How to respond to typecasting --- The approach to responding to these stereotypes on refugees has been quite a challenge for many of us in recent years, often opposing the bad stereotypes of refugees with the ones where all refugees are angels. I like the approach used by NZ Red Cross a few years ago - which might have been a RCRC wide approach? - to say refugees are ordinary people who have faced extraordinary circumstances.

Source author: Murdoch Stephens murdoch.stephens@redcross.org.nz

Risk and social media --- It feels like there has been a marked shift away from social media advocacy in recent years due to the potential for risk and miscommunication, though this may be just for larger institutions whereas smaller players can be more personable here. I feel like my advocacy has definitely retreated from social media since becoming part of the RCRC movement because the risk of vocal advocacy aren't rewarded, even if they contribute to change. To that end I don't have my employer on my twitter account.

Source author: Murdoch Stephens murdoch.stephens@redcross.org.nz

Are we persuadable? --- I'm always particularly interested in whether participating in these discussions in good faith means that we have to be open to being convinced ourselves. Where does self-reflection, listening and change sit within theories of persuasion? I suppose that would be in the communication literature around various forms of symmetrical/asymmetrical communication (which might be outside the realms of this course, but useful to consider).

Source author: Murdoch Stephens murdoch.stephens@redcross.org.nz

Emotional persuation --- Although this may seems effective in the short term, the long term effect on development may be disastrous. We will never be able to change the narrative about certain countries that way, which becomes an obstacle for real long term change.

Source author: Anna Beijmo advocacy@forumongi-rdc.org

Patience when there is no time --- At the same time, some issues need to be solved now. So how to best deal with things when there is not that must time?

Source author: Anna Beijmo advocacy@forumongi-rdc.org

How to be perceived --- Persuation tends to become quite intense discussions, where not seldom voices are being raised. In a HD it must be imperative to stay calm and focused and always keeping a good tone, which I imagine may be difficult in some cases.

Source author: Anna Beijmo advocacy@forumongi-rdc.org

Role of record and the process of HD --- Some individuals tend to deny what they were saying unless it is recorded through minutes, memos and other recording tools. The recordings should be shared between interlocutor at the end of the discussion as shortly as possible.

Source author: Wossene Hailu Wossene_Hailu@wvi.org

Emotional Intelligence --- It is interesting that HD also closely relates to the emotion. Would it be possible to discuss more on the role of emotional intelligence in diplomacy ?

Source author: Samban Seng sengsamban@gmail.com

What’s a picture worth? --- Hmm Gerhard, do you have problems with my profile pic here? :-D

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. A photo of a senior UN official visiting a conflict zone could send an important message to all sorts of donors and potential donors alike, that the UN remains their trustworthy organisation to deliver humanitarian aid because we’re present and operational in the most difficult situations, to assist the most vulnerable communities, and so on.

Source author: Ivy Susanti ivysusanti@gmail.com

Understading the context through analysis --- It is clear that in order to carry out several actions such as persuasion or negotiating with actors, understanding the context as well as interests and positions is a must. Any action towards a good persuasion would need to have a clear comprehension of the processes as well as to consider the power on influence so that a good persuasion strategy can be elaborated

Source author: María Romero Pardo sohi1z1@hotmail.com

The power to be recognized ---

Recognition is a value that requires time, effort and dedication. The presence in an area before, during and after the crisis, good practices, the systematization and communication of results, is crucial to guarantee a good recognition and prestige that supports the power of persuasion.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Historical power of persuasion ---

Although we are addressing persuasion in the context of HD, it is an important concept for all facets of life, professional, personal, family ... "Knowing how to persuade" requires knowledge, technique and passion for what you do and think.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Maintain credibility-Reinforce staff behaviour and action --- In fact, in order to maintain and gain credibility, it is also important to promote the respect of organisations mandates by their staff as well as being an example of behaviour and mirror of the organisation values. Individuals have a very important role on that and organisations have to promote ways of acting for their staff to help to promote the credibility, the trust and the respect.

Source author: María Romero Pardo sohi1z1@hotmail.com

selfish voting --- I agree with you.Mostly people will act selfish, even in elections. e.g.Happy to have an airport nearby, but unhappy about the noise and accordingly voting against an airport expansion ( maybe a bad example in Covid times)

Source author: Gerhard Tauscher gerhardtoday@gmail.com

close to the heard issues --- I feel there is an additional important component. Its how close the issue is to the audiences. Sometimes it is simple geographically. A beach in Thailand, hit by a tsunami, somebody has visited is closer to the heard of somebody than an humanitarian hot spot in e.g. Somali-land.

Source author: Gerhard Tauscher gerhardtoday@gmail.com

new modern picture of humanitarian work --- Unfortunately there is still to much "old fashion" pictures taken, were a humanitarian worker provides a relief package to the "beneficiary". Even inside the RCRC movement its needs convincing that a CVB program can be sold to the public without a traditional RC picture ( with a RCRC emblem on, the provider and receiver on it!)

Source author: Gerhard Tauscher gerhardtoday@gmail.com

check against HP --- When there is a difficult operational issue or issue in a negotiation, I find it easier to make a decision if you weigh the issue against the humanitarian principles.

Source author: Gerhard Tauscher gerhardtoday@gmail.com

maintain credibility --- As its takes a long time to get credibility, it can be quickly be damaged. It needs a good reputational risk management strategy and team to pro actively tackle all issues which can harm an organisations credibility.

Source author: Gerhard Tauscher gerhardtoday@gmail.com

The cultural conception of time _3 --- Contexts are different and the urgency in resolution is determined by the power position of the interlocutors and their conception of time, which must always be respected.There is a well-known Afghan proverb that says "You have the clocks but We have the time". In short, humanitarian diplomat must be flexible and adaptive to the framework of the situation to be resolved within the framework of cultural sensitivity, in order to achieve its objectives and maintain its credibility.

Source author: Virginia Maria Callau Vidal vircavidal@hotmail.com

The cultural conception of time_2 --- When working at the local level, one must take into account the cultural conception of time in the achievement of objectives and the level of immediacy in their resolution: working with the Council of elders of Langar, (Afghanistan) to agree on a project is not the same as working with the Mayor of the village of Et Taibe (southern Lebanon) to unblock the passage of an aid convoy by the militia.

Source author: Virginia Maria Callau Vidal vircavidal@hotmail.com

The cultural conception of time _1 --- We have observed the convergence of several factors that determine persuasion in any negotiation process, where each encounter is critical.When it comes to working at the local level, it is necessary to take into account the cultural conception of time in achieving objectives and the level of immediacy in their resolution.

Source author: Virginia Maria Callau Vidal vircavidal@hotmail.com

Make my arguments yours. --- This is very interesting.As a strategy, I understand that throughout the process, the threshold of acceptable risk is permanently evaluated to achieve the objective and avoid the possibility of failure.

Source author: Virginia Maria Callau Vidal vircavidal@hotmail.com

Use of language in line with the humanitarian imperative. --- I think the use of terminology from the world of finance in social media applied to humanitarian action dehumanizes situations and seems to simplify and reduce them to transactions in terms of profit and service delivery. It leaves out the psycho-social aspects surrounding them and shows people as mere recievers.So I think that showing the approach based on protecting and empowering of the people affected, would help to make the realities known in a closer and more humane way.

Source author: Virginia Maria Callau Vidal vircavidal@hotmail.com

Trust, Credibility and Value of the Red Cross --- The auxiliary role in the humanitarian field forms the Legal basis of the national Red Cross Red Crescent Societies. It strengthens it relations with Public Authorities. The Principles of Impartiality and Neutrality are applicable to all Humanitarian Organisation including the NGOs based on the UNGA resolution . They contribute towards trust and credibility of the Red Cross .

