ICT for Peace Foundation

The Communication Initiative Network features the ICT4Peace Inventorisation Wiki

The ICT4Peace Foundation's ICT4Peace Wiki is now featured in the Communication Initiative's website .�

Training for Peace: The Governments of Egypt and Japan, and UNDP launch a project to develop the leading peacekeeping and conflict resolution centre in Cairo

Cairo, Wednesday 18 June 2008 � Today, the Cairo Regional Centre for Conflict Resolution and Peace-keeping in Africa (CCCPA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will launch a project, funded by the Government of Japan, to strengthen the capacity of CCCPA as a regional and international centre of excellence in the vital area of peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Africa.

H.E. Assistant Foreign Minister and Director of the Institute for Diplomatic Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Soad Shalaby, H.E. Ambassador of Japan to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. Kaoru Ishikawa, and United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative, Mr. James W. Rawley will attend the signing ceremony.

The implementation of this project in Egypt confirms the UN system�s effort to transform the outcomes of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) into tangible actions as well as the Japanese Government�s commitment to move into the Peace and Development arena. The Government of Japan has already committed to support four other peacekeeping centres in Africa (namely in Ghana, Mali, Kenya, and Rwanda) within the framework of the fourth TICAD held in Yokohama in May 2008.

Egypt continues to be a strong advocate of international peace and security, particularly in Africa. Egypt established the CCCPA within its Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support peacekeeping efforts and to respond to the needs of African countries to assume a more active role in dealing with crises and conflicts emanating from within the African continent.

The CCCPA currently trains French, English, Arabic and Portuguese-speaking African nationals in a variety of areas including military dimensions of peacekeeping operations, preventive diplomacy, and legal aspects of peacekeeping operations. Its training programmes target African diplomats, military officers, security personnel and civilians involved in peacekeeping operations.

H.E. Assistant Foreign Minister Soad Shalaby indicated that the resulting project places special emphasis on training programmes that bring together major players involved in peacekeeping operations, including members of the military and police forces in addition to civilians and diplomats. She underlined that the CCCPA, through this �integrated training�, will offer an innovative approach to training for peacekeeping that is multi-disciplinary, cross-professional and trans-cultural. Mrs. Shalaby referred also to the strong emphasis the project will have on leadership, teamwork, best practices of knowledge management and use of Information and Communication Technology.

The project will simultaneously adopt a gender mainstreaming approach to peacekeeping operations and conflict resolution in Africa that highlights the negative impact of armed conflicts in Africa on children and civilian women and girls, strengthens the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building, and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts to promote peace and security. Developing training guidelines and materials on the protection, rights and the particular needs of women involved in peacekeeping operations in Africa will also be a priority.

Finally, the project will focus on strengthening CCCPA�s communications, outreach and knowledge management capabilities. In this respect, the project will develop and implement an outreach strategy through the following three mechanisms: an internet website, publications, and maintaining linkages between the centre and its graduates and instructors through a roster for future UN and/or African Union peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in Africa.

H.E. Ambassador of Japan to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. Kaoru Ishikawa, spelled out that Japan leads the international community as a �Peace Fostering Nation� to further enhance peace and development in the world and, in doing so, Japan believes that not only nation building should start from human resources development but also and especially peace should be based on the empowerment of people.� He underlined that the Japanese support to the CCCPA is one of the embodiments of the policy of peace-building in cooperation with another peace-loving country, Egypt, and an active international organization in this field, UNDP.

On the project�s aims to promote South-South Co-operation, UNDP Resident Representative James W. Rawley said: �By sharing peace-keeping and conflict resolution experiences between African nations, the project will emphasize collaboration with other peace keeping centres in Africa especially those that are currently supported by the Government of Japan. I am particularly excited by Egypt hosting the first ever regional meeting for African peacekeeping centres later this year.�

International partners include the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), UNDP�s Bureau for Crises Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Geneva-based ICT4Peace Foundation, and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). Regional partners will include the African Union (AU) and its regional organizations including Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), in addition to regional peacekeeping centres such as the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC).�

See the UNDP's official Press Release for more details.�

Launch of PeaceIT - June 2008

Crisis Management Initiative has published the first issue 2008 of "Peace IT! Using ICTs to prevent, manage and resolve crises". The journal aims to further the debate on how to advance the professionalism in preventing, managing and resolving crisis through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). You will find it attached in this mail, but you are also able to find the journal online at the CMI website (www.cmi.fi).
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In this issue, there is an update on the recent developments of the ICT4Peace, an article about International Agency for Source Country Information (IASCI) on the importance of accurate data and information in post disaster and post conflict situations, and a feature of the fifth ISCRAM (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management) conference held in May. Furthermore, there is an article on Human Rights Monitoring, Reporting and Advocacy platform, a solution created by InfoShare to support the work of two Sri Lankan human rights NGOs. Also incident tracking system Ushahidi set up in Kenya after the disturbances following the presidential elections as well as the recent unveil of UNHRC and Google cooperation in supporting humanitarian operations are presented.

Download the journal as a PDF here.

Roundtable on ICT Technologies for Peace-building and Crisis Management at Responsibility to the Future: Business, Peace and Sustainability

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The ICT4Peace Foundation will conduct a Roundtable on ICT Technologies for Peace-building and Crisis Management on Friday, June 27, 2008, 11:30-13:00, Nehru Centre, Mumbai as part of the Responsibility to the Future: Business, Peace and Sustainability conference organised by the Strategic Foresight Group.

Responsibility to the Future: Business, Peace and Sustainability is organised in partnership with the ICT4Peace Foundation.

Roundtable on ICT Technologies for Peace-building and Crisis Management
How can information and communication technologies help build peace, mitigate disasters and efficiently address humanitarian needs? How can they prevent conflicts while enabling companies to earn profits?

Speakers
� Mr Sanjana Hattotuwa, Special Advisor of ICT4Peace Foundation
� Mr Alain Modoux, former Assistant Director General of UNESCO
� Lieutenant General Satish Nambiar, Director United Service Institution of India
� Mr Dag Nielsen, Director, Ericsson AB
� General Deepak Sammanwar, former Director General Military Intelligence of India
� Dr Linton Wells II, Force Transformation Chair, National Defence University, former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence of the US
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� Moderator: Ms Barbara Weekes, Director, Geneva Security Forum
� Chair: Amb Daniel Stauffacher, Chairman, ICT4Peace Foundation
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Issues that will be covered
Amb Daniel Stauffacher, Chairman, ICT4Peace Foundation
Will introduce the session and provide a brief background on the activities of the ICT4Peace foundation (3-4 minutes)
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Sanjana Hattotuwa, Special Advisor of ICT4Peace Foundation
Will primarily address issues related to technology and new media for peacebuilding, based on experiences in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. He will, In addition, focus on issues related to the humanitarian response and the mitigation of disasters.
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Alain Modoux, former Assistant Director General of UNESCO
�All stakeholders involved in peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance operations have a common interest to overcome the lack of shared situation awareness. Building cross-cultural bridges and creating a collaborative civil-military information environment are crucial to a fruitful cooperation and an effective coordination between military and civilians (IGO and NGO), within the UN system, between IGO and NGO and within the NGO galaxy. In order to address this critical need, ICT4Peace has developed, jointly with the Cairo Regional Center for Training on Conflict Resolution & Peacekeeping in Africa (CCCPA), an Integrated Training for Integrated Missions concept. Its implementation will enable CCCPA to train yearly� a network of about 50 African multi-stakeholder facilitators (Civil-Military Cooperation Bridge-Builders) whose priority task will be to boost, in using primarily ICTs, the flow and sharing of information among all stakeholders involved in a given crisis situation.�
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Lieutenant General Satish Nambiar, Director United Service Institution of India
Will focus on the use of ICT for facilitating peacekeeping and post conflict peace-building.
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Mr Dag Nielsen, Director, Ericsson AB
Will address the business angle in the discussion focusing on ICT technologies and their implementation.
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Gen Deepak Sammanwar, former Director General Military Intelligence of India
Will focus on the strategic use of ICT in crisis management.
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Dr Linton Wells II, Force Transformation Chair, National Defence University, former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence of the US
Will discuss the classes he gave to the African peacekeepers in Cairo and recent experiences in trying to establish ICT flyaway kits for Myanmar.�

