Faculty
Mr Amr Aljowaily
Multilateral Diplomacy, Multilateral Diplomacy II: Current Issues in the UN
Mr Amr Aljowaily is currently Director of UN Affairs at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. His diplomatic duties have spanned from Geneva, where he followed developmental and information society issues, through Washington, to the cabinets of the Minister and First Undersecretary and the departments of multilateral political and economic issues. He chaired the WTO’s Committee on Information Technology Agreement and the Global System of Trade Preferences Negotiating Group on Market Access. He holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo, and an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. His publications include early analytical work on ICTs and international relations. He has lectured in Political Science at the American University in Cairo and served as board member of the Diplomatic Institute. He was International Relations Coordinator of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
Mr Seiiti Arata Jr
Internet Governance
Mr Seiiti Arata Jr is a lawyer with more than nine years' work experience in the information technology, media and entertainment industry. A Brazilian citizen from São Paulo, he currently works with the Secretariat of the Internet Governance Forum in Geneva. Mr. Arata is involved with DiploFoundation as a tutor in the IG Capacity Building Programme and other projects involving communication and community building. He has a background in Law at the University of Sao Paulo and a master's degree in international law at the University of Sao Paulo, presenting his dissertation on "Regulation by technological standards in Internet governance".
Mr Stefano Baldi, Diplo Senior Fellow
E-Diplomacy
Mr Stefano Baldi is currently First Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Italy to the European Union in Brussels. He has served at the Permanent Missions of Italy to the United Nations in Geneva and in New York, where he developed several initiatives for the use of information technologies in the diplomatic community. Mr Baldi has an academic background in demography and international social issues. He also lectures on the use of Internet for ministries of foreign affairs and missions. Mr Baldi’s main field of research focuses on the impact and future developments of information technology on international affairs. He is the author of several books and articles on diplomatic issues and is a regular speaker in academic seminars.
Professor G. R. Berridge, Diplo Senior Fellow
Diplomatic Theory and Practice
Professor G. R. Berridge is Emeritus Professor of International Politics at the University of Leicester, where he was the founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Diplomacy. He was General Editor of the Macmillan “Studies in Diplomacy” series for many years and Associate Editor (with responsibility for twentieth century diplomatists) of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, to which he remains an adviser. He is the author of numerous books on diplomacy, including the best-selling textbook, Diplomacy: Theory and Practice, which is on the short reading list for the US Foreign Service exam, and has been translated into numerous languages, including Chinese. His most recent book, which appeared in 2009, is British Diplomacy in Turkey, 1583 to the Present. His Counter-Revolution in Diplomacy, and Other Essays will appear in early 2011, and he is now working on Embassies in Armed Conflict. Professor Berridge has been an external examiner at many British universities, including London and Durham.
Dr Andri Bisaz
Development Diplomacy
Dr Andri Bisaz holds a PhD in Geography and Geology from Berne University, Switzerland. After several years in private industry, he served from 1973 to 2004 in the Swiss Foreign Ministry, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). After heading the Swiss Development Coordination Office for Central Africa in Yaoundé, Cameroon, he was in charge of the West Africa Division at SDC and later of the Division for North Africa and the Middle East. He is the author of various publications on development cooperation and the environment and has lectured for the last five years on diplomacy and development cooperation in Switzerland and Malta.
Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila
Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila is a lawyer, based in Malta. She graduated in law from the University of Malta in 2005, and obtained the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy from the same university in 2010. Stephanie is a tutor on Diplo’s Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme, and is currently handling Diplo’s IG online communications. She previously spent over six years working as a journalist with The Sunday Times/The Times of Malta.
Ambassador Victor Camilleri
Diplomacy of Small States
Ambassador Victor Camilleri is currently serving as Malta’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. In his forty year career at the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs he has occupied a number of senior administrative and diplomatic posts including that of Permanent Secretary. As Ambassador in Brussels he formed part of the Maltese team which negotiated Malta’s membership of the EU. Amb. Camilleri was chef de cabinet to Maltese Foreign Minister Prof. G. de Marco during his Presidency of the 45th Session of the UN General Assembly. He has extensive experience in multilateral affairs. He is actively interested in the promotion of IT as a tool of diplomacy and for some years served as Chairman of the Working Group on Informatics at the UN in New York.
