Yolanda Kemp Spies

Dr Yolanda Spies is a Fellow and Director of the Diplomatic Studies Programme at the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. She transitioned to academia in 2005 after an 18-year career as a South African diplomat. She designed and directed the University of Pretoria's customised Master of Diplomatic Studies until 2016 and has since held academic roles at Webster University (Accra) and Zayed University (UAE).

Education:

• DPhil
• MA from the University of Pretoria
• BA (Hons) and BA from the University of Port Elizabeth
• Certificate in Diplomatic Studies Programme (CertDSP) from Oxford

Her research spans diplomacy, foreign policy analysis, international organization, international law, conflict resolution, changing global power relations, African politics, and the theory and ethics of international relations. This interdisciplinary work is reflected in her two 2019 books: Global Diplomacy and International Society and Global South Perspectives on Diplomacy.

Scientific awards and affiliations:

• Senior Research Fellow, SARCHI Chair in African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy (University of Johannesburg, since 2016)
• Senior Fellow, Geneva-based DiploFoundation (since 2020)