2008 International Forum on Online Dispute Resolution

Special Advisor of the ICT4Peace Foundation, Sanjana Hattotuwa, chaired a panel on Online Dispute Resolution and Peacebuilding at the 2008 International Forum on Online Dispute Resolution held in Victoria, Canada from 18 - 19 June 2008.�

The Forum has as its purpose the bringing together of the world's leading practitioners, academics, theorists, and online negotiation application developers, to share information, and to create a vehicle for ODR education.

The Forum will consist of two days of plenary sessions and breakout sessions. The Forum brings together the world's leading practitioners, academics, students, and civil society to discuss the resolution of disputes using online technologies. These disputes may range from b2c (Business to consumer) to the prevention of human rights violations in conflict regions, to reconciliation of opposing groups in armed conflict, to disputes over intellectual property on the internet. It also brings together the leading technology developers who design conflict resolution platforms for use legal, commercial, or insurance related disputes (i.e. PayPal).

The ICT4Peace Foundation is also a partner of this event.

ICT for disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region - Chapter for Commonwealth Ministers Reference Book

An adaptation of the essay by Daniel Stauffacher and Sanjana Hattotuwa, ICT for disaster management in least developed countries and small islands in the Asia Pacific Region, that is published in the official Commonwealth Ministers Reference Book on behalf of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The Book is the Secretariat�s primary communications tool to promote opportunity and potential within the 53 Commonwealth countries and is distributed to all Key Commonwealth Ministers, from Trade to Transport by the Secretariat. The publication will include approximately 35 articles that will be Sub-divided into logical sections that are designed to assist all Commonwealth Ministers and their respective officials in policy development, project initiation, procurement and control, as well as the day-to-day management of ministries/departments.� The Book will also feature relevant, objective case studies on solutions that illustrate effective methods of dealing with a variety of problems and challenges experienced by modern-day Ministries, as well as a complete directory of all Commonwealth Ministries.

Download the essay here.

Download the original essay, written for UN GAID, here.

ICT for disaster management in least developed countries and small islands in the Asia Pacific Region

Authors: Daniel Stauffacher and Sanjana Hattotuwa

Originally written for UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN GAID)

Disaster management is an imperfect science. It is impossible to accurately predict when and where a disaster will occur. Yet efforts towards drawing up national and regional disaster risk management strategies have encountered significant challenges. Studies show that the problem lies not with the use and adoption of technology per se, but with the more entrenched culture of institutional and individual resistance to information sharing in an open, timely and sustainable manner. Governments as well as local and transnational non-governmental institutions are both victims to and perpetrators of this culture of secrecy. In controlling the flow of information � what gets out where, to whom, how and when � these stakeholders directly influence disaster management planning and action.� With little or no incentive to change their ham-fisted approach to information sharing and its twin corollaries - collaboration and coordination - key stakeholders including non-governmental agencies are culpable for significant lapses in information flows. Lessons identified have not been learnt. These gaps have cost lives.

This brief paper is an attempt to map how ICTs can and have helped in disaster management even in least developed countries in the Asia Pacific region and suggests that though key stakeholders may (today) be averse to the accountability and transparency that ICTs bring to disaster management frameworks, their increasing use by citizens are a compelling argument to fully integrate them into all aspects of disaster early warning, management, mitigation and response.

Download the full paper here.

Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use

The United Nations Foundation and The Vodafone Group Foundation�s Access to Communications Publication Series produces studies that give governments, NGOs and the private sector research and recommendations on how to use technology and telecom tools to effectively address some of the world�s toughest challenges.

This second publication in the series�Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use �examines innovative uses of mobile technology by groups working to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. The report identifies emerging trends in "mobile activism" through 11 case studies, and highlights the results of a global survey of NGO usage of mobile technology.

M-Gov and mobile phones for development

Sanjana Hattotuwa

Sustainable and equitable development is severely undermined when citizens do have not have access to a voice. When basic human needs are marginalised or suppressed, the resulting emergence of communal violence in the negotiation of difference and grievances stunts economic growth - sometimes for generations. Today, the exponential growth in the use and ownership of mobile phones offers renewed hope of higher economic development. A well known example is the finding in 2005 by Leonard Waverman, of the London Business School, that an extra 10 mobile phones per 100 people in a typical developing country leads to an additional 0.59 percentage points of growth in GDP per person. Yet the question is, is development just about economic growth? And what of the existing e-gov initiatives, such as we find in Sri Lanka, that have failed to inspire development or engender peace? A recent article on the future of e-government from the US proclaims that Web 2.0 will �transform service delivery, make smarter policies, flatten silos and, most importantly, reinvigorate democracy� and facilitate a shift �from monolithic government agencies to pluralistic, networked governance Webs that fuse the knowledge, skills and resources of the masses.�

Sadly, such heady optimism is ill-placed in the context of Sri Lanka, where e-government reflects (and on occasion exacerbates) significant problems brought about by successive governments uninterested in participatory governance, democracy and sustainable development. Millions of dollars and billions of rupees in attempts to re-engineer government have largely failed to make public institutions and service delivery more responsive, accountable and transparent. E-gov is seen as purely transactional - one-way and top-down. The mechanics of citizen participation and feedback are feeble at best and non-existent most of the time. On many websites, content is to be found only in Sinhala and English, exacerbating problems of language discrimination faced by the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Amongst a litany of other issues, Government websites are replete with outdated information, dysfunctional links, pointers to websites that no longer exist and don�t have common look and feel or functionality, making them difficult and confusing to navigate. The other significant problem is that e-gov as constituted today is mainly for PCs. Few citizens in Sri Lanka own or use PCs. Nearly 8 million people mobile phone subscribers are completely shut out of e-gov services and products. This means that the potential of e-gov is woefully under-realised through the use of an exclusive technologies and a mindset that does not yet see the potential of mobile phones in e-government initiatives.