Ms Alejandra Lopez Carbajal
Climate Change Diplomacy
Ms Alejandra Lopez Carbajal has more than seven years experience in the field of climate change and international negotiations. She is currently Director for Climate Change at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with responsibility for coordinating the International Affairs Group of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Climate Change, a policy-making committee of the Federal Government. She was part of the core negotiating team at the 16th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP16) and the 6th Meeting of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol (CMP6) where the Cancun Agreements were adopted, in December 2010. She previously worked at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. She holds a BA (Hons.) in International Relations from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Mr Garry Cronan
Policy Research
Mr Garry Cronan is a policy and communications specialist based in Geneva. He has over 30 years experience working in and advising NGOs, public/private partnerships, government, research, business and politics at national and international levels. Previous positions include Director of Communications and Intelligence for one of the world’s largest NGO networks, Foundation General Manager and Senior Research Fellow with an Australian-based university research centre, senior government policy official and personal advisor to government ministers. Mr Cronan’s current research and teaching interests focus on the role of information and communications technologies (particularly Web 2.0) on global and national policy making.
Ms Solange Cross
Diplomacy of Small States
Ms Solange Cross is a Junior Research Fellow at the Institute of International Relations (IIR), The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago, where she currently lectures the postgraduate courses Theory and Practice of Diplomacy and Contemporary International Diplomacy. A Doctoral candidate, her research interests include the impact and role of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in diplomacy and international relations, particularly in the context of the collaborative negotiations framework of the Caribbean Community.
Dr Petru Dumitriu
Multilateral Diplomacy, Multilateral Diplomacy II: Current Issues in the UN
Dr Petru Dumitriu is currently the representative of Romania in the Executive Board of UNESCO and national coordinator of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. From 2006 till the end of 2010 he served as Director General for Multilateral Affairs and Director General for Global Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania. Prior to this appointment he served in the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations in Geneva (2001-2005) and New York (1994-1998). Since 2006 he has served in the International Advisory Board of the Conference of New or Restored Democracy. He has been an elected member of the UN Committee on Contributions since 2001. He was rapporteur of the Geneva phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (2002). In 1997 he acted as Secretary-General of the Third International Conference of New and Restored Democracies. He was also vice-president of the UNICEF Executive Board (1995), the UN Commission on Disarmament (1997) and the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (1997). His flagship books are The United Nations System in the Context of Globalization: The Reform as Will and Representation (in Romanian) and Diversité dans l’unité: La capacité de négociation de l’Union Européenne au sein de la Commission des droits de l’homme des Nations unies.
Mr Haraldur Þór Egilsson
Diplomatic Theory and Practice
Mr Haraldur Þór Egilsson is a historian with a BA degree (first class) from the University of Iceland and an MA (with distinction) in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Leicester. He is a part-time teacher at the University of Akureyri and Director of Akureyri Museum. His publications include “The Origins, Use and Development of Hot Line Diplomacy,” Discussion Papers in Diplomacy, No. 85, March 2003 (Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael), and a co-authored book on education in Icelandic. He is currently writing chapters in a book about preserved churches in north Iceland. His research interests are diplomacy, the management of foreign policy, cold war diplomacy, and environmental diplomacy.
Ms Tracy Winters Evans
International Trade Relations and Diplomacy
Ms Tracy Winters Evans is a national of Trinidad and Tobago but currently lives and works in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. She is a part time lecturer at the University of the Netherlands Antilles, teaching International Business in the Faculty of Social Sciences. She has taught at the International Management Institute in Brussels as well as the Institute of International Relations, University of the West Indies. She has also worked as a trade specialist for the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago. In 2001 she obtained a Masters of Science degree in International Relations, with an emphasis on International Trade, from the University of the West Indies. In 1996, she graduated at the Bachelor's level with a double major in French and Spanish and a minor in Portuguese. In 1997 she also obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations and in 2002, a Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology and Diplomacy. She has lectured on International Trade Relations with Diplo for the last seven years.
Mrs Liz Galvez
Public Diplomacy
Mrs Liz Galvez was a senior diplomat with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office until 2006. During her 33 year career, she served in a wide range of diplomatic jobs in London and several overseas postings, including Finland, Central America, UN Geneva, OSCE Vienna and UN New York. Following a posting in Romania in the late '90s, she was seconded for two years as a senior policy adviser to the Romanian Foreign Minister. She continues to provide advice to the Romanian Foreign Ministry on human resources development and diplomatic training. After retiring, she was appointed Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Romania. She is currently studying for a Masters degree at University of London in Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict. She speaks operational Spanish, Romanian and French.
