Diplomacy has changed. It's time to catch up.
A few words from a world leader can now move markets or trigger military action — no summit, no communiqué, just a post. The old rules haven't kept pace. In their place is a faster, more interconnected practice, waged across every sector and screen at once.
The School of Modern Diplomacy trains you to work at that speed. Organised by UNU-CRIS with Ghent University and the Brussels School of Governance (VUB), it puts you in the room with the practitioners, academics and policymakers shaping global affairs right now — and hands you the tools to do the same.
Eight weeks. Eight modules. Every Thursday, 1 October to 19 November 2026.
- Diplomatic Practice Today
- Multi-level Diplomacy
- Economic Diplomacy
- Security Diplomacy
- Climate Diplomacy
- Digital Diplomacy
- Diplomatic Skills
- Science Diplomacy
"I liked the general organisation by the UNU-CRIS team, and most importantly, the high calibre of experts who lectured during the school. Even the selection process of the participants was well thought-out, consisting of a vast array of professionals from all walks of life, and a true representation of the world." - an alumnus of the School of Modern Diplomacy
Schedule
The programme will run every Thursday on the following dates:
- 1 October
- 8 October
- 15 October
- 22 October
- 29 October
- 5 November
- 12 November
- 19 November
Each day will cover a different thematic focus, and is broken down into two sessions of 90 minutes each. The first session will run from 10:30 - 12:00 CET and the second from 13:00 - 14:30 CET.
Each session will be recorded and made available to participants to ensure no one misses a moment due to professional/private commitments.
Deadline for Applications and Selection Process
Applications are accepted on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis until the 24th of September. When the capped number of participant positions is filled, no more applications will be accepted; however, strong applications received after the cut-off have been reached will be placed on a waiting list and contacted should positions open.
The target audience for the School of Modern Diplomacy is primarily those in the diplomatic service or with aspirations to enter it, academics and policymakers, as well as those from NGOs and International Organisations.
Applicants must hold at least a master's degree. There is no time limit as to when the degree was obtained.
The programme and assessment will be conducted in English; as such, participants are expected to have an excellent command of the language.
Applications (in English) must include (1) a CV and (2) a motivation letter (max. 1 page).
Tuition
The tuition fee for the School of Modern Diplomacy is €600.
A non-refundable deposit of €300 is required within two weeks of acceptance.
Full payment must be made within four weeks of receiving the acceptance confirmation email.
Both the deposit and the remaining fee can be paid together.
Alumni of previous UNU-CRIS Educational Programmes (2019/2020/2021/2022/2023/2024/2025), students from Ghent University, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, any United Nations University education programme, the College of Europe, and UN staff members are entitled to a €100 discount on the full tuition fee.
Cancellation Policy
Less than 15 days before commencement date: 100% cancellation charge
All questions regarding the programme should be directed to the programme coordinator Andrew Dunn with Pascale Vantorre (pvantorre@cris.unu.edu) in cc.
Evaluation & Certification
Participants will be asked to undertake a short written evaluation.
These written assessments will be evaluated by academic personnel from UNU-CRIS, and those adjudged to have satisfied the criteria will be awarded a certificate.
Speakers
To be announced shortly.
Former speakers include Johan Verbeke (Former Belgian Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations); Corneliu Bjola (Professor of Digital Diplomacy, University of Oxford); Andrew Bradley (Former Chief of Staff, at the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States); Richard Gowan (UN Director, International Crisis Group); Linda Yueh (Fellow in Economics at St Edmund Hall at Oxford University and Adjunct Professor of Economics at London Business School); Richard Higgott (Distinguished Professor of Diplomacy, Brussels School of Governance); Thijs Van de Graaf (Associate Professor of International Politics, Ghent University); Nidhi Nagabhatla (Senior Research Fellow, UNU-CRIS); Jamal Shahin (Senior Lecturer at the University of Amsterdam/Professorial Fellow, UNU-CRIS); Berna Akcali Gur (Chair of the Working Group on International Law Aspects of Interplanetary Internet, International Institute of Space Law); Biljana Scott (Senior Lecturer in Language and Diplomacy at DiploFoundation); Mona Ali Khalil (Founder and Director, MAK Law International); Noe Cornago (Director of Internationalisation, University of the Basque Country); Tomasz Kaminski (Associate Professor, University of Łódź); Joanna Ciesielska-Klikowska (Associate Professor, University of Łódź); Luk Van Langenhove (Academic Commissioner for International Institutes and Networking, Vrije Universiteit Brussel).