For answers to these pressing problems, we must turn to citizens themselves. Using mobile phones and through other Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), citizens can now use a range of methods to hold State institutions and public officials accountable and place on record their grievances. These new conversations amongst citizens (on old problems) are decentralised, two-way, adaptive, resilient and pervasive. Importantly, they take place in the vernacular as well as in English. From Zimbabwe and Kenya to China and Kuwait, from electoral processes and women�s suffrage to the voicing dissent against oppression, mobiles have already revolutionised our approach to and understanding of political and social activism as well as public participation in governance. Yet in many cases, there is simply no interaction between State sponsored e-gov initiatives and citizen driven mobile phone based. The two exist in different worlds - one is about the promotion of the State as it is constituted and imagined, the other is about questioning the status quo. However, renewed interest in governance is forcing an urgent revision the conceptualisation of e-gov. Though the role of Government is still forward and centre in governance, citizens are now forcing politicians, public officials and the State to realise that through self-organisation and better communications between and within communities, an active and vocal civil society plays a growing and indispensible role in strengthening democracy and through it, sustainable and equitable development.

There are already many ideas and mechanisms that combine mobiles with various economic processes to engineer stronger GDP growth. From taking the middleman out and bringing the market closer to the producer to monetising ideas and talents in remote areas, mobiles (and ICTs) have radically altered traditional economic models of consumption, production and delivery. More specifically, leveraging and adapting mobiles to strengthen democratic governance, understood as a vital ingredient of equitable economic development, requires us to think of new and strengthen existing ways through which mobiles help communities generated and exchange news, information and knowledge. On the one hand, not forgetting that leveraging existing e-gov initiatives is necessary if we are to achieve even a modicum of their much-touted potential, a few simple ideas to facilitate this transition could be to:

Design and deploy innovative products and services: Tie ups with mobile telecoms companies can leverage geo-location based cell broadcasting mechanisms to deliver a range of timely information to citizens, from details of utility breakdowns to disaster early warning and security alerts. Citizens are able to receive SMS updates as well as create and send updates of their own, creating timely and useful interactions that can be featured across a range of media and accessed via a range of ICTs.
Celebrate what works in government: Prize competitions to get civil society animated about the potential to use mobile phones the strengthen governance and development would be one way to get citizens to use them more for purposes other than the purely personal communications. Technology is often seen as a tool that helps citizens bear witness to the breakdown of democratic governance and basic service delivery of government. But by using mobile phones to capture and promote best practices and committed personal and institutional leadership in the public sector, citizens can inspire government mechanisms to be more service oriented and citizen centric. Focussing on the positive aspects of government (rare though they may be) can be a powerful catalyst for change by encouraging transformation from within the public sector.
Public private partnerships - Amongst others in Sri Lanka, the nascent Easyseva entrepreneurship model, based on the increasing footprint of relatively low-cost wireless broadband in Sri Lanka, proves that innovative public sector and private sector partnerships can avoid the pitfalls of State subsidised and unsustainable cybercaf� models as we have seen in the past.

On the other hand, strengthening development requires citizens to be animated and vocal on the performance of democratic frameworks and institutions. Mobile phones allow citizens to communicate in ways hitherto impossible or prohibitively expensive. Citizen to citizen knowledge transfers through text, audio and video, no longer dependent on State sponsored e-gov mechanisms, nevertheless complement such mechanisms by fostering innovation and economic development. Some examples in this regard are:

Citizen journalism (CJ) initiatives - Groundviews, a pioneering citizen journalism website I created and edit in Sri Lanka, demonstrates by example that content produced by citizens that interrogates the status quo can be a powerful catalyst for change. Using text, photos, audio and video generated through and distributed via mobile phones (and PCs), citizen journalism shows demonstrable potential to transform repressive social, political and economic conditions that hinder sustainable development.
Development of mobile government (m-government) - The point here is quite simply that nearly 8 million Sri Lankans already own or use the devices necessary to interact with mobile government services and products. As Lirneasia�s path-breaking research suggests, mobiles are already used and owned by those who will never buy a PC, even at the lowest economic groups in Sri Lanka. M-government can complement e-gov (largely designed and built for PC based access) it by providing services through SMS and voice telephony such as free calls to services such as the Government Information Centre, automated voice prompt services (also called IVR services) and on-demand SMS multilingual information services. Using augmented reality and location aware services and devices, citizens can be informed on the availability of and proximity to various government services and products as they travel. Kiosks can be set up in remote villages with SMS devices that print government forms on demand upon a coded SMS instruction. The possibilities are as exciting as they are endless.
Web 2.0 technologies - A plethora of Web 2.0 technologies that help coordination and collaboration can be leveraged, alongside mobile device based content generation and delivery, to strengthen efficiency in government and accountable, transparent governance - both vital anchors of economic growth. Even new technologies such as Google Maps, featuring user generated content coupled to location based information generated via mobiles can be leveraged by governments to create real time maps alive to the needs of citizens and reflective of the dynamism of all communities.

E-governance is ultimately about human engineering - using technology to strengthen the potential for social, political, economic and cultural growth. Mobiles have demonstrated in a few years that technology if affordable and pervasive can and will be used by citizens to interact with each other, hold governments accountable for their actions and mediate differences non-violently. Though the technology itself is often self-effacing, the conversations inspired, produced, stored and disseminated through mobiles, PCs, on the Internet and through the web are rapidly changing governance and government as we know them today.

Governments today can and need to be a part of this revolution. The point about development is that it is not just economic. A country prospers not necessarily because its GDP grows, but because all citizens feel they are part of the socio-political fabric of democratic governance. Love them or hate them, mobiles are the new glue of governance and democracy.

Download PDF of this article, with references, here.

A version of this article will appear in�the June 2008 issue of i4d magazine.

Final Report on the Global Symposium +5 on Information for Humanitarian Action

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to share with you an advance electronic copy of the Final Report on the Global Symposium +5 on Information for Humanitarian Action, held last October in Geneva (www.reliefweb.int/symposium).� This report is the result of the insights and expertise of more than 300 participants who took part in what was the largest and most diverse ever collaboration of humanitarian information professionals, and a milestone in building the community of practice on humanitarian information and knowledge.� �

The report highlights participants' experiences in collecting, exchanging and analysing information aimed at strengthening humanitarian action through timely and reliable information. It documents the sharing of best practices, lessons learned and provides recommendations developed and supported by the participants.

As agreed at the Symposium, OCHA has taken the lead in developing a plan to move forward on the recommendations presented in the report and ensure appropriate follow-up.� I invite our partners to review these recommendations for their consideration and undertake relevant information activities that fall within their respective remits.

OCHA is committed to reporting back to the humanitarian community on progress made in relation to the recommendations. To this effect, OCHA will periodically post updates on ReliefWeb as well as keeping partners informed of our progress. In return, I hope that you will share the report contents, including its best practices and principles, with your respective organisations and raise the issues for broader discussion and implementation. The impact of the Symposium is being monitored and analyzed in a two-year study by the US-based Penn State University College of Information Sciences and Technology. It follows the initial impact survey of the 2002 Symposium and the survey taken during the 2007 Symposium.� I encourage everyone who was involved in the Symposium to continue to take part in their evaluation.

I highly recommend this report to all professionals who may become involved in this subject and count on your assistance to disseminate it as widely as possible.� The hard copy version is expected to be available next month.

To see the report please click on this link� http://www.reliefweb.int/symposium/docs/symposium5_final_report.pdf or go to the website at www.reliefweb.int/symposium.� �

With best regards,

John Holmes
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
and Emergency Relief Coordinator

The Text message � an important transmitter of information in times of crisis

http://letemps.ch/template/international.asp?page=4&article=228202

�Media � The use of information and communication technologies in order to promote peace in the world. This is the challenge of the ICT4Peace foundation, based in Geneva. Interview with its president.