Source author: John Lobor john.lobor@ssdredcross.org

Framing --- Framing is a way an issue or problem is presented to attract an audience or convince them to be on your side or support your idea. Mainly used by politicians, activist. Humanitarian organizations are equally good in framing . eg victims of conflict, vulnerable populations is kind frame which makes form an opinion about the humanitarian status of the population. Can framing also be a relevant tool for HD ?

Source author: John Lobor john.lobor@ssdredcross.org

Consent on Photos --- Is it ethical to use the photo for fund raising even if the victim has consented ?

I would recommend that non use of victims photos to raise funds should be included in the code of conduct for the International Red Cross and NGOs in Disaster Relief.

Source author: John Lobor john.lobor@ssdredcross.org

Code of conduct for NGOs --- Quote from the Principle of Humanity "The dignity and rights of all victims must be respected and protected" . The implication here could mean taking photos of victims without their consent is not allowed .

Source author: John Lobor john.lobor@ssdredcross.org

Code of Conduct for NGOs --- In Spain, there exists a code of conduct for NGOs that doesn't allow to use these kind of pictures of sufferring children. It is important to defend and preserve their dignity.

Source author: María Romero Pardo sohi1z1@hotmail.com

Advocacy as a persuasion technique --- If we understand persuasion as an action to influence people to change their minds or support an idea with supporting reasons, I think that advocacy is a tool for persuasion.

Source author: María Romero Pardo sohi1z1@hotmail.com

Advocacy Vs Persuasion --- What do we explain about the implication of advocacy and persuasion?

Source author: Samban Seng sengsamban@gmail.com

Trust, credibility and value of the RCRC --- I recall some of the discussions we had in previous class meeting about the RCRC is being questioned on its status because of the auxiliary role/status....also question about its neutrality and impartiality because this status. thus this more or less does affect the RCRC credibility

Source author: Samban Seng sengsamban@gmail.com

it takes years --- Yes, it will take years and this is obvious. in some of the previous discussions in this class, it was admitted that HD is a long term process, long term and endless investment...and it starts from credibility.

Source author: Samban Seng sengsamban@gmail.com

Credibility and Power. --- You are right Joe Cropp. Transparency, accountability, dissemination of the Principles to the public and more importantly being accountable to the beneficiaries adds to the source of power as well. Being volunteers based organisation at the grass root is another important dimension of power.

Source author: John Lobor john.lobor@ssdredcross.org

General Public --- we have also seen situations where the organization may have a good track record but behaviors of individuals in the organisation may make it to be rejected by the General Public. Examples of allegations of sexual scandals against some International NGOs in Haiti during the earthquake.

Source author: John Lobor john.lobor@ssdredcross.org

The General Public --- They are an important section of the stakeholders. The will always support the organisation if it has a good track record in terms of credibility, reliability, transparency and accountability through Communtiy engagement and accountability and implementing relevant programmes.

Source author: John Lobor john.lobor@ssdredcross.org

Nuanced --- Sure Chris, and I understand that much of what we do, including persuasion, is nuanced and never exact. But I just made the comment to illustrate that when persuading, keep in mind that purely selfish reasons may be a component to consider when framing your efforts of persuasion, and not always aligned to their outward presented identity (as mentioned in later sections, know your audience). Thanks for your reply

Source author: Shane Wilkes swilkes4129@gmail.com

Propaganda --- I have experienced particularly in conflict situations where propaganda has been used as a tool to mobilize a section of the population especially youth youth to take up arms to defend a political agenda. This moblisation can take ethinic dimension . sometimes on Religious lines as well. Propaganda is also commonly used by faith based organisation as a means of recruiting members or to propagate their ideology. This can have severe consequences on society.

Source author: John Lobor john.lobor@ssdredcross.org

Remaining curious --- I think this is where coming at an issue with a sense of curiosity and willingness to try and understand where others might be coming from and exactly how things work can be really helpful. It can also sometimes be a helpful way to get interlocuters to put their guard down a bit. A colleague also recommended the book 'A more beautiful question' to help ask curiously.

Source author: Cara Ceriani caraceriani@hotmail.com

Time limits when meeting with interlocuters --- As well as deadlines for papers etc. I often find that there are limits on how much time you have with interlocuters when you meet with them. This usually means prioritizing certain issues or cases to raise according to the time limit, or just focusing on one key issue. If I am raising a number of issues then I usually start with the softer or easier questions to warm up/build rapport and ask the more sensitive questions towards the end so then at least if the interlocuter decides to end the meeting or their guard goes up then we have responses/info on other issues already. I would be interested to hear what other strategies people use when you know you only have a limited time in a meeting?

Source author: Cara Ceriani caraceriani@hotmail.com

Taking care of one's reputation and brand --- As building credibility takes years, wrong action and mistake happens in a day have a significant potential to ruin what is built over decades. Humanitarian organizations and diplomats as well has an a duty and an obligation of keeping their reputation.

Source author: Wossene Hailu Wossene_Hailu@wvi.org

Pathos supported by enough logos --- Modern-day activists focus on emotional stimuli, making people to react based on emotions only rather than evidence based approach and supported by facts. Humanitarian Diplomacy should integrate pathos and ethos together.

Source author: Wossene Hailu Wossene_Hailu@wvi.org

2-Appealing to human emotion --- Many humanitarian organisations require staff members and external service providers to sign informed consent for taking and sharing photographs of beneficiaries: as matter of professional ethics, but most importantly, for privacy protection purpose.

E.g. Some individuals who were photographed interacting with the UN Secretary-General might be survivors of abuses by authorities. Posting the photo on Facebook without their consents may bring adverse effect.

Source author: Ivy Susanti ivysusanti@gmail.com

1-Appealing to human emotion --- Thanks Shane and Joe for pointing this out. I agree on the ethics of using photos of suffering children and understand the need to raise funds this way. I believe this advocacy approach is quite outdated, but it still works for certain target populations, e.g. the literal mum-and-dad type of donors. More well-informed stakeholders can quickly perceive this as exploitation which may not bode well for a humanitarian organisation.

Source author: Ivy Susanti ivysusanti@gmail.com

Not lying … but not telling the whole truth --- I learned this technique when I was a journalist. Selective disclosure is effective to drive our messages home to certain group of audiences, and it seems to closely correlate with the audiences’ level of education and other socioeconomic variables.

E.g. a reader who is exposed to critical thinking will dismiss a piece of information as rubbish but for a layperson it is new knowledge.

Source author: Ivy Susanti ivysusanti@gmail.com

1-Opinion Leaders --- Some food for thought: The characteristics explained here are limited to certain personalities. There are many opinion leaders amongst us, they do not necessarily part of an organisational structure; however they may be known as ‘insider’. Their influence does not only extend in all directions outside their social networks but also brings about changes within the social group in which they are embedded by virtue of their access to information outside of their group, and technical expertise.

I also think that an influencer in social media marketing can be an opinion leader overnight however opinion leadership works differently in business or politics.

Source author: Ivy Susanti ivysusanti@gmail.com

Measuring HD’s success --- I am interested to know if there are established means to measure HD’s success. So far, it seems that the output is quite straightforward, e.g. humanitarian access granted, agreement signed etc. Some agreed key indicators, outputs and outcomes of HDs might be helpful for evaluation, course correction, or building good practices worth replicating in any given contexts.

Source author: Ivy Susanti ivysusanti@gmail.com

Local and international chains --- This seems to be a case for humanitarian diplomats to work in teams which include a strong local component. This will help bridge the international knowledge with the highly particular local knowledge, which takes time to learn.

