Partnering for digital technology innovation

Partnerships can enable, facilitate or accelerate the use of digital technologies and help foster innovation in peace operations. Partners can be found among international organisations, in research communities, civil society and the private sector. As actors in peace operations explore with whom to enter into targeted, functional cooperation, they can learn from the humanitarian, development and human rights fields, which have long cultivated innovative relationships. Further to sharing experiences and good practice, there is scope for inviting the private sector to lend dynamism, provide alternative perspectives and gaze over the horizon. Not least, public-public and public-private alliances can assist peace operations in raising tech awareness and mobilising tech capacities.(Image: iStock | metamorworks)

Contributions

Partnering for digital technology innovation Real-time conflict monitoring using artificial intelligence for peace operations

There is a huge amount of publicly available information ready for peace operations analysts to be used and evaluated to better understand their area of operations. However, without Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning tools supporting Open-Source Intelligence employed for real-time conflict monitoring it would be impossible to exploit its full potential for peace operations.

| Dr. Dirk Kolb & Philipp Starz
Partnering for digital technology innovation Using satellites as independent observers

Partnerships can help foster new thinking and innovation in peace operations. When exploring which partners to cooperate with, peace operations can look to novel and innovative partnerships in neighbouring fields like that of humanitarian assistance. One good example is the collaboration between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and humanitarian actors. The Humanitarian Technology Initiative aims to further develop cutting-edge aerospace technologies for humanitarian purposes and apply them on the ground. One project is the use of satellite data for the detection of human rights violations.

| Dr. Anne Schneibel
Partnering for digital technology innovation "The world is getting better – but not fast enough"

A conversation with the World Bank’s Wolfgang Fengler. Having worked on initiatives to make data accessible and to track progress on key issues like poverty, hunger or gender, Wolfgang Fengler shares insights from data-driven projects he has been involved in. Citing examples from Sierra Leone, Kenya, Yemen, Mozambique and Georgia, he suggests how these models might apply in the context of peace operations.

| Dr. Wolfgang Fengler
Partnering for digital technology innovation Unlocking the futurist mindset – strategic foresight for peace operations

Peace operations are expected to deliver on mandates, protect civilians and promote peace in contexts that are characterized by complex conflict dynamics, operating environments and a constellation of actors. Despite these uncertainties and the tendency towards day-to-day firefighting in (post-)conflict areas, futures studies and foresight tools offer opportunities for strengthening longer term strategic planning, managing exponential change and building resilience in preparedness for peace operations.

| Mallika Auplish
Partnering for digital technology innovation The EU and crisis management in the age of technological disruption

International organisations are playing catch-up to the rapid development of emerging technologies and greater digitalisation. As of today, international actors such as the United Nations and the European Union at least agree that artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, Big Data and even quantum computing, are likely to affect every area of life in profound - if uncertain - ways. How these technological developments are likely to impact peacekeeping and crisis management is unclear.

| Dr. Daniel Fiott