During the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), that was held in Geneva in 2003, Daniel Stauffacher, Ambassador for Switzerland at that time, had a revelation. He became conscious of� the role that information and communication technologies (ICT) could have in preventing conflicts and keeping peace and launched, together with former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and others, an organization� (ICT4peace) that is dedicated to this subject. Interview with its president.

Le Temps: The WSIS revealed the link between ICT and development. What about peace?
Daniel Stauffacher: The fight against poverty, injustices and the protection of human rights are necessary factors in order to promote peace. The role of the media and ICT is equally important. There are different levels: prevention of conflicts, crisis management as well as reconstruction and reconciliation.� In the Near East, for example, interviews are given on either side of the wall, and this can help to gain mutual understanding. Of course, this can never replace negotiations around a table, but it is important to inform the public about it. Those who run the conflicts have always used new technologies to perfection, e.g. for propaganda; we want to turn around this tendency.

- Darfour was a war without images and with little information. Are communication tools missing in this African region?
- Infrastructures are effectively missing, but the development is speeding up. The growth of mobile telephones is especially enormous and text messages are becoming an important transmitter of information. Soon, nobody will be able to say �I didn�t know� or �I haven�t seen it�. But often, the problem is not the lack of technology, but the wrong use of it.

- What does this mean?
- You cannot blame a child in Darfour that he did not send a photo with his mobile phone. On the other hand, humanitarians, militaries and other actors in crisis management should do it. The role of our organization is, to get them there. It is essential to coordinate and exchange information about the needs of a population during a crisis. The problem is, that all these actors compete against each other. They all work with the same donors and each one of them tries to be the first one to inform in order to appear more credible. There is also the question of leadership: the old generation does not necessarily recognize the importance of ICT. That�s why we launched a workshop to raise awareness among key leaders at the United Nations in New York.

- What about other mandates of your foundation?
- The second mandate consists of training and development of the concerned parties. Together with the �Cairo Center for Crisis prevention and Peacekeeping in Africa�, we developed a module that we will test in Cairo, starting in August. Police, the military, NGO�s, UN diplomats, donors and members of the government will be brought together to facilitate cooperation among each other.� The third mandate of our foundation involves inventory and research about existing initiatives and tools in the domain of ICT.

� Le SMS, un vecteur important d�information en temps de crise. Un interview avec Daniel Stauffacher, Pr�sident de la Fondation ICT4Peace �

http://letemps.ch/template/international.asp?page=4&article=228202

MEDIAS. Utiliser les technologies de l'information et de la communication pour favoriser la paix dans le monde, c'est le pari de la fondation ICT4Peace, bas�e � Gen�ve. Interview de son pr�sident.

Caroline Stevan
Jeudi 20 mars 2008

Le Sommet mondial sur la soci�t� de l'information (SMSI), dont la premi�re phase s'est d�roul�e en 2003 � Gen�ve, a �t� une sorte de r�v�lation pour Daniel Stauffacher, alors ambassadeur pour la Suisse. Prenant conscience du r�le que les technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) ont � jouer pour la pr�vention des conflits et le maintien de la paix, l'homme se lance, avec l'ancien pr�sident finlandais Martti Ahtisaari et quelques autres, dans la cr�ation d'une organisation d�di�e au sujet. ICT4Peace est d�sormais � pied d'�uvre. Interview de son pr�sident.

Le Temps: Le SMSI avait mis en exergue le lien entre les TIC et le d�veloppement. Qu'en est-il de la paix?

Daniel Stauffacher: Combattre la pauvret�, les injustices, prot�ger les droits humains sont autant de facteurs n�cessaires pour garantir la paix. Le r�le des m�dias et des TIC est �galement essentiel. Il y a plusieurs niveaux: la pr�vention des conflits, la gestion des crises et enfin la reconstruction et la r�conciliation. Au Proche-Orient par exemple, des interviews sont r�alis�es de part et d'autre du mur; cela peut aider � la compr�hension mutuelle. Evidemment, cela ne remplace pas des n�gociations autour d'une table, mais il est important d'informer les populations. Les nouvelles technologies ont toujours �t� utilis�es � la perfection par ceux qui m�nent les conflits, pour la propagande notamment; nous voulons inverser cette tendance.

- Le Darfour a �t� une guerre sans images, avec tr�s peu d'information. Les moyens de communication sont-ils absents de cette r�gion de l'Afrique?

- Il manque effectivement des infrastructures, mais le d�veloppement s'acc�l�re. La croissance des t�l�phones mobiles, notamment, est �norme et les SMS deviennent un vecteur important d'information. Plus personne, bient�t, ne pourra dire �Je ne savais pas� ou �Je n'avais pas vu�. Le probl�me, souvent, n'est pas le manque de technologie mais la mauvaise utilisation qui en est faite.

- C'est-�-dire?

- On ne peut pas reprocher � un enfant du Darfour de ne pas avoir le r�flexe d'envoyer une photo avec son mobile. Les humanitaires, les militaires et autres acteurs de la gestion de conflits devraient en revanche le faire. Le r�le de notre organisation est justement de les y amener. Coordination et �changes d'informations sur les besoins des populations en temps de crise sont primordiaux. Le probl�me est qu'il y a une comp�tition entre tous ces gens. Ils ont tous les m�mes donateurs et chacun veut �tre le premier � donner une nouvelle afin de para�tre plus cr�dible. Il y a aussi une question de leadership: la vieille g�n�ration ne reconna�t pas forc�ment l'importance des TIC. Nous menons en ce moment un travail de sensibilisation aux Nations unies, � New York, en ce sens.

- Quels sont les autres mandats de votre fondation?

- Le deuxi�me volet consiste � former les parties concern�es. Nous avons d�velopp� un module que nous allons tester au Caire - en collaboration avec le Cairo Center for Crisis Prevention and Peacekeeping in Africa - d�s le mois d'ao�t. Des policiers, des militaires, des humanitaires, des fonctionnaires de l'ONU, des donateurs ou encore des membres du gouvernement seront ainsi amen�s � travailler ensemble. Le troisi�me mandat de notre fondation r�side dans la mise sur pied d'un inventaire des initiatives et outils existants dans le domaine.

� Le Temps, 2008 . Droits de reproduction et de diffusion r�serv�s. Acheter les droits de reproduction de cet article.

ICT4Peace Foundation enters into partnership with 2008 International Forum on Online Dispute Resolution

The ICT4Peace Foundation today entered into a partnership to strengthen the 2008 International Forum on Online Dispute Resolution . Victoria, British Columbia serves as the host city for the ODR Forum and this important conference will held at venues including Royal Roads University, and the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific on Vancouver Island June 18-19, 2008.

The Forum in Victoria will build on the research, applications and field development discussed at other international ODR meetings and workshops that were held in Geneva (2002 and 2003), Edinburgh (2003), Melbourne (2004), Bologna (2005), Brussels (2005), Cairo (2006), and Palo Alto (2007), Liverpool (2007) and Hong Kong (2007).

