Diplomats in the Digital Era

On 10 April the Junior Diplomat Initiative „Youth Dialogue 2019“ of the Graduate Institute organized event „Digital Diplomacy: the Effect of Technology on International Relations“. Estonian DPR Anneli Vares was invited to participate together with the representatives of Sweden, Switzerland, UNHCR and Twiplomacy. Ms. Vares stressed that for Estonia the digital diplomacy is not merely diplomacy done by the digital means but also telling our story on digital society. Responding to the question on Data Embassy, she explained, that the Data Embassy is actually not a virtual embassy, but a physical data center to preserve backups of critical data and information systems in order to ensure digital continuity of a modern state in the situation of emergency. Estonia and Luxemburg are the first to have such collaboration.