Jovan Kurbalija

Dr Jovan Kurbalija is the Executive Director of DiploFoundation and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP). A former diplomat with academic and professional expertise in international law, diplomacy, and information technology, Dr Kurbalija has been a pioneering figure in the field of cyber diplomacy since the early 1990s.

He began his work at the intersection of technology and diplomacy in 1992, when he founded the Unit for Information Technology and Diplomacy at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies in Malta. This pioneering initiative laid the groundwork for what would later become DiploFoundation, an internationally recognised institution that has since trained thousands of diplomats and policy professionals worldwide.

Dr Kurbalija has played a prominent role in a number of key global Internet governance processes. He was a member of the United Nations Working Group on Internet Governance (2004–2005), served as Special Advisor to the Chair of the UN Internet Governance Forum (2006–2010), and was a member of the High-Level Multistakeholder Committee for NETmundial (2013–2014). From 2018 to 2019, he served as Co-Executive Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, supporting the work of the Panel in articulating proposals for more effective digital governance mechanisms.

Since 1997, Dr Kurbalija’s research and writing have significantly shaped policy discussions on the impact of the Internet on diplomacy and international relations. He lectures extensively on e-diplomacy and Internet governance in institutions around the world, including the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, the College of Europe (Bruges), the University of St Gallen (Switzerland), the University of Malta, and the University of Southern California.

Dr Kurbalija has authored and edited a wide range of influential publications. These include The Internet Guide for Diplomats, Knowledge and Diplomacy, The Influence of IT on Diplomatic Practice, Information Technology and the Diplomatic Services of Developing Countries, Modern Diplomacy, and Language and Diplomacy. He also co-authored the Information Society Library, a collection of eight thematic booklets on digital developments, written with Stefano Baldi and Eduardo Gelbstein.

His best-known work, An Introduction to Internet Governance, now in its eighth edition and translated into 11 languages, offers a clear and practical overview of digital policy issues. The book was selected as the Book of the Month by the United Nations Library in Geneva in December 2017 and remains a widely used reference for diplomats, scholars, and practitioners in the field.

In 2023, he published the first edition of History of Diplomacy and Technology, which traced the co-evolution of communication tools and diplomatic practice. An expanded second edition of the book will be released in October 2025.

Through his research, teaching, and global policy engagement, Dr Kurbalija continues to influence the evolving field of digital diplomacy and international digital cooperation.