The Forum will consist of two days of plenary sessions and breakout sessions. The Forum brings together the world's leading practitioners, academics, students, and civil society to discuss the resolution of disputes using online technologies. These disputes may range from b2c (Business to consumer) to the prevention of human rights violations in conflict regions, to reconciliation of opposing groups in armed conflict, to disputes over intellectual property on the internet. It also brings together the leading technology developers who design conflict resolution platforms for use legal, commercial, or insurance related disputes (i.e. PayPal).

The Foundation's participation will ensure that its significant work on ICT4Peace and in other areas is leveraged to strengthen deliberations at the ODR Forum.� �

Interview with Daniel Stauffacher, Chairman of Ict4Peace Foundation on ICT4Peace by David Kirkpatrick of Fortune Magazine

Fortune Magazine published on 4th January 2008 an article on the ICT4Peace Foundation and it's work on ICT for peacebuilding.

"As 2008 gets underway we don't have peace. (Just look at this depressing list in Wikipedia of ongoing conflicts worldwide.) But Daniel Stauffacher doesn't get depressed. Instead he thinks technology can help. This entrepreneur and Swiss diplomat leads a recently-formed group called the ICT for Peace Foundation, which aims to promote the latest digital and Internet tools for the people who truly need them most. (ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology.)"

Read the article in full on the web here or download a PDF of the article here.

ICT4Peace Launch Event at the United Nations, New York - Participants, Report, President Martti Ahtisaari's speech and Concept Note

The Permanent Representative of Switzerland hosted a High-Level working Lunch, on 15 November 2007. The event was sponsored by the ICT4Peace Foundation with the support of UN DESA Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

High level participation and contributions at this meeting included Permanent Representatives to the UN from Tunisia, Brazil, South Africa, France, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Egypt, Mali, Pakistan, Canada, Japan amongst a range of others as well as highly placed representatives and delegates from the UN Dept. of Political Affairs (DPA), Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR, DPKO, DESA. Participants also included high-level representatives of the Conflict Management Initiative (CMI), United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Development Gateway Foundation, the US National Defense University's Centre for Technology and National Security Policy, the US State Department and the Development Gateway Foundation.

H.E. Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland delivered a statement at the meeting, that can be access here.
A full report of the meeting and the salient points of discussions can be downloaded here.
The ICT4Peace Concept, that informed the discussions at this meeting and outlined the terrain for engagement and collaboration amongst those who attended, can be accessed here.
The Conflict Management Initiative's PeaceIT! publication ran a story on this important event in its December 2007, that can be access here.

ICT4Peace: An International Process for Conflict Management featured in PeaceIT!

The latest issue of Peace IT!, a journal for conflict and crisis management professionals published by the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) is out and can be downloaded here. The journal explores how ICTs can be used effectively to prevent, manage and resolve crisis to the benefit of peace and security.

This issue features an article on ICT4Peace I wrote in my capacity as Special Advisor to the ICT4Peace Foundation on the launch of ICT4Peace: An International Process for Conflict Management at the United Nations, New York, on 15th November 2007.

The issue also contains an excellent essay by Chamindra de Silva on Humanitarian FOSS, a field of research and practice that he and his team, responsible for Sahana, have helped define globally.

Statement of Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland at ICT4Peace launch, United Nations, New York

ICT4Peace: STRATEGIC USE OF ICTS IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT
New York, 15 November 2007

Statement of Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland

I am a strong believer in the UN system and would welcome the appropriate UN agencies to stand up and take the leadership in these issues. This, to my mind, could be one important outcome of this process and a significant marker of the international community�s commitment to the values and principles to save lives as embodied in the ICT4Peace process.

In support of the ICT4Peace process, I believe we need an ongoing dialogue process at the UN in New York once or twice a year with Governments and key actors from Business, Civil society and Academia to tackle the issues of information management, setting data and information management standards.

Read the full statement here.�

ICT4Peace: �Strategic use of ICT for Crisis Management� - High-Level Working Lunch, 15th November 2007

ICT4Peace: �Strategic use of ICT for Crisis Management� - High-Level Working Lunch, 15th November 2007

The Permanent Representative of Switzerland hosted a High-Level working Lunch, on 15 November 2007. The event was sponsored by the ICT4Peace Foundation with the support of� UN DESA Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

The question of how best to move forward on pre-existing commitments was at the forefront of discussion at the High-Level Working Lunch on the use of ICT for crisis management today, 15th November 2007. Focusing attention on implementation and action, participants noted the progress made thus far, highlighted at the recent OCHA Seminar in Geneva, and stressed the need to build on it. They emphasized the need to develop a set of common standards agreed by different agencies and organisations, both within and beyond the UN, to aid knowledge sharing and communication, and all expressed willingness to work together in order to bring about the changes needed. One significant obstacle was thought to be data security and the unwillingness to share information. The importance of creating a multi-stakeholder collaboration � encompassing both the private sector and those who collate and utilise ICT outputs in the field � was emphasised. It was emphasized that ICT can be used as a tool for progress in areas such as crisis management, humanitarian aid, development, peace building, peacekeeping and UN reform. Participants representing a range of national governments, NGOs and international organisations pledged their support to moving forward work in this field, especially via the initiative taken by the ICT4Peace Foundation, functioning as a Community of Expertise of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development. A key issue identified in the discussion was better information management among all stakeholders, and for that purpose the need for improved setting of common data standards, data sharing, cooperation and interoperability. The importance of the commitment and political will of senior leadership - from both international institutions and national governments - to the principles of ICT usage was seen as critical to success.

Read and download the full summary here.�

Global Symposium +5 'Information for Humanitarian Action' Final Statement and Outcomes

The ICT4Peace Foundation was a partner in the organisation of the UN OCHA +5 Symposium (see presentation here), which has just released its Final Statement and Outcomes document.

As noted in OCHA Press Release on the occasion of the public release of these two documents:

"It it my great pleasure to provide you with the Global Symposium +5 'Information for Humanitarian Action' Final Statement and its accompanying Outcomes document.

These documents represent a common vision of the central role of information, analysis and exchange in support of effective humanitarian preparedness response and recovery. It builds upon the community of practice of the Humanitarian Information Network (HIN) and will guide us in future years. Thank you to everyone for your input.

As agreed, OCHA will now develop an Action Plan in consultation with the IASC and HIN partners by March 2008. This Action Plan will take into account the recommendations from the Symposium and list them in order of priority with focal points assigned, as well as deadlines. The Symposium Final Report will also be distributed early next year."

Please download the Global Symposium +5 'Information for Humanitarian Action' Final Statement here and the Outcomes document here.

ICT4Peace Foundation invited to participate at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Global Forum on Emergency Telecommunications - 10-12 Dec 2007

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Daniel Stauffacher, the Chairman of the ICT4Peace Foundation has been invited to participate at the Global forum on Emergency Telecommunications - 10-12 Dec 2007.