Source author: Joe Cropp joe.cropp@ifrc.org

Emotional persuasion and images --- This as an interesting dilemma. I think most will agree that the photo of the starving child is ethically fraught when used to seek funds, but this is an area with shades of grey. The same photo could be important in highlighting humanitarian need in some contexts. Or there will be emotional photos of children that are acceptable when seeking funds or promoting change. I don't know of any framework that guides us as we seek to tap into people's emotions.

Source author: Joe Cropp joe.cropp@ifrc.org

Credibility and power --- There is much to be said from this line. Where does this credibility come from? A long history of being a consistent actor in the humanitarian space. There are critiques of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement as being conservative, and in a way it is. But that also means it's a reliable actor with a tested set of values.

Source author: Joe Cropp joe.cropp@ifrc.org

All politics is local --- Thanks Shane. I guess a starting point for stakeholder analysis in this space is the political saying that all politics is local politics, first written in 1932 in the US. To me this means that the sentence in the Module text means that values will often be found at that local, or personal level. This will often conflict with other supposed interests but it also helps explain why independent or small party candidates often do well in elections.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

HD and FP so important --- I agree strongly with this, but I recall a candid discussion with someone who essentially canvasses for humanitarian relief funds and they indicated the former approach brings in the money, which without we cannot do our work. This is where the FP play a crucial role, and for me is what really makes this course on HD so interesting and important.

Source author: Shane Wilkes swilkes4129@gmail.com

Encourage your target to form the opinion --- I was not sure where to put this, but I would add another technique involves planting the seed of an argument in discourse (not entirely formulated). You then let your targetted decision maker essentially finish off your incomplete effort. This allows your idea to in fact be their idea and can increase the likelihood of successfully getting what you wanted.

Source author: Shane Wilkes swilkes4129@gmail.com

Not always --- I will review this reference, but I have personally seen people vote totally against there beliefs. An example is when a political candidate is advocating for (or against) the development of a transport corridor near their house, which they approve (disapprove) and formerly was not even in their belief structure. They then vote for the candidate, who might completely contradict their own values for self-interest (in this example noise or a change in their perception of access)!

Source author: Shane Wilkes swilkes4129@gmail.com

Powerful comment --- I enjoy the power and potential of this statement related to persuasion. How you, acting as a potential persuader, can in-turn be persuaded out of your own argument by the other. I never really gave it much thought, but it so true and for me further illustrates the benefits of dialogue and education, and how these can enhance your growth.

Source author: Shane Wilkes swilkes4129@gmail.com

Thanks for the explanation --- This is just for practice. I appreciate giving us this opportunity!

Source author: Guillaume Michel Blin gmichel@sre.gob.mx

New way to learn --- As you described the HT's quotes are new for me so looking forward to work with this new ways to study and learn. Also get familiar with the platform.

Source author: Iván Arnulfo Fernández Hernández administracionini01@sre.gob.mx

exchange of ideas --- I find exciting the exchange of ideas in a group with different background and experiences. I believe the interaction is key in the process of learning.

Source author: Alan Kaheri Chavez Castro itsupportirl@sre.gob.mx

ONLINE MEETINGS --- I think the online meeting are most interesting part of the course, looking forward e-meeting with you all at the first Orientation meeting at 14 Oct.

Source author: Mustafa Yaasin Sheik mysheik@hotmail.com

Test HTs --- first HTs for Cybersecurity Course

Source author: Mustafa Yaasin Sheik mysheik@hotmail.com

Hypertext Entries --- Thanks for the introduction and how best we can use the HT function.

Looking forward to contribute

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

About Hypertext entries --- Hello everyone, This is a hypertext entry, or HT for short. HTs are the main form of interaction in the course for the rest of the weeks. To create one just select a few words you want to discuss, and a small pop-up box like this one will appear. Enter a brief title and then write your comment in the text field. If you want to include an URL that leads to a website as an illustration of your point, just paste it in the last field below (including URLs is optional). Most of the time, we use HTs to share our ideas, comments, experiences, or to provide examples to illustrate some points. You can also reply to HTs made by others thus engaging in discussion. I invite you all to start practicing making hypertext entries on the "Course introduction and orientation to online learning" text. Good luck!

Source author: Nadezda Markovski nadezdam@diplomacy.edu

in our toolbox --- a very useful tool in our PD toolbox indeed. But diplomats needs to embrace it again, be convinced and trained.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

specific PD audience --- While Brussels is Twitter or LinkedIn town by far, We use Facebook to reach a local audience on very specific topics. For instance, Australian embassy in Belgium Facebook audience is very reactive to anything relating to commemorations, battle fields, WWI souvenirs etc. This can be a powerful platform in particular cases.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

Australia --- Our Department @dfat uses Twittter proactively. It has 101k followers. Each regional or state office alos has a dedicated Twitter account as well as each Embassy (54) in the world. Australia's Foreign Minister uses Twitter. She has 65.5k followers.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

dont get me started on this! --- This is an ongoing issue which would require a life time to be fixed...

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

virtual FTA round --- during the pandemic and for the first time in history, free trade agreement negotations round were held online. Australia and the EU held 3 FTA rounds online without too much difficulty and relative progress.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

Time --- I think this element is key to make public diplomacy effective. but rapidity and agility isn't often a friend of diplomacy, hierarchy and tradition.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

Absolutely necessary! --- It has clearly shown us how big the social media's impacts on us. Of course, in this interconnected world, the platforms Facebook, twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp are coming to play an indispensable role in every aspect of our daily affairs including politics, economics, and international relations and engagement.

Source author: Aung Naing Soe ansoe.mofa@gmail.com

Digital tools and social media --- We used social network in the Year of ASEAN 2020 when Vietnam played the role the Chairman of ASEAN 2020. We created online press-conferences, the website ASEAN 2020, that reached the followers ten millions log-in, provided material and images about the ASEAN countries and people, circulated the slogan "ASEAN - ONE COMMUNITY, ONE FAMILY" throughout the world...

Source author: Nguyen Phan Hong Hai hai.nguyenphan@gmail.com

Digital tools and social media tools for PD --- The MFA of Vietnam now has used some tools for PD such as facebook, twitter, Zalo, Youtube, Intergram... for propagate the foreign policy of Vietnam and building the brand of NFA of Vietnam. Some ambassadors abroad use Facebook, Youtube, Twitter for the external communication rather well and successfully. One big problem for diplomat of Vietnam is that we do not have the legal corridor for using social network for PD and many of diplomat are afraid of telling somethings wrong and not in the line with the willing of the government and in some cases we should solve problems with scandals in which some diplomat use images and status that did not match the foreign policy of Vietnam and violate the law. Until now we issued only on degree of the government on using social network and MFA of Vietnam issued Rules for using social networks. But it do not match the demand of the Vietnam diplomats. That's why many diplomat do not want to use social network for PD. In coming year we should research and issue the new rules for solving this problem.

Source author: Nguyen Phan Hong Hai hai.nguyenphan@gmail.com

Digital tools and social media --- Vietnam with the population around 100 million people has developed IT and digital communication very fast in some recent years especially since we stated Doimoi (renewal) policy in 1986. Now we have 2/3 of the population use Internet and 1/3 of the population who have smartphone. That's why Vietnamese people like to use Internet everyday. The big problem for the Vietnamese government is that how to manage the use of Internet in the right way, I mean the legal environmental corridor for Internet and social network users in Vietnam. I have no enough law and regulations on it, especially the law tools against the fake news...

Source author: Nguyen Phan Hong Hai hai.nguyenphan@gmail.com

Lose of interest --- Agree with you that timely respond is important since audiences will lose their interest on the page after have not seen any respond for long time. However, it is quite challenging for some embassies and consulates who have limited number of staffs that have to handle everyday diplomatic works and the social media pages of their embassies and consulates as well.