Dr Eduardo Gelbstein, Diplo Senior Fellow
Information Management and Security
Dr Eduardo Gelbstein is a Diplo Senior Fellow with extensive experience in the organisational and social impact of ICT. His professional activities cover over 40 years in the private and public sector and exposure to the professional cultures of nuclear physics, information technology, police officers, auditors, vendors, politicians, diplomats and the United Nations. Since 2002 he is also an advisor to the United Nations Board of External Auditors, Adjunct Professor at Webster University in Geneva and a Senior Special Fellow of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Until 2002 he was the Director of the International Computing Centre of the United Nations. He is the author of several books and articles and a regular speaker at international conferences. His personal interests include the history of humankind and the histories of science and technology, the processes of thinking and creativity. He is also an amateur pianist.
Ms Katharina Höne
Multilateral Diplomacy, Climate Change Diplomacy, Multilateral Diplomacy II: Current Issues in the UN
Ms Katharina Höne is currently writing her PhD at the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University, Wales. Her research focuses on states and their interaction in international organisations from a constructivist perspective. Previously, she was part of a research project on the Special Representatives of the UN Secretary-General and their role in peace processes at the University of Jena, Germany. She obtained a Master in Diplomatic Studies with distinction from the University of Leicester in the UK, and experienced the practical side of her studies during an internship with the German Foreign Ministry. Her research interests include international organisations, the UN Secretary-General, international mediation, theory of international relations, international environmental politics, and climate change diplomacy.
Professor Dietrich Kappeler, Diplo Senior Fellow
Multilateral Diplomacy, Negotiation, Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
Professor Dietrich Kappeler served as director of the Diplomatic Studies Programme of the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva from 1993 to 1998. He was the founding director of the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies at the University of Malta, 1990-1993. Professor Kappeler has extensive experience in diplomacy and international relations, and lectures and writes on international law, diplomatic and consular law, law of international institutions, human rights and humanitarian law, diplomacy, and constitutional and administrative law of Switzerland.
Dr Valentin Katrandjiev
Multistakeholder Diplomacy
Dr Valentin Katrandjiev worked with DiploFoundation from 2002 to 2008 in the implementation of research and knowledge management projects. He developed content for a number of Diplo’s online thematic portals. His academic expertise covers areas of cultural, public and multistakeholder diplomacy. Before joining DiploFoundation, Dr Katrandjiev conducted research and designed simulation exercises for the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies in the field of crisis diplomacy and negotiation. His scholarly interests also include various aspects of EU foreign policy and diplomacy. At present, Dr Katrandjiev is a chief expert with the Strategic Policy Research Department of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute, providing policy advice on various international issues to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria.
Dr Anna Khakee
Development
Diplomacy
Dr Anna Khakee is a specialist on democratisation and democracy promotion. Her consultancy and previous work experience has also focused extensively on human security and development issues. She holds a PhD from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. Currently, she is a consultant to the Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre, Oslo, and an Associate of The Policy Practice, a leading UK-based development consultancy company. She has previously acted as a consultant to FRIDE, EuroMeSCo, Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), UNDP-BCPR, and Amnesty International, amongst others. Dr Khakee has published a number of articles and book chapters internationally. Recent publications include 'The Western Saharan autonomy proposal and political reform in Morocco' (NOREF Working Paper 2011); 'Interests vs. Ideals: EU Democracy Promotion in Nigeria' (Johns Hopkins University Press 2010); and 'Assessing Democracy Assistance: Morocco' (FRIDE/World Movement for Democracy 2010).
Dr Jovan Kurbalija
Internet Governance, E-Diplomacy, Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities, Climate Change Diplomacy
Dr Jovan Kurbalija is the founding director of DiploFoundation. He is a former diplomat with a professional and academic background in international law, diplomacy and information technology. In 1992 he established the Unit for IT and Diplomacy at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies in Malta. In 2003, after more than ten years of successful work in training, research and publishing, the Unit evolved into DiploFoundation. Dr Kurbalija currently directs online learning courses on ICT and diplomacy and lectures in academic and training institutions in Switzerland, the United States, Austria, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Malta. His main areas of research are diplomacy and the development of an international Internet regime, the use of hypertext in diplomacy, online negotiations and diplomatic law.
Ms Marília Maciel
E-Diplomacy, Internet Governance
Ms Marilia Maciel is a project leader, researcher and assistant professor on Intellectual Property Law at the Center for Technology and Society of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (CTS-FGV), in Brazil. She holds a law degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco and a Master´s degree in international relations from the Federal University of Santa Maria. Her Master´s dissertation investigated the use of Web 2.0 mechanisms to foster civil society political involvement in integration processes, such as the European Union and Mercosur. She currently coordinates the Remote Participation Working Group, a joint effort by civil society representatives to enhance e-participation in the Internet Governance Forum. Ms Maciel joined DiploFoundation in 2007. She tutors for the Internet Governance Capacity Building Program and other online courses including “Normes mondiales contre le terrorisme” (offered in cooperation with UNODC) and E-diplomacy.
