Modern conflicts are increasingly shaped by new and emerging technologies. The discourse revolves around weighing the security threats posed by these technologies against their potential for preventing and resolving conflicts through peacebuilding.

“PeaceTech” describes the various tools and processes, such as social media, geographic information systems, data analytics, virtual reality frameworks and other digital technologies which can provide value-added in different areas to improve analytical support. This includes a better understanding and monitoring of conflicts, enhanced situational awareness, boosting innovation in capacity building and training, as well as scaling up peacebuilding efforts.

The ACP has started integrating PeaceTech into its capacity development programme. This includes developing mixed reality training frameworks for training of skills for civilian experts in crisis situations.

PeaceTech is also highly relevant in our conflict resolution work. This is especially urgent since research has shown a severe lack of technology-conflict-peace interfaces geo-referenced and dynamically visualised peace and conflict data that allow predicting various types of conflicts before they arise. The work of the ACP includes the development of an early warning tool that dynamically visualises conflicts before they arise by using algorithms and geospatial data.

These first steps allow us to develop PeaceTech based approaches as a core competence to offer integrated solutions to prevent conflicts before they become violent and contribute to sustainable development. In this regard, cross-sectoral coordination with other Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus partners enables us to coordinate for more impact on the ground.

A PeaceTech Marketplace will be held as part of the first Austrian Forum for Peace.