The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) conducted a Course on e-Diplomacy: Public Diplomacy and Social Media on 21-30 May 2019 at the Benedicto Room of the Carlos P. Romulo Library.
The e-Diplomacy Course was a five-day training program that aimed to contribute to the Department’s strengths in public diplomacy and increase awareness of DFA offices on the use of social media in 21st century diplomacy.
The session included discussions on social media as a tool of public diplomacy, legal norms and etiquette on social media, crisis management, and fact-checking. The participants were likewise engaged in workshops on social media handling, drafting crisis communication plans, and verification of information.
Undersecretary Ernesto C. Abella.
Resource persons from the Department, EON Inc., and the academe also shared their knowledge and expertise in the field of social media and its contributions to innovating public diplomacy.
Representatives from EON Inc., an award-winning international integrated communications firm, shared best practices on disseminating information and engaging with the public on social mediawhile demonstrating understanding of professional ethical practices.
Participants were from various offices of the Department, particularly those who were in charge of their respective offices’ social media accounts and the systems associated with public diplomacy tasks. It also included personnel from Consular Offices. DFA personnel based in Foreign Service Posts participated in the training program through a web conference.
The Course on e-Diplomacy is a program implemented yearly by the FSI since 2014.
The Course is designed to respond to the new environment facing our diplomats by increasing knowledge of information management and current technological developments, harnessing the positive impacts in diplomacy.
