New communication techniques for diplomats: the use of Internet - by Stefano Baldi

Gathering Information

New working methods

New information technologies represent not only a big opportunity, but also a challenge for professionals working in International Affairs. In particular it will be most important to develop new working methods in order to exploit fully the possibilities offered by new technologies.

Appropriate use of IT can help in improving decision-making process

• Online Data and Documents
• Newspapers and magazines online
• Videoconferencing and chatting
• Live Conferences (RealPlayer)
• Radio and TV online

Online Data and Documents

One of the huge potentials of Internet is its capability to make databases already accessible online to all Internet users. In fact, it is becoming relatively easy to find the information or the document you are looking for.

• Official Documents online
   
  • UN
    Documents of general interest (e.g. resolutions) are available on the WEB, whereas working documents are accessible through the optical disk system (ODS) open only to authorized users
    » See document: http://www.undocs.unog.ch/
     
  • WTO
    WTO has a Document Distribution Facility (DDF) with a public section, alongside another limited access section
    » See document: http://www.wto.org/wto/ddf/ep/public.html
     
  • OECD (Olis)
     
  • Vacancies
    Most International Organizations publish their vacancies online. The transparency of recruitment has thus been increased together with the likelihood of recruiting the most suitable candidate.
    » See document: http://www3.itu.ch/MISSIONS/Italy/vacancor.htm
     
• UN Databases
  » See document: http://www.un.org/databases/
   
• Int. Affairs Hypertext Inform. System
  » See document: http://heimedac.unige.ch/DOILM/GrDOILM.html
   
• Libraries
  » See document: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Libweb/
   

Newspapers and magazines online

» See document: http://www.internazionale.it/giornali.html

• Press Releases
  » See document: http://www3.itu.int/MISSIONS/Italy/everyday.htm
   

Videoconferencing and chatting

Through Internet Relay Chat (IRC) several people can participate simultaneously over a particular channel, or even multiple channels. There is no restriction to the number of people participating in a given discussion or the number of channels that can be formed over IRC. All conversations take place in real time. People from all corners of the world can use IRC, which makes it particularly well-suited to diplomats, who often need to discuss an issue with colleagues spread around the world.

- Video-conferencing through the Internet is still very restricted because of the limited bandwidth of the communications. Nevertheless, the progress being made in data transmission, and compression, procedures will probably soon render videoconferencing more reliable than it is at present and when the service is fully operable enormous savings will be possible, as meeting and travel costs will be drastically reduced.

• Advantages
   
• Limitations
   

Live Conferences (RealPlayer)

International Organizations have begun to use it in 1998

• How Internet Broadcasting Systems works
  » See document: http://www7.itu.int/ibs/aboutibs.htm
   
• UN - General Assembly
  » See document: http://www.internetbroadcast.com/un/genassembly/
   
• ITU - Internet Broadcasting System
  » See document: http://www7.itu.int/ibs/
   
• WTO - Internet Broadcasting System
  » See document: http://www.wto.org/wto/ibs/webcast_index.htm
   

Radio and TV online

World Wide Radios (and to a lesser extent TVs) are no longer monopolized by a few big companies anymore. International Radios are not being replaced, but it is now more affordable for local radios to be heard world wide.

• UN Radio
  » See document: http://www.un.org/av/radio/latenews.htm
   
• News Stations (Radio & TV)
  The importance of listening to different sources, in particular local sources
  » See document: http://searchone.timecast.com/cgi-bin/stations.cgi?view=stations&cat=News_Talk&id=12
   

Please send your comments to Stefano Baldi.
This document was updated 07/10/98
© 1998 Stefano Baldi