Source author: Thida Sreng thidasreng@gmail.com

Agree --- I agree with you both the content and images posted need to to eye-catching. In case the contents is informative and long they should only mention the important points and include the link for users to get more info if they want to.

Source author: Thida Sreng thidasreng@gmail.com

Active links --- MFA websites are like the windows for foreign citizens to seek for information and it is important to include links to other relevant institutions especially all the links to all websites of their embassies and cosulates base abroad and ministries.

Source author: Thida Sreng thidasreng@gmail.com

government's social media activity --- The Hungarian prime minister has twitter account in English and very up-to-date. As far as I know the minister for foreign affairs and trade does not have, but he is very active on FB. The goverment has FB, instragram and you tube accounts. Yout tube account with 48 thousand followers.

Source author: Adrienn Sallai sadrienn78@yahoo.co.uk

is it really needed? --- Let me be the devil's advocate: I am not at all sure that these type of posts have added value.

Source author: Adrienn Sallai sadrienn78@yahoo.co.uk

What I think is most important and valuable... --- ... is the fact that by increasing the number of communication platforms, we can communicate with different levels of "officiality". There are some issues for example that are too sensitive to make a very official statement (e.g. press release on human rights violations might backfire in many contexts because it is understood as a very strong and official statement), and having various social media channels allows for "toning down" the message a bit (e.g. a post on Facebook or a tweet often allows for talking about more controversial content)

Source author: Thomas Baumgartner thomas.baumgartner@eda.admin.ch

Are you aware of any MFA issuing podcasts? --- I think there is a huge untapped potential there, but I don't see this being embraced as of yet

Source author: Thomas Baumgartner thomas.baumgartner@eda.admin.ch

Agree, and at the CH Embassy in BD... --- ... we use Facebook not as a "personal" platform, but instead have our institutional account on FB and the "personal" account of the Ambassador on Twitter (this one is however "inherited" my successors, so it's also institutional in a way...)

Source author: Thomas Baumgartner thomas.baumgartner@eda.admin.ch

Disagree --- I noticed from other social media webinar offered by the Australian government too that they don't seem take in consideration of social media platforms that are mostly used in Asian languages.

Some examples: Weibo in China, KakaoTalk Messenger and Naver Blogs in Korea, Line Messenger or Band (both Korean product btw) in Japan and in Southeast Asian countries. These examples are the most representative social media apps in Asian countries, even more commonly used than Facebook or YouTube - not only by some portion of the public but on a national level. Yet they don't seem to be included in social media statistics generated by non-Asian countries.

Source author: Hee-eun Hahm hehahm@naver.com

About detailed insight functions --- Instagram has an insight tab, where you can check the number of reach (the number of users that have seen the content) and the percentage of those who have not followed the account before publishing the content.

Sometimes when numbers are high, they also show how/where the content was exposed to those new (previously unfollowed) users. Eg. hashtags, search tab algorithm, website, etc. Tracking these numbers are crucial for measuring the level of success in content exposure.

Source author: Hee-eun Hahm hehahm@naver.com

Instagram's blue badge --- I agree with this saying. But just wanted to add that perhaps the function of Instagram's blue badge on official accounts is a good example that shows how social media platforms are trying to confront this challenge.

Official accounts with blue badges get to have more credibility and attention from ordinary accounts.

Source author: Hee-eun Hahm hehahm@naver.com

Indeed --- timely communication attracts attention, and so - you might - the first one to communicate on an issues always takes a bonus.

Source author: Koenraad Du Pont koenraad.dupont@diplobel.fed.be

In this sense --- it is a good medium for promoting the identity of a country or its Embassy: information on the organisation / a country can be brought in a more open, intimate and thus authentic manner.

Source author: Koenraad Du Pont koenraad.dupont@diplobel.fed.be

A good example --- of how cross-border mass communication driven by social media is usually partly construed, but also partly correct.

Source author: Koenraad Du Pont koenraad.dupont@diplobel.fed.be

I agree --- Apart from highlighting some amazing initiatives,the format gave rare insights in what I see as quite different approaches to PD and showed that these approaches also share important similarities.

Source author: Koenraad Du Pont koenraad.dupont@diplobel.fed.be

This is true to a certain extent --- Social media give leverage to networks of international NGO’s, for instance, and bring their constituencies in various countries closer together. This in turn may invigorate them and enhance their potential to weigh in on national policies in various countries. This phenomenon is clearly observable in the field of climate change. However, the novelty of transnational mass communication may not be exaggerated. The socialist international, for instance, is a more than century-old movement that derives part of its force from cross-border solidarity and collaboration between the masses, which is partly a reality, but also partly a construct. The Asia Europe People’s Forum is also an interesting experiment in this perspective. What I mean to say is that cross- border mass communication is not always authentic, but (partly) steered by traditional actors.

Source author: Koenraad Du Pont koenraad.dupont@diplobel.fed.be

Impact evaluation assessment? --- In my views, though likes/shares/following doesn't equate the success of PD, it is reasonable to say that the overall success is dependent on numbers of likes, shares and followers. By seeing numbers of likes and followers, we can anticipate the level of influence. In our society, a person who has large number of likes/shares and followers is known as "social influencer". Or if to know exactly, how is about using 'impact evaluation assessment'?

Source author: Aung Naing Soe ansoe.mofa@gmail.com

Central/decentral management of the websites --- Another question in this context is which parts of the website content are maintained centrally by the MFA and which parts are the responsibility of the embassy. It seems to be most efficient and also leads to more coherence to manage as many areas as possible centrally and to rely on the content of the embassy only in specific areas.

Source author: Engin Gürpinar Engin.Guerpinar@gmail.com

Process of approval --- A solution to this problem seems to be a real challenge. If one assumes that social media posts can have significant effects comparable to more traditional public diplomacy measures, it is difficult to justify why one should deviate from the usual chains of approval. From my own experience, I can report that the usual chains of approval are not normally dispensed with, but in individual cases attempts are made to speed up the procedure as much as possible by referring to the urgency.

Source author: Engin Gürpinar Engin.Guerpinar@gmail.com

Twitter is the preferred SM channel --- The Austrian MFA is also very active on Twitter. We use different SM channels (FB, Instagram, YouTube,etc) but the most popular one is definitely Twitter. Currently we have around 50.000 followers, which is not bad for us.

Source author: Elisabeth Jaklitsch Elisabeth.JAKLITSCH@bmeia.gv.at

Thanks, relevant points --- Personally, I don't even like the presentation styles in many of Myanmar official Facebook pages including MFA page, that mostly too long, too wordy, and very unattractive ways of presentation despite the content is so important to audiences. Highlighting key information as bold title that many independent media do perhaps can be an attractive style that substantially attracts more readers. Online social media does not necessarily need to stick on formal way but greater important to present in attractive ways.

Source author: Aung Naing Soe ansoe.mofa@gmail.com

Race for the fastest release --- I agree. While being the first to publish an information has advantages, as it is easier to set a narrative than to argue against a narrative already set by others, we must recognize that this competition cannot be won by embassies.

Source author: Engin Gürpinar Engin.Guerpinar@gmail.com

Censorship --- I have had this experience many times. Adapting a message to the local audience without being censored and still conveying the message from your capital is a balance act - especially on Chinese social media. For us it is often the question of how far should we adapt to meet the local criteria.

Source author: Elisabeth Jaklitsch Elisabeth.JAKLITSCH@bmeia.gv.at

Same --- Though Myanmar MFA have the official Facebook page, it doesn't have a Twitter account. So doesn't the current minister use Twitter and Facebook, probably due to the recent political developments and change within the country.

