The Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) continues with the training programme on the relationship between diplomacy and technology in order to promote the development of negotiation skills in cyberspace governance for a better understanding of the application of diplomacy to political and geopolitical problems arising in cyberspace.

Taking as a reference the agreement signed between SELA and the European Institute of International Studies (Sweden), a third edition is being planned with two new courses on diplomacy: Cyberdiplomacy and Digital Currency Diplomacy. They are being organised by the Permanent Secretariat of SELA and the European Institute of International Studies (Sweden), in collaboration with the Institute of European Studies and Human Rights of the Pontifical University of Salamanca (Spain).

Both courses will be taught by professors from the European Institute of International Studies (Sweden) and the Institute of European Studies and Human Rights of the Pontifical University of Salamanca (Spain).

The significant social changes arising from Internet governance call for closer cooperation between the technology industry and authorities. It is therefore relevant that policy makers in the region bring the issue of Internet governance and international cybersecurity to the centre of their foreign policies and international strategies, while ensuring that they have personnel specialised in the progress and development of the technology industry with the knowledge and skills to effectively play their role in the management of international governance and online security.

Foreign policymakers must go beyond government-to-government dialogue and redirect their efforts towards establishing relations with a broad spectrum of stakeholders in global governance, in which technology players and the use of digital currencies stand out.

The Permanent Secretariat considers it advisable for Latin American and Caribbean countries to incorporate techno-diplomacy into their foreign policy agendas and to consider technology and Internet companies as geopolitical actors. Likewise, they should develop tools for the application of diplomacy to the problems generated by cyberspace and digital technologies, as well as a better understanding of the conflict between the Internet governance and cybersecurity agendas.

Equally important for SELA is the study of the management of Internet governance in a scenario with free Internet countries and cyber sovereignty advocates. It is more than necessary to know how international law and the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) apply in cyberspace, as well as how the construction of norms of behaviour in cyberspace operates. Not least the functioning of cybercrime as dealt with by the Budapest Convention and digital policing, and the challenges of cybersecurity with the operations of degeneration, disruption, disinformation, and espionage.

It is also relevant to analyse the evolution of cryptocurrency, which was born as a unit of exchange and currently operates as a currency by being bought and sold, despite the lack of control by bodies such as central banks and the uncertainty it generates by developing in a high-risk speculative market, but with attractive profitability rates. In this regard, it is essential to know the functioning of cryptocurrencies, the difference between digital currencies and cryptocurrencies, the implications of cryptocurrencies for the international financial system, and the impact of Facebook's digital currency ("Libra"). Equally important is the response of central banks, the emergence and management of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), the differences between the major central banks, the implications of CBDCs for the status of the dollar as the international reserve currency and, consequently, for US foreign policy, as well as the economic and geopolitical implications of digital currencies for small countries.

This scenario forms the backdrop for the training programme for Senior Officials in the digital era, which includes the third edition of the Specialisation Course on Cyberdiplomacy and the training course on Digital Currency Diplomacy. The main purpose is to enable Foreign Ministries, related ministries and representatives of the academic sector of member countries to strengthen the existing relationship between diplomacy and technology by providing training for their officials in which they acquire sufficient expertise for an effective relationship with technological actors, the implications of cryptocurrencies in the international financial system, as well as the necessary training for future negotiations to establish rules that regulate the subject.

Both courses are aimed primarily at experienced diplomatic officials or international negotiators specialized and involved in foreign policy decision-making or in the financial and economic area, as well as academicians and specialists in international relations.

1. Develop negotiating skills and gain a better understanding of technological development and digital currencies on the international stage in order to strengthen the region's interests in the digital era;
2. Train participants in the field of cyberspace with the ability to analyse the different agendas in an international cyber community that is not free of inter-state conflicts, including the use of cryptocurrencies in criminal activities;
3. Develop the skills of future negotiators with technological actors for the construction of an agreement on norms of behaviour in cyberspace, both in terms of Internet governance and cybersecurity; and
4. Explore ways to incorporate financial issues into foreign policy with a view to building a digital currency diplomacy.

Courses comprise a total of 8 hours, to be held from 11 to 14 April 2023 with a duration of 4 hours per day. Training material in both written and multimedia format is included.

• Date

From 11 to 14 April 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m. (Caracas), through SELA's ZOOM platform.

• Language of the event

The official language of the courses will be Spanish. Interpretation into English will be provided.

Subsequently, they will be sent an e-mail invitation to join the course that will be carried out through the ZOOM platform.

A training certificate will be provided.

• Mario Torres Jarrin, Director of the Institute of European Studies and Human Rights of the Pontifical University of Salamanca.
• Shaun Riordan, Professor at the European Institute of International Studies.

Coordination by the Permanent Secretariat of SELA:

Sayed Durán, Analyst of Relations. Coordination of Social Development

Telephones: (58-212)-955-7111 / 955-71

E-mail: sduran@sela.org

Organizing institutions:

• Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA)
• European Institute of International Studies

Collaborating institutions:

• Institute of European Studies and Human Rights of the Pontifical University of Salamanca (Spain)

Specialisation course on Cyberdiplomacy 
Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 and 12 April 2023

Specialisation course on Digital Currency Diplomacy
Thursday and Friday, 13 and 14 April 2023

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