA

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Reinventing diplomacy إعادة صياغة الدبلوماسية

21st Century diplomacy دبلوماسية القرن الواحد وعشرين

#Digital Diplomacy الدبلوماسية الرقمية

e-Diplomacy الدبلوماسية االلكترونية

Cyber Diplomat دبلوماسي الفضاء االلكتروني

Virtual Embassy السفارة االفتراضية

Digital Diplomacy resources on social media

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Digital Diplomacy: Empowering Diplomats in the 21st Century Conduct of Diplomacy

Agenda

• Questions

• The world is going digital

• Internet impact on Diplomacy

• How MFAs are addressing Digital Diplomacy

• Diplomacy vs. digital diplomacy: definitions

• Digital diplomacy through examples

• Governments and world leaders on social media

• How MFAs use social media

• Examples: UAE MoFA, State department, and the UN

• Disaster management and the use of social media

• Social media risks and challenges

• conclusions

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Questions

• Is there a new kind of diplomacy that is different from the traditional diplomacy

• What is digital diplomacy?

• How Internet and social media are impacting diplomatic conduct and international relations?

• What is the role of the Embassy and Ambassadors in the interconnected world?

• What are the talents and skills needed by diplomats in the digital age

The world is going digital

• 3.3 billion internet users as of today (more than 40% of the world population)

• More than 80% of Internet users are using social networks

• Today mobile Internet penetration is more than 52% and expected

to reach 71% by 2019

• New technologies: Cloud computing, mobile,

Social Media, and Big data creating new

possibilities and innovation

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Internet Impact on Diplomacyتأثير االنترنت على الدبلوماسية

• A new dimension to traditional diplomacy issues

• Freedom of expression, human rights, IP rights, Int. telecommunication polices,

climate change, human rights to accesses internet,,,etc

• Changing environment of world politics

• New players: NGOs, political activists, civil society, terrorist networks

• New tools to practice diplomatic conduct

• Instant messaging, search engines, video conferencing, and social media

• E-government and smart government services for citizens

• Online Consular services

• Smart apps

The Internet made diplomacy more efficient and cost effective but also pushed diplomacyto be more open and transparent while created pressure for the response to be more real-time

Communication is now the essence of diplomacy

Social Media

• Shaping opinion• Mobilize people• Influence Change

How MFAs addressingالتغيرات على أجندة وزارات الخارجية للتعامل مع العالم الرقميdigital diplomacy

: USAاألمريكيةالمتحدة الواليات •

2121stالكفاءة السياسية في القرن برنامج • century statecraft

: UKالمملكة المتحدة•

Britain’s Foreign Policy in a Networked Worldالمترابطالخارجية البريطانية في العالم السياسة •

:UAEاإلمارات العربية المتحدة •

2013MoFA–2011الخطة االستراتيجية لوزارة الخارجية • strategic Plan

MoFAمبادرة الوزارة االلكترونية • e-Government Initiative

•Empowering the conduct of diplomacy by providing updated information to UAE diplomats any time any where

UAE Smart Government Programالتحول الذكي للحكومة االتحادية •

Diplomacy vs. Digital Diplomacy

Digital Diplomacy/ e-Diplomacy

The effective use of Internet and new technologies to help advance nation’s foreign policy

Is the use of social media by governments and embassies across the world to promote their country, her causes, and international relations

New shapes of diplomacy

Gov-to-people

People-to-Gov

Diplomacy

the work of maintaining good relations between the governments of different countries

Gov-to-Gov

Face-to-Face

In-person meetings

Formal media coverage

Digital Diplomacy today

#Endofviolence

Hashtag diplomacy

Video conferencing

Encompassing Social media, video conferencing, smart apps, instant massaging,,,etc

Engagement with public

Smart apps

The world governments and leaders are on social media

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UAE leadership are among the pioneers to use social media

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How MFAs Use Social Media

• One way engagement: Communicate news, announcements and alerts

• PR: Broadcasting events

• Update during crises and for disaster management

• Listening: gathering information

• Public diplomacy – advocating/branding national image

• Two-way engagement:

• Creating awareness and getting users feedback about e-services provided

• Conversing with foreign populations

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I tell all of our ambassadors, “Remember, you onlyhave 1 mouth, but you have two ears.” – Alec Ross,

Former senior advisor of Innovation, state department

UAE MoFA is leading on social media

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Winning two best Government social media practice awards

Guidelines for using SM in the UAE Gov

UAE MoFA twitter policy

UAE MoFA and its missions are on Social Media

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Digital diplomacy practice still evolving and differs among MFAs

• Study findings published on the blog of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy

• cross national comparison study of 4 MFAs

• Good points:• MFAs provide social media training to their diplomats

• MFAs develop guidelines and best practices for diplomats

migrating online

• Embassies and ambassadors use of SM help tailor SM content to the

values and interest of the followers

• Points of improvements:

• MFAs still refrain from using SM to converse with online publics

• Most embassies and diplomats fail to engage online with NGOs, thereby failing to foster the creation of networks of advocacy

• MFSs fail to coordinate with other ministries and actors when it comes to nation’s policy and image.

• Challenge to many embassies to practice near real-time digital diplomacy given the supervision models adopted by their MFAs

• Conclusion: the practice of digital diplomacy still evolving and differs among MFAs• Some MFAs encourage embassies and diplomats to foster ties with online publics while others are still more cautious

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Terrorism has gone social

• How to fight ISIS online propaganda network

• ISIS mastered the art of making the voices of a few sounds

like the voices of millions

• The world needs to unite its effort to fight ISIS

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2121stالكفاءة السياسية في القرن –البرنامج االمريكي Century Statecraft

• Builds on traditional forms of diplomacy to account for the technologies, demographics, and the networks of the 21st century

• benefits from new technologies and innovation to advance US foreign policy

• State department runs a media mogul: 194 twitter account, 200 Facebook pages, tweeting in 7 languages, monitoring social media channels of Five other countries in 5 languages

IT Department

• Examples:

• US Virtual Embassy in Tehran

• Department of states Virtual Student Foreign Service Program (VSFS)

2121stالكفاءة السياسية في القرن –البرنامج االمريكي Century Statecraft

American Virtual Embassy in Tehran

State department web siteموقع وزارة الخارجية األمريكية

Social Media use for Disaster Managementتوظيف اإلعالم االجتماعي في إدارة الكوارث

• To find and locate trapped victims during disasters

• Effective tool for coordinating search and rescue efforts during crises and disasters• 2011 the great Japan earthquake (twitter became the emergency service – 1200 tpm)

• , 2010 Haiti earthquake

• Immediate reporting about damages that’s facilitating preparation to provide help and support

Digital Diplomacy example: UN and the use of Social Media

• #nextSG and hashtags on twitter

• Social media opened up a close practice for selecting the UN Sec General

• Questions to candidate submitted on twitter

Social Media Risks & Challengeمخاطر وتحديات االعالم االجتماعي

• How to handle criticism and negative comments

• Loss of reputational control

• Response

• Content development

:Conclusionsاالستنتاجات

• Digital diplomacy is not an end in itself but a tool in the service of broader diplomatic strategies

• MFAs need to institutionalize the use of social media and develop digital diplomacy strategies and policies

• MFAs need to transition from monologue-based to dialogue-based diplomacy to create global network of influence and advocacy

• Today’s diplomats need to be skilled in digital technologies and build analytical capability to harness the power of digital diplomacy

• MFAs need to build capacity (resources and training) to foster and sustain the use of digital diplomacy

• Digital diplomacy is not only the role of MFAs

• Need to face and overcome challenges associated with information security

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End