The Carlos P. Romulo School of Diplomacy conducted the course on e-Diplomacy or Digital Diplomacy on 14 January 2015 with Dr. Emmanuel C. Lallana. An offshoot of the Foreign Service Officers’ Cadetship module on Diplomacy, the course was opened to personnel and staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Home Office and at Posts to further mainstream awareness on the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on the conduct of diplomatic activities and the formulation of foreign policy.
The course not only laid down the foundations and merits of e-Diplomacy as an emerging field of diplomatic practice, it was also a call for DFA personnel to adapt to technological innovations and to reinvent themselves in the 21st century as diplomats and as global digital citizens. Dr. Lallana, an ICT for Development (ICT4D) expert and advocate, challenged the participants to find creative solutions to existing problems, be up to date with media technologies, and to work collaboratively with other government agencies to optimize the country’s diplomatic objectives.
The e-Diplomacy course, held in the newly-constructed Benedicto Room of the Carlos P. Romulo Library, was attended through web conference by participants from the Philippine Embassies of Dili, Singapore, Phnom Penh, and Seoul and the Philippine Consulate General of Hong Kong.