Source author: Aung Naing Soe ansoe.mofa@gmail.com

Videos --- I agree that video is becoming more and more important. Only some of our embassies have their own YouTube channel, but the number is increasing. We put a lot of videos of interviews of our Ambassador online and the feedback we receive is very positive. I think videos have the advantage of conveying a more complete picture (with gestures and emotions) of an event or interview, that’s why they are more popular- at least that’s our experience.

Source author: Elisabeth Jaklitsch Elisabeth.JAKLITSCH@bmeia.gv.at

transparency has a limit in diplomacy --- yes these communication tools make the world of diplomacy more transparent, however, I think we should not be too enthusiastic about it. there is obvious limit of transparency beyond which diplomatic processes are rather complicated then helped by these tools.

Source author: Adrienn Sallai sadrienn78@yahoo.co.uk

Significance of ASEM --- Once again, I realize the importance of the ASEM organization. I don't think there are many organizations that accelerate the connectivity between Asia and Europe. In this way, learning with colleagues in Asia and Europe is also a valuable experience for me.

Source author: Takahiro Hara takahiro.hara-2@mofa.go.jp

I agree that engage is futile --- I learned the hard way that engaging with people who insult is futile, because usually they are not really seeking the solution of a specific problem but just attention for the sake of it. On the contrary answering questions and showing that you actively monitor your social media channel is super useful.

Source author: Ugo Boni ugo.boni@esteri.it

You Tube --- I personally created the youtube channel of the Embassy of Italy in Bangkok. Of course we don't have the ambition of getting a million followers, but I think that video content in the future will become increasingly important, and already now every major event organized by the Embassy must have some videos associated with it.

Source author: Ugo Boni ugo.boni@esteri.it

Facebook --- Facebook is by far the most effective way to interact to your public, advertise your project/event and more in general to be present in front of of most of your nationals.

To run a facebook requires though lots of work, because the content creation is very important it does not come cheap but it is increasingly important to create also video, infographics etc.

Source author: Ugo Boni ugo.boni@esteri.it

Twitter --- I think the twitter account has two functions:

1) Since most diplomatic missions are on twitter, this is a good platform to see at they are doing and let them know what you are doing.

2) Twitter is like reading tomorrow's newspaper. What is trend today on twitter will be probably be in the news tomorrow, and so Twitter is a great tool to be always updated on trendy topics related to your work and the way they are perceived by public opinion.

Twitter is of little use to communicate with all the other stakeholders ad Facebook or Instagram are much widespread and have a most diversified audience

Source author: Ugo Boni ugo.boni@esteri.it

Very active --- Our current Minister in the Philippines was already quite prolific on twitter before he joined us, and if anything, his presence has driven up our engagement. A minister's personal touch will always resonate more than, say, an, institutional account. The challenge is for us to be able to retain the engagement next year when a new government is elected.

Source author: Ralph Vincent C. Abarquez ralph.abarquez@dfa.gov.ph

Pre-internet, public diplomacy was a challenge for developing countries --- Global news flows from the pre-internet era made it all but difficult for developing countries to be able to make a mark beyond grandiose gestures such as hosting a big conference. The major international news networks of the time were all headquartered in the West, and their editorial slant was the only one available, so most developing countries would only hear about events in fellow developing countries from a western point of view. The internet democratized this, as described earlier in this module.

We may be concerned at the ease at which digitally saavy actors can command so much attention on social media, when on the flipside there is so much opportunity for us to be able to do the same.

Source author: Ralph Vincent C. Abarquez ralph.abarquez@dfa.gov.ph

risk --- Losing attention of audience if not posting in a timely fashion is a real risk especially if those responsible for social media are not given the responsibility, training and trust to post without going through a lengthy approval process.

Source author: Alison Reilly alison.reilly@dfa.ie

reputation for accuracy --- it is true that we can be overtaken by fast moving events but diplomatic social media is not supposed to be the source of breaking news. I think that as long as people know that they can look at our official channels and that the information on them is accurate even if not instant then we will always have an audience during active news events as our reputation for accuracy will attract people

Source author: Alison Reilly alison.reilly@dfa.ie

The algorithm only enhances people's existing habits --- Even before social media, people already had a propensity to gravitate towards news outlets whose editorial point of view already aligns with their own. The only difference then is that perhaps it may be more difficult for people to actively look and compare at publications, as availability was a factor.

Social media just made it easier for people to consume what they want to consume. And the result is quite horrifying as the echo chambers only lead to further radicalization

Source author: Ralph Vincent C. Abarquez ralph.abarquez@dfa.gov.ph

Everyone has there own preferred way of accessing information --- and for people who are heavy users of social media if an organisation is not using social media effectively they will automatically think that the organisation is out of date and that information is hard to find. I believe that this is similar for most media - for example if you listen to the radio all the time if something is not mentioned on the radio you will not be aware of it. Social media is only one of many tools that we can use to communicate for public diplomacy and I think we should still try to use as wide a variety of methods to communicate our messages as possible (tailored to our target audiences) so that we reach as many people as possible.

Source author: Alison Reilly alison.reilly@dfa.ie

yes but --- yes to emojis but not in all posts. for instance, no emojis in social media messages about Death Penalty.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

yes --- yes to emojis including flags and others in social media posts in general. no to emoji in post about specific difficult issue eg death penalty. that's why I found the scheduling of social media posts in diplomacy a bit risky.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

aukus --- is Aukus a good example?... I dont have any more relevant ones at this stage... It actually makes me question what we do once we'd managed the crisis locally. Is it advised to enter in some sort of quiet PD time (a bit like a Crisis Purdah) after a crisis? or to the contrary, is it advised to stick to business as usual?

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

needs their buy-in --- Agreed. their input is crucial at every step. but not always easy to get their buy-in.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

ALUMNI --- Diaspora makes me think about the potential of ALUMNI in PD. While I find it hard to fully embrace a solid PD strategy to engage with ALUMNI of Australian universities in Brussels - mainly due to lack of time and resources - I strongly believe this could help us acheive our policy objectives and other PD objectives in Brussels and would appreciate tips or experience from others.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

how do you capture feelings --- I understand what youùre saying it's key to being aware of people's perceptions and feelings but how do you capture and get an accurate picture of people's feelings. I'm unclear abotu how to build a PD campaign on something as fluid and moving as feelings.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

That resonates --- Clearly the pandemic has brought challenges and intense pressure on 'consular diplomacy'. I wonder though if it's worth stopping any campaign to avoid receiving negative comments. Litterature shows and experience confirms that social media amplifies the voice of unsatisfied members of the public. PD needs to be able to continue disseminate key messages including about the pandemic reaching out to a large protion of the public who is interested and or neutral.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

Uniqueness --- I regard uniqueness as among top important features of nation branding. The key is to differentiate oneself from the others and convince them why it deserves attention. However, it is undeniable that there are also problems coming with the idea since culture is fluid and transboundary. The 'proclaimed' ownership of a culture can also cause controversy.

Source author: Panika PITTAVESTSOONTHON pa.pittayavestsoonthon@mfa.mail.go.th

I totally agreed! Not an easy task for China --- The US has long been there as "the winner" since World War II on various dimensions including ideology, theories, economy, innovation, and more. These aspects help the US to be at the advantage side and will continue to be while China has to work very hard in order to achieve what the US does. It is not an easy task for China, especially during today world as it has to build and compete with not only the US but also many other rising stars, including Australia, Japan, Korea (ROK), etc. The foreign public has been persuaded that the capitalist, the US, is the good actor and role model despite of uncertainty if it is practical in its context. However, it's not the end of the story. Working hard with good strategy might work and is the hope for newcomer.