Background
Increasingly, natural disasters are causing considerable loss of life and disrupting national economies, severely weakening the affected countries. While neither natural nor man-made hazards can be entirely prevented, information and communication technologies (ICT) can help reduce their impact and avoid them turning into disasters that impede sustainable development. This event contributes to the progress made at the United Nations International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (Mauritius, 10-14 January 2005), the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (Kobe, Japan, 18-22 January 2005), and a series of other events having focused among other things on the establishment of a Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System for the Indian Ocean, including the Ministerial Meeting on Regional Cooperation on Tsunami Early Warning Arrangements (Phuket, Thailand, 28-29 January 2005), the UNESCO International Coordination Meeting for the Development of a Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System for the Indian Ocean within a Global Framework (Paris, France, 3-8 March 2005), and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction organized Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (Geneva, Switzerland, 5-7 June 2007).
The event builds on a series of events held by ITU on this subject:

Using ICT for Effective Disaster Management: Caribbean Forum 2006, 26-28 July 2006, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Joint ITU-ESCAP Regional Workshop on Disaster Communications, 12-15 December 2006, U.N. Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
Workshop on the Role of Telecommunications/ICT in Disaster Mitigation, 28 March 2007, Bandung, Indonesia
Disaster: Relief and Management: International Cooperation & Role of ICT, 14-17 April 2007, Alexandria, Egypt
ITU Sub-Regional Workshop on the Role of Telecommunications/ICT in Disaster Management for the Central African Region, 30 May � 1 June 2007, Yaound�, Cameroon
ITU Workshop on Emergency Telecommunications for Disaster Management in Sri Lanka: Developing a National Emergency Telecommunications Plan, 24 August 2007, Colombo, Sri Lanka
ITU Workshop on Emergency Telecommunications for Disaster Management in Maldives: Developing a National Emergency Telecommunications Plan and Ratification of the Tampere Convention, 28 August 2007, Male, Maldives

Purpose of the event
The purpose of this event is to bring together the main stakeholders active in developing, deploying and using telecommunications/ICT for disaster mitigation, and to serve as a forum in which they can map out concrete strategies and adopt practical measures aimed at giving telecommunications/ICT a central role in disaster management, i.e. early warning, preparedness, relief and response. The discussions will focus on policy, regulation, technology, finance and the deployment of last-mile communications systems. The debate will take a multi-hazard approach, as the role of telecommunications/ICT remains the same irrespective of the nature or type of disaster at hand. Attention will also be focused on the ways in which last-mile solutions can be integrated into existing and future early warning systems. For this, cooperation among organizations involved in disaster prevention and management is an essential element. ITU will launch a major telecommunications/ICT initiative that seeks to coordinate the deployment of telecommunications resources for
disaster relief to maximize the use of such resources and ensure that there is timely and universal access to such resources in the immediate aftermath of disasters striking.

Participating organizations will have an opportunity to showcase innovative telecommunications/ICT solutions at the exhibition pavilion. Exhibition space is provided free but exhibitors are advised to focus on demonstrating their solutions and not marketing their products.

A number of partnership agreements and memoranda of understanding will be signed on 10 December between ITU and its partners. These agreements will focus on co-financing future activities aimed at mitigating the impact of disasters through the use of emergency telecommunications.

Expected outcomes
This event, which will attract high-level representation from governments, regulatory authorities, the private sector, United Nations entities, and Non-Governmental Organizations, will result in an increased awareness of the role that each of the participating entities play in giving telecommunications/ICT a central role in disaster mitigation.� A number of new products and practical initiatives will be launched at this important event including:
�� ITU Framework for Cooperation in Emergencies (IFCE)
�� Compendium on ITU Work in Emergency Telecommunications (Telecommunication Standardization, Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Development)
�� ITU Handbook on Best Practice in Emergency Telecommunications
�� ITU Network of Volunteers for Emergency Telecommunications (VET)
�� Signing of Multiple Partnership Agreements.

Prevention Web: a new tool to increase knowledge on disaster risk reduction

The UN/ISDR secretariat is launching PreventionWeb.net, a new website for increasing knowledge sharing on disaster risk reduction (DRR) issues, for both the general public � including media and teachers � and DRR specialists, on 15 November.

"Information and knowledge are key to reducing disasters, and this new tool will facilitate the sharing of information, expertise and experience. Prevention Web will be a reference for experts, practitioners and all people interested in building resilience to natural hazards,� said Salvano Brice�o, Director of the UN/ISDR secretariat in Geneva.

For the first time, a website will provide a common tool for both specialists and non-specialists interested or working in the area of disaster risk reduction (DRR) to connect, exchange experiences and share information at all levels of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction: local to global, UN, international and non-governmental organizations to citizens and companies. Prevention Web is a product of many months of user research, information architecture, visual and technical design, and testing, to meet the needs of target audiences in this field.

Prevention Web relies on contributions from the DRR community and includes: disaster risk reduction news, country reports, publications, good practices, fact sheets, networks and communities, and more. The beta release period will emphasize content development by calling for contributions from the community at large � UN, international, non-governmental, academic, and civil society partners. The website will be managed by a dedicated team of seven information managers between Geneva, Panama City, Nairobi, Cairo, Bangkok, Kobe and Bonn.

DRR practitioners are invited to submit their contents online at: www.preventionweb.net/english/submit/

Craig Duncan, senior coordinator of the project, said �Prevention Web is expected to become an indispensable tool for practitioners working to build the resilience of nations and communities to disasters, much like Relief Web has served the humanitarian response community in the effective delivery of emergency assistance.�

For more about the project, visit: www.preventionweb.net/english/about/ or contact: Craig Duncan, duncanc@un.org. Prevention Web will organize a press briefing later this year to explain to media and the public at large how they can use the tool to facilitate their coverage and understanding of disasters.

An evolving vision: A critique of Development Gateway

Development Gateway has changed significantly in response to external challenges and the emergence of new web-based technologies. Their experience highlights some of the lessons learned in the process that may be relevant for web 2.0 initiatives.

With more than 260,000 registered users and 800,000 unique visitors per month in mid-2007, the Development Gateway is the largest searchable repository of development information and tools on the internet.

The concept of the Development Gateway was first discussed at the World Bank in 1999. Under James Wolfensohn�s leadership, the Bank positioned itself as the �Knowledge Bank�. It would promote knowledge sharing and put growing emphasis on the use of ICTs as tools for disseminating information both within the organization and across the development community.

The Development Gateway Foundation was established in 2001, funded by the Bank, bilateral aid agencies, developing country governments and private companies. The Foundation then set about creating a collaborative web portal offering development content and tools for information exchange. The approach to knowledge sharing focused on capturing and making available relevant information through the �topic pages� (now dgCommunities), which also provided discussion and commenting tools to enable sharing and collaboration among its members. The idea was that experts and users would contribute resources that were then to become the basis for the sharing of explicit knowledge.

Read the full article here and listen to a podcast with Mike Pereira, director of Global Online Communities at the Development Gateway Foundation, here.