Dr Andrei Mikheyev
Internet Governance, E-Diplomacy
Dr Andrei Mikheyev is internet projects manager for a private company in Moscow, Russia. Prior to going into the private sector he worked as Director of the Internet Politics Centre and lecturer at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. He studied political science and international relations in Russia and the USA, and holds a PhD in Political Science from MGIMO-University. Dr Mikheyev became involved with Diplo in 2004, first as a student in the Postgraduate Diploma in Diplomacy programme and then as a tutor in the Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme and assistant lecturer/coordinator for other Diplo courses. He has also contributed, both as translator and as project manager, to the translation and publication of Diplo’s Internet Governance and Building.org books in Russia.
Ms Utchay Okoli
Development Diplomacy
Ms Utchay Okoli is a native of Nigeria. She holds a BSc in Botany (University of Benin-Nigeria), a Master in Contemporary Diplomacy (University of Malta) and an MSc in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development (University of Northumbria, UK). Her dissertation was a policy study on the MDG3 and the strategies implemented by the Nigerian government and other development organisations to address the socio-economic vulnerability of the Nigerian woman. Since 2003, her focus has been capacity building in the development sector with particular emphasis on the development and implementation of policies that effectively address socio-economic hazards. Her work underscores the importance of people’s empowerment as a vital development asset, especially for emerging economies constantly grappling with scarce resources and severe capacity constraints. Utchay has also worked as a lead facilitator for a non-governmental organisation in Nigeria.
Ambassador Kishan S Rana, Professor Emeritus
Bilateral Diplomacy, 21st Century Diplomacy, Public Diplomacy, Consular Diplomacy
Ambassador Kishan S Rana holds a BA (Hons.) and an MA in economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University. He served in the Indian Foreign Service from 1960-95, including posts as Ambassador/High Commissioner to Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Mauritius and Germany. He has been a distance education teacher in diplomatic studies since 1999, now holding the position of Professor Emeritus at DiploFoundation (Malta and Geneva). Ambassador Rana has developed distance courses for the Canadian Foreign Affairs Department and the British Foreign Office, and has lectured at diplomatic training institutions in Argentina, Bahrain, China, Iran, Kenya, the Maldives, Malaysia, Namibia, the Netherlands, Oman, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Suriname, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, and the London School of Economics. He is an Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi. He was a Commonwealth Adviser to the Namibia Foreign Ministry, 2000-01; Archives By-Fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge University, 2004, and Public Policy Scholar at Woodrow Wilson Centre, Washington DC, 2005. He has authored Inside Diplomacy (2000); Managing Corporate Culture (co-author, 2000); Bilateral Diplomacy (2002); The 21st Century Ambassador (2004); Asian Diplomacy (2007), Diplomacy for the 21st Century (under publication) and written more than 40 articles for various journals. He is fluent in Chinese and French.
Mr François Rohner
Development Diplomacy
Mr François Rohner holds a MBA in economics from the Institute of Management, University of St Gallen, Switzerland. He served in the early 1970s as economic advisor for regional cooperation in Rwanda and joined the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in 1975. After heading the SDC coordination office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya between 1975 and 1981, he was in charge of SDCs Division of Multilateral Affairs until 2006. He has chaired numerous international working groups within the UN system (particularly on UN reform in development cooperation) and the OECD.
Dr Alex Sceberras Trigona, Diplo Senior Fellow
Organisation of Diplomatic Services
Dr Alex Sceberras Trigona is a Founder Member of Diplo. He has been organising courses simulating international negotiations-bilateral and multilateral-at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, University of Malta, since 1991 as well as for the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, for the Commonwealth and for the Commission of the European Union, amongst others. Dr Trigona served as Malta's minister of foreign affairs from 1981-1987. He negotiated Malta's Neutrality Agreements. He lobbied for, won and managed Malta's first ever seat on the United Nations Security Council for 1983-1984. His law Doctorate was awarded on the basis of a seminal thesis "Constitutional Change and the Maltese Constitution." Fundamental constitutional changes in 1974 followed this thesis in both manner and substance. He was elected Rhodes Scholar for Malta and read Politics, Economics and Philosophy at Oriel College, Oxford University for his M.A. He Lectures on "Diplomacy and Diplomatic Practice" for International Relations students and on Private International Law at the Law Faculty of the University of Malta.
