Contributing Partners

Read more about the two institutions that jointly developed the ESDP online course.

About the ISN

The International Relations and Security Network (ISN) is an integrated knowledge network for security and defence policy professionals. It is run by the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich).

The ISN is a unique instrument that links and supports research institutes, international organizations, and professionals working in the security community. It offers an electronic platform for the generation and dissemination of knowledge and facilitates information exchange, dialogue, and cooperation that reach around the globe.

The ISN has close relationships with over 100 international partner institutes – research institutes, governments, and non-government organizations – and continues to foster new partnerships and to expand its network. The ISN team consists of over 45 dedicated staff members.

The extensive partnership network that the ISN has developed since its founding in 1994 provides the international security community – including academics, civil servants, media representatives, military staff, and civil society representatives – with unparalleled access to knowledge management tools, specialized information services, a daily news service, educational activities and products, and conferences and seminars.

The ISN is a free public service co-funded by the Swiss government and ETH Zurich.

About the GCSP

The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) is an international foundation established in 1995 within the framework of Switzerland's participation in the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme.

The GCSP is engaged in four areas of activities:

• Training diplomats, military officers, and other civil servants in international security policy
• Research and seminars to support the training activities
• Conferences and outreach to promote dialogue on various security-related issues
• Networking in the security field

The primary activity of the GCSP is to provide expert training in comprehensive international security policy for mid-career diplomats, military officers, and civil servants from ministries of foreign affairs, defence, and other relevant departments. The GCSP training programmes seek to promote the strengthening of peace, stability, security, and international cooperation by focusing on the new challenges of the post-Cold War world, which range from new dimensions of security policy, including human rights and human security, to crisis management and conflict mitigation.

Since 1996, the GCSP course participants have come primarily from the Euro-Atlantic area, including the Caucasus and Central Asia. Since 2003, all courses have been open to a select number of participants from the Middle East and the Mediterranean region. In the future, participants from other countries may also be invited. The GCSP resident faculty includes experts in the broad field of security with backgrounds in academia, government, and the military.

To complement and reinforce its training, the GCSP is involved in research and seminar activities related to international security issues.