Background

About Technology and peace 

As part of its mandate on community management, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform aims to strengthen networking and community building in different topics within the peacebuilding sector. Throughout May and June 2021, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform partnered with the EssentialTech Centre at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the Centre on Conflict, Development, and Peacebuilding at the Graduate Institute in Geneva to deliver a series of workshops on "PeaceTech." These workshops engaged staff from more than twenty participating organizations in facilitated, in-depth discussions about the role of different technologies for peace, the opportunities present, and the challenges that must be considered. 

Each discussion revolved around a different topic, and how technology within the domain may support peace promotion. The different workshops focused on:

• Health, medical devices, technology, and peace
• Food, agriculture, technology, and peace
• WASH programs, technology, and peace
• Construction, energy, transportation, technology, and peace
• ICTs and peace

Common key aspects and findings across the many themes built on the ideas of community-driven innovation, deep listening and human-centered design, and context- and conflict-sensitivity. The roles of entrepreneurship and capacity building were also recognized, coupled with harnessing local and indigenous knowledge. Within each theme, concrete and specific findings were discussed and will form the basis of forthcoming publications drafted by the EssentialTech Centre. 

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