Strategic Communications in Internationa

Communications is key for international organizations (IOs) to achieve their mission. They need to convey their impact to member states to receive funding, they need to contribute to raising awareness for global challenges such as climate change, and they need to respond to the spread of misinformation by communicating with the wider public. The importance of communications for the success of IOs was highlighted by United Nations Secretary-General (UN SG) António Guterres when he addressed the UN’s Security Council in its first high-level debate on this issue: “strategic communications is central to the success of all our work.” IO staff members also contribute to this success in various communications-related functions: the UN’s Department for Global Communications tells “the UN story across multiple platforms … to build support for the aims and work of the United Nations”; UNICEF has a dedicated brand office to support the organization in its fundraising; and NATO has a Public Diplomacy Division that is tasked with overall communications for its member states.

This class equips students with foundational knowledge for analysis and action to support IOs in achieving their mission through effective communications. Achieving this requires expertise in disciplines from various areas that are not usually taught in one class—this class brings them together. The first area is that of international organizations. International organizations are driven by specific mandates, have distinct structures, and face different constraints than NGOs or for-profit companies. We examine IOs and why, where, and how they engage in communications-related activities. The second area encompasses communications-related fields, including public diplomacy, digital diplomacy, and branding and brand management. A third area relates to IO-specific communication approaches, including celebrity diplomacy, communications in peacekeeping missions, and communication for development (C4D).

By learning about these disciplines and how they relate to IOs, students will develop interdisciplinary expertise on strategic communications in IOs. They will understand the challenges of IOs and how communication strategies may help overcome those; they will know about disciplines, concepts and principles that are part of these strategies; and they will be able to apply principles and concepts in the context of IOs.