Source author: Usaphea Horn usaphea.horn@gmail.com

PD --- But as litterature shows, PD/nation branding shouldn't integrate an ele,ent of manipulation unlike Propaganda.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

Boycott --- This interrelation between nation brands and company brands is particulary well illustrated by consumers boycott initiatives. For example, Europeans consumers sometimes call to boycott dattes from Israel following progress in colonisation in Palestine. The US also called to boycott French cheeses in the past as a response to what they think was an inappropriate foreing policy move.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

French Fashion and culture --- The reputation of the French luxury fashion provides a good example of nation branding too.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

Cool Japan --- 'Cool Japan' is I think a sucessful example of nation branding. This government soft power initiative is amied at promoting elements of Japan's profile that are perceived as innovative or 'cool' by some other markets, e.g. robotics.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

significance of EXPO --- The Osaka Expo, which will be held in 2025, will be the third time in Japan after 1970 and 2005. It is a challenge for Japan to show the charm and significance of the new Expo itself, which is different from the past. It also will be a responsibility of the host country as to how to successfully disseminate the "branding" of each country that is valuable to the country.

Source author: Takahiro Hara takahiro.hara-2@mofa.go.jp

One voice --- I agreed with you mentioning domestic politics and social stability for greater achievement of PD. In addition, I think that being able to have "ONE VOICE" is very important for achieving greater result. The government and the citizen speak the same thing, language, etc. to the world about the country.

Source author: Usaphea Horn usaphea.horn@gmail.com

public outreach and ASEAN Community --- Thailand also identified public outreaching as one of the key policy areas towards the establishment of ASEAN Community in 2015. A program called Roving ASEAN was initiated to raise awareness and to help the public, especially students and civil societies, prepare themselves to get the most benefit and to address challenges that came with ASEAN Community.

Source author: Panika PITTAVESTSOONTHON pa.pittayavestsoonthon@mfa.mail.go.th

the annual budget requesting process --- In the annual budget requesting process, the Ministry of Finance of Japan is very conscious of whether or not it is a project for improving reputation of our country. I think this happens because not only the Ministry of Finance but also the Japanese people understand our weaknesses and recognize that a specific strategy is needed to make up for them.

Source author: Takahiro Hara takahiro.hara-2@mofa.go.jp

China's peaceful rise --- China must have accepted that aggressive PD is not fit or bear good result. Therefore, in many case, China undertake a softer approach to make other countries see it differently from the US and its allies.

Source author: Usaphea Horn usaphea.horn@gmail.com

Aggravated vulnerability ---

It is important to bear in mind that many people were already vulnerable before the crisis and the conflict itself aggravates their situation. The need for good context analysis, including indices of fragility and vulnerability, is essential in order to develop good intervention strategies.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Neutral but not indifferent --- Being neutral means not positioning oneself on any of the opposing positions, but it does not mean being indifferent to reality. Beyond "indifference" Humanitarian Actors must know the motivation of the parties in conflict to seek durable solutions.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Neutral but not indifferent ---

Being neutral means not positioning oneself on any of the opposing positions, but it does not mean being indifferent to reality. Beyond "indifference" Humanitarian Actors must know the motivation of the parties in conflict to seek solutions

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

The risk of cultural relativism --- Understanding social and cultural contexts is fundamental to HD but it does not mean always accepting them. This is the case of contexts that exclude women, practice violent acts or have exclusionary dynamics.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

HD multitasking ---

Humanitarian diplomats must handle a wide range of techniques, instruments, knowledge and context analysis to help them achieve their ultimate goal, the reduction of suffering. In this way, HD is promoted by multidisciplinary teams that can address the various dimensions of conflicts and HD itself:

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

The obligation to persuade --- Humanitarian actors have the obligation to persuade in order to avoid aggravating conflicts. At times, the humanitarian respects imposed have more negative than positive effects. For this reason, any humanitarian actor has the obligation to understand local norms, be empathetic with the various actors, prioritize the most vulnerable people and seek shared solutions to common problems.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Soft Power --- Soft power, a concept developed by Professor Nye, is key to understanding the rationale behind humanitarian diplomacy. Dialogue, listening, continuous work and mutual cooperation are basic tools for a relationship of understanding, avoiding conflicts and finding solutions to shared problems.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Differentiating objectives --- The military and the humanitarian have different objectives and should not be confused. But, above all, the forms of work and the focus of their action is what differentiates them. The humanitarian puts people at the center. The military puts the interests of one of the parties at the center. Humanitarian and military actors can often coordinate and work together but never forgetting that their objectives and "reason for being" are different.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

The people at the center --- The concept of "humanitarian" hides the true meaning of action in the face of crises. Putting people at the center of the action and, therefore, of humanitarian negotiation is fundamental. In many cases, when you have to make quick decisions, ask yourself what is best for the people we work for? it is very useful. This is the meaning, in my opinion, of humanitarianism.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Think globally act locally --- A comprehensive analysis should include all levels of work from the local to the global. The role of humanitarian actors must go beyond the local problem since, many times, the actors involved in humanitarian diplomacy respond to situations that go beyond concrete situations. Knowing the global panorama, understanding the origin of crises and reflecting on the impact at the local level is key in this regard.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

NDRMC ---

The National Commission for Disaster Risk Management in Ethiopia, as an actor focused on coordinating the humanitarian response, is key to organizing actors and unifying criteria. However, these bodies tend to have very little force at the political level, being more technical elements. In such a way, a responsibility is placed on them that, many times, they do not have the capacity to respond.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

InterGov Organizations --- Inter-Governmental Institutions

Supranational institutions play a crucial role in humanitarian response and diplomacy. For example, in Ethiopia, headquarters of the African Union, this body is balanced between its own dynamics and internal position and respect for the sovereign decisions of one of its members, such as the Federal Republic of Ethiopia. Inter-governmental institutions are key in responding to crises since they are closer to reality and with much higher levels of communication than foreign actors.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Media as Private Sector --- It is important to differentiate the private business sector, with a profit-generating objective, from the media, which, being also a private sector, have a certain social orientation.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Private Sector --- The private sector is a fundamental actor for development and can be an important ally in humanitarian response, but it must not be forgotten that the interests of this actor differ greatly from humanitarian objectives.

Source author: Mario Fanjul mariofanjulbenitez@gmail.com

Australia's academic programme --- The extent to which Australia's academic programme was affected by COVID is yet unclear but a negative economic impact is highly likely. Will students be willing to travel down under to study? the same questions apply to Working holiday visas in many countries in the world.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

another challenge --- This is another challenge provide the right pitch to local media for a local audience without making it unreadable and couterproductive domestically.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

A balance to be found --- I found it extremely difficult to find the right balance between cultivating genuine links with local media to serve a country interest and maintain the distance to limit the risks of backfire.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

virtual art exhibition --- Promoting Australian Aborignal Culture around the world is crucial to help win hearts and minds. The presence for instance of Aboriginal Artists at this year Dubai wolrd expo was limited due to borders closure in Australia. As a result, a lot of efforts was made to produce virtual exhibition and put in touch artists to join webinar or panel events virtually.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

true! --- As a government partenring with non state actors expert in a specific policy eg International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) when willing to promote for instance democracy and effective electoral process around the world in that case can be extremely efficient.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

The right balance --- This made me think of social media influencers and how they can help advance strategic Foreign Policy of a country when at the same time bring challenges and risks inthe same public opinion perceives it.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

CCAMLR --- A concrete example that comes to mind is marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Antarctic and how governments like Australia, France and the US seek multiple partnerships with NGO's and think tanks foundations e.g. Pew Research to help advance the expansion of MPAs in the Antarctic including via multilateral organisations like CCAMLR.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

true! --- This is particularly true and important but still a long way ahead in particular in how risk averse diplomacy can be!

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

successful --- The Japanese is I think particularly successful in selling its unique culture and tradition to the world. Resulting in creating a group of supporters/defenders in the world that will support Japan's foreign policy decision because they enjoy its culture.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

cooperation --- How much cooperation there is between the EU and ASEAN about this and at official level? I'd be interested to know.

