Diplo at Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2024: Digital and Tech Diplomacy

During the 3d Antalya Diplomacy Forum (1-3 March 2024), Diplo organised the session titled ‘The Role of Science and Tech Diplomacy in a Globalized World’ by providing real-time reporting on the proceedings, ensuring that audiences worldwide stay informed about the discussions shaping the future of diplomacy in an era marked by significant global challenges. 

The Panel addressed three sets of challenges in tech and digital diplomacy:

• confusion about a proper name and description of cyber/digital/tech/online diplomacy; (read more)
• the challenge of the cross-cutting nature of digital diplomacy – particularly, coordination of tech, security, social and other ministries that contribute to digital negotiations abroad;
• lack of trained diplomats who can deal with tech issues. (read more)

These three challenges are also highlighted in the recent US Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report on US cyber/digital diplomacy.

Training and capacity development are critical for addressing these challenges. Diplo has run academic and practical digital/cyber diplomacy programmes over the last two decades. The College of Europe in Bruges has had an academic course in digital diplomacy for 10 years. Other initiatives are emerging to address the growing need for training in this field.

The panel debate also focused on three main aspects of digital/tech diplomacy:

Firstly, there is the fast-changing geopolitical and geoeconomic ENVIORNMENT in which diplomats operate. It is about submarine cables, data flows, microprocessors, and satellites, to name a few examples of digital geopolitics;

Secondly, it is about digital TOPICS that diplomats have to negotiate. Increasingly, issues like AI, cybersecurity, data, cybercrime, and e-commerce are rising on the diplomatic agenda;

Thirdly, it is about new digital TOOLS that diplomats use in their work, ranging from simple Zoom meetings to social media and emerging systems such as AI for reporting.

Participants exchanged experience from Danish tech diplomacy, which started six years ago, and other diplomatic initiatives in this field. It is particularly relevant for Turkyia’s tech diplomacy, initiated a few months ago.

Participants called for continuing Antalya’s dialogue on tech and digital diplomacy.