Launch of ICT4Peace process at United Nations, New York - A Concept Note

There is an increasing recognition amongst the international community, including governments, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations agencies that the timely collection and exchange of accurate and impartial information during humanitarian crises requires mayor improvements. Such improvements could contribute to save thousands of lives and requires the sustained commitment of the international community to effective management of information and knowledge, by using appropriate technologies, including Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). Used appropriately, ICTs can support all aspects and sectors of humanitarian work. While initiatives have been launched to mainstream ICTs in humanitarian aid and peacebuilding, none have been able to gain traction at the United Nations, intergovernmental and interagency level.� What this process proposes is precisely that � by harvesting existing best practices, recognizing and nurturing innovation and facilitating an international recognition of the important links between effective humanitarian response and the use of ICTs.�

Read the full concept note on the ICT4Peace process, launched at the United Nations in New York on 15th November 2007, here. �

Speech by USG John Holmes at UN OCHA +5 Symposium

"I come from a professional background � the world of diplomacy � where information and words are absolutely key to everything we do. The collection and analysis of information, questions about with whom to share it � and more importantly sometimes � with whom not to share it, were and are fundamental to understanding and to success. And how this information and analysis was expressed and conveyed � the exact words, the precise nuances, the constructive ambiguity, the hidden as well as the open messages � was an indispensable tool of the trade. I had expected, in coming into the humanitarian world at the beginning of the year, to find a very different context � much more practical and operational, more hands-on, much less concerned with the subtleties of diplomatic word- games. And I have to say I looked forward to this change. �
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What I actually found was that I was only half right. Humanitarians are, rightly, much less concerned with the infinite variations of language, much happier to call a spade a spade, if not a bloody shovel. Nuance is not the community�s strongest point, and has relatively little value. Where I was profoundly mistaken was to imagine that information and analysis would be a less central concern, or would be somehow easier. What I have learned in my first months is that while some facts are obvious �the flood, the earthquake, the conflict, the exodus of refugees and IDP�s � and some consequences are all too visible � death, destruction, despair � as soon as you start to dig deeper you run into the central and glaring need for really good information and really good analysis. In other words decent knowledge. Without that you can�t really get off first base. You don�t know what people really need or where or how urgently. You can�t� make sensible decisions about priorities � whether within or between emergencies. And you can�t communicate credibly with all the other people you need to influence � the media, the donors, the local authorities and, the most neglected of all from this point of view, the beneficiaries themselves."�

Read the full speech of John Holmes, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs delivered at the United Nations OCHA +5 Symposium, of which the ICT4Peace Foundation was a partner.�

UN OCHA +5 Symposium presentation by Sanjana Hattotuwa

Watch the presentation by Sanjana Hattotuwa, Special Advisor to the ICT4Peace Foundation made at the UN OCHA +5 Symposium here. The original can be streamed off the web here.�

To download a copy of the file, please click here.�

Launch of ICT4Peace: An International Process for Crisis Management at United Nations, New York

ICT4Peace aims to enhance the performance of the international community in crisis management through the application of information and Communications Technology (ICT) � technologies that can facilitate effective and sustained communication between peoples, communities and stakeholders involved in crisis management. Crisis management is defined, for the purposes of this process, as civilian and/or military intervention in a crisis that may be a violent or non-violent with the intention of preventing a further escalation of the crisis and facilitating its resolution. This definition covers peace mediation and peace-keeping activities of the international community. In bridging the fragmentation between various organizations and actors during different phases of crises, ICT4Peace aims to facilitate holistic, cohesive and collaborative mechanisms directly in line with Paragraph 36 of the WSIS Tunis Commitment:

�36. We value the potential of ICTs to promote peace and to prevent conflict which, inter alia, negatively affects achieving development goals. ICTs can be used for identifying conflict situations through early-warning systems preventing conflicts, promoting their peaceful resolution, supporting humanitarian action, including protection of civilians in armed conflicts, facilitating peacekeeping missions, and assisting post conflict peace-building and reconstruction.�

ICT4Peace aims to raise the awareness about the Tunis Commitment and promote its practical realization in all stages of crisis management and peace operations, facilitating knowledge exchange and information transfer between all involved actors, including communities affected by disasters and conflict.

Objective: Enhancing the performance of the international community in crisis management through ICT

ICT4Peace aims to raise awareness about the contribution and potential of ICT in crisis management
ICT4Peace aims to foster exchange of best practices in the field of ICT for crisis management
ICT4Peace aims to enhance the competency of the international community in crisis management through improved interagency interoperability supported by practical collaborative frameworks and ICT tools.
ICT4Peace aims to contribute to the establishment of broad principles derived from operational best practices, help integrate them into UN processes and make ICT part of UN evaluation exercises.

Activities carried out so far:

In-depth research on the Role of ICT and Information Management in Preventing, Responding to and Recovering from Conflict and publication of its report: http://www.ict4peace.org/articles/ict4peace_ebook.pdf.
Negotiation and adoption of Paragraph 36 of the WSIS Tunis Commitment.
Contributions to the Peace.it publication by the Crisis Management Initiative: http://www.ict4peace.org/articles/PeaceIT_1_2007.pdf
Setting up of ICT4Peace Foundation website: http://www.ict4peace.org/
Establishment of an ICT4Peace Informal Policy advisory Board under the Chairmanship of President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland: http://www.ict4peace.org/people-1.html
Launching of Partnership between DESA Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) and ICT4Peace Foundation: ICT4Peace Foundation appointed as leader of GAID community of practice of ICT4Peace
Under the Chairmanship of President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland, a group of experts from the UN, international civil society, business and academia met in March 2007 to identify key challenges of and solutions to existing ICT mechanisms on conflict management. Launching of collaborative research of best practices by CMI, ISCRAM, ICT4Peace Foundation, Interpeace Alliance.
Launch of ICT4Peace inventory wiki: A global database of ICT in crisis management, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding (http://inventory.ict4peace.org/)
Launch of partnership between the ICT4Peace Foundation and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) through the Global Symposium +5 �Information for Humanitarian Action� event and the ICT4Peace: An International Process for Crisis Management process (http://www.reliefweb.int/symposium/).

Roadmap:

Meeting at the United Nations, New York on 15th November 2007 to launch the ICT4Peace initiative and introduce it to an international range of stakeholders.
Organization of a panel and workshops to illustrate and discuss case studies and best practices of using ICT in crisis management and promoting peace in January 2008.
Presentation of a report on the current state of interoperability and ICTs in conflict mitigation by spring 2008, including opportunities and challenges for ICT4Peace
Confirmed buy-in from Governments and UN and key international and local partners by mid-2008 to launch ICT4Peace process in the appropriate UN bodies.
Final commitment by Governments, relevant UN bodies and stake-holders by 2008 on a set of principles and practical guidelines for better use of ICT in crisis management in order to save resources and lives during crisis management and peace-building operations.

Guiding questions for ICT4Peace:

Illustrate with examples and case studies how a good use of ICT has helped in promoting peace or how a lack of a good ICT use has hampered crises management? Corresponding conclusions to be drawn with regard to the priorities and challenges in future years?
How can we enable a greater degree of cohesion, transparency and accountability to processes of conflict transformation? Can ICT augment existing stakeholder interventions, enable marginalized actors to participate more fully in crisis management peacebuilding processes, empower grassroots communities, and bring cohesion to full-field peacebuilding activities?
Establishing computers and Internet connections is insufficient if the technology is not used effectively, if people are discouraged from using it or if local economies and patterns of access cannot sustain long-term application. How do we make sure that a strong political will supports these transformations? How do we make sure that technology is used effectively (how do we train and educate people in the use of ICT)? How do we assure that gains related to the deployment of ICT are distributed in a way as to also serve the interests of those who could hamper the use of ICT? How do we assure that the financial resources needed to sustain long-term use of ICT are assured?
How should ICT be used in the training of crisis managers?
How do ICT contribute to enhance inter-agency interoperability and collaboration within the international community (UN system, EU/EC efforts etc) in order to improve peace-keeping, conflict prevention and crisis management?
How do we promote information-sharing in places of conflict and/or crises?