Source author: Marine Thizon Marine.Thizon@dfat.gov.au

Course blog vis-a-vis Interaction messages --- Dear Andre, could you kindly assist me in appreciating the difference between posting messages in the home blog on the one hand and under "Interaction" or message icon on the other for purposes of interaction with participants of this course? I realised that Ambassador Rana has posted his introductory and welcoming remarks in both. Can we use either of them for general communication e.g. experience sharing, raising concerns over certain issues and/or actually seeking advice thereof?

I hope my question is clear. Thank you!!!

Source author: Malefetsane Dominic Mosala mosalalaw@gmail.com

Political economy of international power!!! --- Instrumental usage of power and wealth by any state in international affairs in the pursuit of various foreign-policy goals and objectives shapes its economic diplomacy.

Source author: Malefetsane Dominic Mosala mosalalaw@gmail.com

HT test!!! --- Thank you very much dear Andre for giving us an elaborate briefing on hypertext entries and usage thereof.

Source author: Malefetsane Dominic Mosala mosalalaw@gmail.com

About hypertext entries --- Hello everyone. This is a hypertext entry, or HT for short. HTs are the main form of interaction in the course for the rest of the weeks. To create one just select a few words you want to discuss, and a small pop-up box like this one will appear. Enter a brief title and then write your comment in the text field. If you want to include an URL that leads to a website as an illustration of your point, just paste it in the last field below (including URLs is optional). Most of the time, we use HTs to share our ideas, comments, experiences, or to provide examples to illustrate some points. You can also reply to HTs made by others thus engaging in discussion. I invite you all to start practicing making hypertext entries on the "Course introduction and orientation to online learning" text. Good luck!

Source author: Andre Saramago andres@diplomacy.edu

experimenting hypertext entry --- Just exploring how to make an hypertext entry

Source author: Blanca Jimenez bjimenez@sre.gob.mx

Test --- If you accidentally click on a word or phrase, is there an option to delete the HT pop-up box? -With thanks.

Source author: Mamta Reid liveandsmile@hotmail.com

HT Entries --- Thank you, this is clear and whilst I have never used this before I am looking forward to it. It seems like a convenient way to share ideas.

Source author: Mamta Reid liveandsmile@hotmail.com

HT Test --- Interesting! Very much look forward to learning about the "art of letting someone have it your way" and benefiting from it. In our profession, as diplomats, persuasion very often takes centre stage when we discharge our duties. It is an art that we must and should master.

Source author: Hervé Pool erve619@gmail.com

About hypertext entries --- Hello everyone, This is a hypertext entry, or HT for short. HTs are the main form of interaction in this course. To create one just select a few words you want to discuss, and a small pop-up box like this one will appear. Enter a brief title and then write your comment in the text field. If you want to include an URL that leads to a website as an illustration of your point, just paste it in the field below (including URLs is optional). Most of the time, we use HTs to share our ideas, comments, experiences, or to provide examples to illustrate some points. You can also reply to HTs made by others thus engaging in discussion. I invite you all to start practicing making hypertext entries on the "Course introduction and orientation to online learning" text. Good luck!

Source author: Rade Kotur radek@diplomacy.edu

origin of the work hypertext! --- Wow, Ginger. You opened up a rabbit hole ... in a good way!

Source author: Katharina Höne KatharinaH@diplomacy.edu

About hypertext entries --- Hello everyone. This is a hypertext entry, or HT for short. HTs are the main form of interaction in the course for the rest of the weeks. To create one just select a few words you want to discuss, and a small pop-up box like this one will appear. Enter a brief title and then write your comment in the text field. If you want to include an URL that leads to a website as an illustration of your point, just paste it in the last field below (including URLs is optional). Most of the time, we use HTs to share our ideas, comments, experiences, or to provide examples to illustrate some points. You can also reply to HTs made by others thus engaging in discussion. I invite you all to start practicing making hypertext entries on the "Course introduction and orientation to online learning" text. Good luck!

Source author: Judy Okite judyo@diplomacy.edu

Reply_2 --- Right now I don't know how many people are involved as my last posting was no longer related to civil protection issues. But if you are interested, I will contact my colleagues at the Red Cross and the UME, to acquire more information.

I know that La Palma is being managed from the regional level and that they have sufficient response capacity and support from the government, especially in funding.It has been declared a catastrophic area to cover the short and medium term needs of those most affected.(There are 5000 evacuees and it is expected to reach 10000 people affected)

Thank you very much!

Source author: Virginia Maria Callau Vidal vircavidal@hotmail.com

Reply_1 --- Sorry, I didn't get back to you sooner. I am speaking to you as a former Army liaison officer and from my experience in emergency drill collaborations at the national level.

As far as I know,the coordination is replicated at the regional level, in the same way and It is activated under the command of the affected region's emergency response coordination committee.Coordination at the local level is less fluid on a day-to-day basis, but effective and in line with policies of good harmony with local government and public administrations.

Source author: Virginia Maria Callau Vidal vircavidal@hotmail.com

Coordination-working together --- For complementarity it is important a strong coodination and communication of different organisations and actors in order to build a common approach. Work together is key.

Source author: María Romero Pardo sohi1z1@hotmail.com

RCRC not an organisation --- Samban, as the text says, the Movement does not have its own legal personality and hence cannot be an "organisation" within the meaning of that word. It is a network.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Identity --- Thanks for the question Samban, and more thanks to Haris for his answer. NS are "non-governmental" but at the international level they are not "Non-Governmental Organisations". That's because they are formed under specific legislation and have their auxiliary roles.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Auxiliary role --- Thanks Samban. I say that it's better not to speak of a "status" as this can invite questions like yours. It is better to speak of the "role", for that's what it's called in formal documents and that takes the discussion to the actions rather than to something nebulous like "status". And, No, it's not difficult to maintain and assert the role.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Auxiliarity alongside the FPs --- Thanks Marianna. This is a good subject for a future case study, and we've asked participants in previous courses to contribute to one but it hasn't yet come forward. Nevertheless, never forget that para 4 (b) of RCRC International Conference resolution 2 of 2007 obliges States to refrain from asking NS to do anything which contravenes the FPs and obliges NS to decline any such request. This is another requirement which should be repeated again and again.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

After-crisis --- Thanks Mario. This is the trademark of RC NS, but it also depends on them having the country-wide capacity which they assert and also shows why HD needs to be present at all levels.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Working with governments --- Thanks Mario and Sabir. You're both right. Be careful, though, how you disseminate information on how you're managing the delicate balance. You could jeopardise that very balance by publicising it poorly.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

New states --- Thanks Marwa and Cara. Two of the interesting cases now on stage for this discussion are Kosovo and Somaliland, but it is a question which has been high on the agenda in other places too, such as Taiwan and Western Sahara. Perhaps others too. Check them out - precedents are available.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Private sector --- Thanks Sabir and Didi. I wouldn't advocate that the private sector should withhold taxes, but I appreciate that in some cases it seems to happen for good reasons (e.g. in Myanmar where some companies and individuals are refusing to pay taxes to the military administration). It's dangerous territory.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