Ambassador Paramjit S Sahai
Consular Diplomacy
Ambassador Paramjit (Pummy) S. Sahai served in the Indian Foreign Service (1963 – 2000) as India’s Ambassador/High Commissioner to Malawi, Lesotho, Yemen Democratic Republic, Sweden and Malaysia; and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow at the time of the split of the Soviet Union in 1991. He was extensively involved with Consular Work and Indian Diaspora and Migration Issues as Head of the Consular, Passport, and Visa Division, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi (1981-84). He was responsible for the drafting and passage of the Indian Emigration Act (1983) and led the Indian delegation at the UN Working Group (1982-84) for drafting the UN Convention on Migrant Workers and their Families. He has published papers dealing with cultural diplomacy, media, diaspora, migration and India’s relationship with South, South-East and Central Asia, ASEAN and SAARC, including a paper on out-migration from India (published in a book by ILO, 2004). He edited the book India-Eurasia: The Way Ahead (2008).
Dr Biljana Scott
Language and Diplomacy
Dr Biljana Scott was trained as a linguist (BA in Chinese, M.Phil and D.Phil in Linguistics, University of Oxford). She is a Senior Lecturer in Political Language and Public Diplomacy at DiploFoundation and a Faculty Lecturer in Chinese Linguistics at the University of Oxford. Her research interests all revolve around the nature of categorisation, and her current focus is on verbal and visual rhetoric in public diplomacy. She lectures and work-shops internationally, is president of one of the Oxford Toastmasters’ clubs, and winner of several public speaking competitions.
Mr Andrej Skrinjaric
Language and Diplomacy
Mr Andrej Skrinjaric was born in Karlovac, Croatia, and studied Chinese Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, graduating in 1999. In 2000 he attended a postgraduate course in European Studies at the Alternative Academic Educational Network (AAEN), Belgrade. In 2003 he obtained his Postgraduate Diploma in Diplomacy from DiploFoundation, University of Malta. His thesis was entitled Multilingualism and the Internet. From 1999-2002 he worked as a freelance interpreter/translator, Chinese-Serbian, Chinese-English and English-Serbian. He currently works for DiploFoundation as Training Coordinator.
Ms Stacey-Marie Syne
Climate Change Diplomacy
Stacey-Marie Syne works in the field of environmental and knowledge management in UN entities. Prior to this she graduated from the University of the West Indies (UWI) with a Master of Philosophy in Microbiology (2009). During postgraduate study she worked as a tutor and research assistant at UWI for various courses she once read in her undergraduate majors: Environment & Natural Resource Management, and Biology. She graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons.) in 2004 from UWI St. Augustine and has certificates in Italian and French from the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Examination Council respectively.
Mr Christiaan Sys
Diplomatic Theory and Practice, Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities, Climate Change Diplomacy
Mr Christiaan Sys is currently working as a parliamentary liaison in the cabinet of the Belgian Foreign Secretary. He has previously worked as a programme support officer for a British Government department and as an intern in the House of Commons for Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP. He graduated from Antwerp University with a licentiaat in International Relations after which he obtained a master in Diplomatic Studies with distinction from the University of Leicester. He has an interest in diplomacy, the United Nations and the environment.
Mr Olaph Terribile
Diplomatic Protocol
Mr Olaph Terribile served as Director of Protocol and Consular Services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Malta. In his twenty-eight year diplomatic career, he has served at various missions overseas. He holds an MA in Chinese literature from the University of Hebei in the People’s Republic of China where he served as a diplomat for a number of years. He also served at the Maltese Embassy in Riyadh and in London. Since 2004 Mr Terribile has been a regular lecturer at Diplo, where he lectures on protocol procedures including practical exercises on etiquette.
Mr Ibrahim Uvais
Climate Change Diplomacy
Mr Ibrahim Uvais is currently a PhD candidate at Monash University, Malaysia. His current research focuses on identity issues faced by microstates in climate change negotiations. Starting from 1995, he served as a civil servant at the Maldives President’s Office, with various positions handling issues in the areas of foreign relations and economic policy. He last served as First Secretary at the Maldives High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Mr Uvais holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the Flinders University of South Australia and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Western Sydney. He recently completed dissertations for a Postgraduate Diploma at Monash University, and a Master in Contemporary Diplomacy from the University of Malta. His main research interests are in microstates’ diplomatic and consular representation, and their involvement in international environmental politics.