NGO forums --- Thanks Sabir and Baboloki. The situation can also vary with a country from subject to subject. Stakeholder analysis is important on working out how NS (and others) can best to handle such things.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Coordination competition --- Thanks Sabir, Sheebah and Marianna. I see this issue much as Marianna describes it. The coordination often works best when it is initiated from within the non-governmental sector but this requires some strong yet neutral and impartial proponents getting together. HD can help this happen.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Military as humanitarian actors --- Thanks Joe and Ivy. As I'm sure you both know, the Australian Government has received some criticism for using retired or seconded military officers for humanitarian response activities, notably recently to coordinate covid vaccination efforts. Some of the pushback has come from within the military as they've seen their colleagues being used, in full uniform, for photo opportunities beside politicians. This is a debate yet to play out in Australia.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Understanding the auxiliary role --- Right Catherine. Many people inside NS leadership don't understand this well either and I've seen NS where the leaders, thinking they know everything, resist the kinds of training and information sessions which would help them. This is despite the constant emphasis on the issues which is seen at international RCRC conferences.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Outsourcing government services --- Thanks Catherine. This is a good point and it is unfortunately not given enough attention - until something dreadful happens. National Societies need to do more public work on this issue, and make good use of academic and other opinion leaders in debates and the media.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Proliferation of NGOs --- Interesting question John. My suspicion is that while the larger international NGOs might see their support dwindling, this has had less effect on small "street-corner" NGOs and that this makes it possible for a large organisation with lots of branches (like the RCRC NS) to help them do their community work. After all, in the circumstances you mention fragility is a growing concern for all.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

IFRC diplomatic status --- Thanks Gerard and John. This problem for IFRC is due, in part, to the fact that IFRC in general has only sought the status in countries which are in the throes of disaster or special difficulty. As getting the status can depend on legislation, which is usually old and out of date, it is hard to get things well understood. When I was at IFRC at the outset of IDRL we saw disaster law as something which might resolve the issue but that hasn't happened yet.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Military in humanitarian response --- Thanks for starting such a good discussion, Ivy. My main comment is to say that it's important to stress that whatever propaganda says, human rights are not a foreign concept. I try to underline this by ensuring that key speakers on this issue when it comes into debate should be nationals of the country concerned. In other words, take strong steps to sideline the arguments Gerard rightly mentions.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Limits to the NS role --- Thanks Ivy and John. I like to say, when speaking about this sort of thing, that NS have three basic functions: (1) Auxiliary, (2) contractual, (3) fulfilling the FP of Humanity. The latter, in particular, can override the kinds of concerns mentioned in this thread.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Stronger Movement collaboration --- Thanks John and Sabir. It's also important that the Movement partners don't forget that there are often very many civil society and grassroots organisations whose contributions should be assessed and (usually) valued. Stakeholder analysis should demonstrate this.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Context analysis --- That's good Maria. It's important also to understand that context can vary greatly within nation states, something which some governments have difficulty handling.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Disaster response coordination --- Thanks for initiating such a good discussion, Wossene. Contributors have approached this as an issue of greatest prominence in developing countries but it is just as serious in many developed countries which have little or no settled coordination process of their own. Hurricane Katrina in the US is an example, and in fact IFRC was asked by the US to send people in who could help them set up a form of response coordination.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Funding fluctuations --- Thanks Emmanuel. This is by no means a problem mainly for Asian NGOs. It happens everywhere.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

Disaster response collaboration --- Thanks Shane. Just to note that most of the time this collaboration takes place without anything having been enacted. It is quite common for the urgency of a disaster situation leads government and civil society to come together to handle that urgency and that works OK but the recovery stage is often not well managed - perhaps because government wants all the recovery glory for itself. This is more complicated still in federal states.

Source author: Christopher Lamb christopher.lamb17@gmail.com

high-level and on-the-ground HD --- I think we could speak about high-level HD focused on strategies and policies, and on-the-ground HD focused on humanitarian operations in the field.

Source author: Haris Magrdžija haris.magrdzija@ckfbih.ba

Complementarity over duplication --- Partnerships and collaboration are important to ensure complementary approach instead of duplication of humanitarian action in the field.

Source author: Haris Magrdžija haris.magrdzija@ckfbih.ba

Confidentiality --- Thank you Shane, Marwa and Riyadh for this discussion. You are right, ICRC's way to operate is most of the time based on confidentiality. Confidentiality is the main factor which allows it to gain access to security detainees where other agencies don't. And as it is the case with other principles, either you are confidential, or you're not. Which is the reason why ICRC is a rather poor partner when it comes to inter-agencies cooperation.

Source author: Jean-Michel Monod jmmonod@yahoo.com

RC and HD link --- Red Cross Movement is result of effective humanitarian diplomacy conducted by Henry Dunant who wrote a book with open call for action.

Source author: Haris Magrdžija haris.magrdzija@ckfbih.ba

Identity --- RCRC has its auxiliary role to public authorities. In case of Bosnia, there are Law on NGOs and Law on Red Cross. Therefore, Red Cross is registered and operates as in align with Law on NGOs, while RC mandate and more important public authorities given by Government to RC are defined by the Law on the Red Cross (lex specialis).

Source author: Haris Magrdžija haris.magrdzija@ckfbih.ba

ICRC cooperation in humanitarian emergencies with the UN --- I agree with your analysis. Currently, I work with OCHA in a humanitarian setting and we have difficulties cooperating with ICRC. They are ilusive and tend to have much distance from the humanitarian community at a strategic level. However, as a UN staff, I can understand to a certain degree this separation. This is mainly due to issues of perception and abiding by the principle of neutrality. In many contexts, the UN have a very close relationship with the government that sends a wrong message to other stakeholders in the conflict mainly, the non state armed groups. Due to fear of government reprisal and animosity, the UN choses to note engage with certain actors which compromised the negotiations for access.

Source author: Riyadh Sidat riyadh.sidat@un.org

Wanting to be heard --- I find this quite an interesting point. Also, in in many cases, even when there are similar agendas among different NGOs and/or other actors, there can often be lack of coordination in an effort for some NGOs to somehow have the lead on an issue. In practice, this can weaken the intended outcome, which I personally find ironic, given that with proper coordination and cooperative efforts chances could contrarily strengthen such efforts.

Source author: Marianna Stamoulaki m.stamoulakis@gmail.com

Volunteers --- Indeed, that is quite true, but then again there are certain contexts where volunteers may eventually do more harm, despite intentions being quite the opposite. This was the case in 2016, though it may mainly be attributed in lack of coordination, along with volunteers operating in their own initiatives at the context of the large refugee influx in Lesvos. Eventually, issues were created eg. vaccinating the already vaccinated, inadvertent discrimination in aid were some among other things.

Source author: Marianna Stamoulaki m.stamoulakis@gmail.com

RCRC is not an organization? --- What does this mean?

Source author: Samban Seng sengsamban@gmail.com

Identity --- Can anyone really explain the difference between RCRC and other NGO? what is the difference?

Source author: Samban Seng sengsamban@gmail.com

Auxiliary to public authority --- This status is critical. in the modern society of this era while there are more and more role in humanitarian response from military, political party, and many more private sectors...it is difficult for RCRC to retain this status, thought

Source author: Samban Seng sengsamban@gmail.com

Change of context in humanitarian work --- Humanitarian sphere is more and more complex from time to time. this caused by emerging issue such as climate change, urbanization, migration, civil conflict and growth of engagement of none traditional actors such as private sector, political parties and the media influence.

Source author: Samban Seng sengsamban@gmail.com

Private Sector as emerging actor --- In the most recent years, private sectors has large space of role in any humanitarian response. in many discussion it was pinpointed that their engagement has a pros and cons which directly impact the work of host government and other humanitarian actors.

Source author: Samban Seng sengsamban@gmail.com

Invitees --- I agree Shane, and we are largely a one-way mirror. I find that there is a lot of confusion on the quiet diplomacy approach of the ICRC on delegation level that sometimes this has resulted in zero-sharing of information on anything because people are worried they might divulge something they shouldn't. As a result this makes collaboration with other NGOs almost impossible because it's a one-sided conversation.

Source author: Marwa Shabbar marwashabbar@yahoo.com.au