For more details of the United Nations launch event, please download the PDF here.

Using SMS to promote democracy, human rights and free and fair elections

A conversation between Colin Rule (Director of ODR at eBay/PayPal) and Ken Banks, founder of kiwanja.net and creator of FrontlineSMS can be found here.

Ken's FrontlineSMS programme allows for new ways through which sensitive information can be disseminated in a timely manner in support of processes as wide ranging as health pandemics to election monitoring and ceasefire monitoring.�

This podcast covers the uses that mobile phone equipped only with basic SMS technology can be utilised for and suggests that FrontlineSMS is more sustainable and appropriate than other technologies that seek to empower the grassroots in the Global South.

The limits of the web and Internet to engender democracy?

From the New York Times comes an interesting news story on how the junta in Myanmar thwarted the use of the web and Internet by pro-democracy activists.�

It was about as simple and uncomplicated as shooting demonstrators in the streets. Embarrassed by smuggled video and photographs that showed their people rising up against them, the generals who run Myanmar simply switched off the Internet.

Until Friday television screens and newspapers abroad were flooded with scenes of tens of thousands of red-robed monks in the streets and of chaos and violence as the junta stamped out the biggest popular uprising there in two decades.

But then the images, text messages and postings stopped, shut down by generals who belatedly grasped the power of the Internet to jeopardize their crackdown.

The efficiency of this latest, technological crackdown raises the question of whether the vaunted role of the Internet in undermining repression can stand up to a determined and ruthless government.

Read the full article here.�

Welcoming new members to the ICT4Peace Foundation Advisory Board

The Foundation is pleased to welcome Nigel Snoad and Dag Nielson to its Advisory Board. Between them, Nigel and Dag bring to the Foundation a wealth of technical knowledge and applied field experience of great value in helping shape the Foundation's understanding of and approach to ICT4Peace, as articulated in our Mission Statement.�

For more details of Nigel and Dag, please click here. �

Partnership between the ICT4Peace Foundation and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

1st October 2007, Geneva, Switzerland: The ICT4Peace Foundation is pleased to announce the new partnership between the ICT4Peace Foundation and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), through the Global Symposium +5 �Information for Humanitarian Action� event and the ICT4Peace: An International Process for Crisis Management process.

The ICT4Peace process and Global Symposium +5 share the common objective of mobilising the international community within its respective areas and to seek member state commitment by way of United Nations General Assembly endorsement. By forming this timely partnership, the two initiatives will strengthen their individual purposes by working towards one common Declaration.

The ICT4Peace Foundation believes this partnership is an excellent opportunity to link OCHA and the Humanitarian Information Network with the Foundation�s global thought-leadership and work in promoting Information and Communication Technology in international crisis management, humanitarian aid and peace building.

For more details on the ICT4Peace Foundation�s work, please read our mission statement.

We encourage you to get in touch with the Foundation to find out more about the ICT4Peace process. Please email Mr. Daniel Stauffacher, Chairman of the ICT4Peace Foundation, at danielstauffacher@ict4peace.org.

Download a PDF of this Press Release here. �

ICT4Peace: une approche internationale de la gestion de crise

ICT4Peace (Technologies de l�Information et de la Communication pour la paix) a pour objectif de relever le niveau de performance de la communaut� internationale dans la gestion de crise en s�appuyant sur l�utilisation des technologies de l�information et de la communication (TIC). Celles-ci peuvent, en effet, contribuer � rendre plus efficace, dans la dur�e, la communication entre individus, communaut�s et autres acteurs impliqu�s dans la gestion de crise, l�assistance humanitaire et le r�tablissement de la paix. Dans ce contexte, il faut comprendre la gestion de crise comme une intervention civile et/ou militaire dans une situation de violence ou de non-violence aux fins de pr�venir une aggravation de la crise et de faciliter sa r�solution. Cette d�finition recouvre toute activit� de la communaut� internationale d�ploy�e dans le cadre d�une m�diation pour la paix, d�op�rations de maintien de la paix et de r�tablissement de la paix. En �tablissant pendant les diff�rentes phases de la crise des passerelles entre organisations et activit�s, ICT4Peace cherche � mettre en place des m�canismes permettant une approche qui soit globale et coh�sive et qui favorise la collaboration.

Lisez dedans compl�tement ici. Pdf de t�l�chargement ici.

Mapping a Peace Process using ICT

In exploring the possibilities of constructing a mapping process for peace in Sri Lanka, this monograph engages with the theoretical aspects of process mapping and then explores possible ways in which such mapping exercises can be conducted. The author�s research into the creation of Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) systems to support negotiations and peacebuilding has fed into this paper, along with his earlier work on systems design for early warning, conflict prevention and the mitigation of communal violence using technology.

Beginning with a brief outline of what constitutes a process and the importance of mapping such an activity, the monograph will follow through an examination of �wicked problems� and the locale foundation and then explore other frameworks that may be useful in the formulation of a comprehensive mapping architecture for a peace process. Ending with some basic recommendations and a blueprint that synthesises the key aspects of other frameworks, the monograph primarily aims to stimulate further discussion on a relatively under-developed topic within the existing academic literature on conflict mitigation.
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Download the full paper here.��

ICT4Peace now on Facebook

The ICT4Peace Foundation has opened a Facebook group to raise awareness and share information on its ICT4Peace process . Please join the ICT4Peace Facebook group here - you'll need a free Facebook account, that you can create here.

Can SMS really help in emergencies and early warning?

Two posts from Sri Lanka examine the role of SMS in alerting populations at risk in coastal areas of a tsunami. One, from the Editor of the country's first SMS based news service JNW, speaks of his experience during a couple of hours on 12 September 2007 , when an earthquake off Indonesia triggered tsunami warnings across much of South - East Asia and South Asia.

The other, by Sanjana Hattotuwa (Senior Advisor to the ICT4Peace Foundation) asks pertinent questions on the real significance of SMS during such emergencies , and whether the hype lived up to reality.

In conversation with Daniel Stauffacher on ICT4Peace - What is it? How can it help?

"Do you believe that the better use of technology can strengthen peace processes to the extent that there will be more peace 5 years hence than today?

Yes indeed. ICTs and in particular web 2.0 will create even more transparency and efficient tools for actors in the field of conflict prevention, mediation, conflict resolution and peace building."

Daniel Stauffacher, in conversation with Sanjana Hattotuwa , explores vital tenets of ICT4Peace. From ideas to action, Daniel Stauffacher explains the raison d'etre of ICT4Peace, where it is heading, the key challenges and vital opportunities for Information and Communications Technology in peacebuilding, conflict mitigation and other facets of the Foundation's mission.

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Download and read the interview here.

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This is vital reading for policymakers, practitioners and ICT4Peace activists.

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Please also listen to a podcast with Daniel Stauffacher recorded in late 2006 on the same issues here with a related blog post here .

Building Peace Through Information and Communications Technologies

"Peace is not created with a one-time act: �the cease-fire, accord, or reconciliation is just a public point on a timeline between war and durable peace. �True peace is built over time, with many different processes and approaches that move conflict into lasting, peaceful relationships. �It requires action at many different levels, by different people, in different ways, and at different points in a conflict.�

Activities can be as diverse as alternative dispute resolution (arbitration, mediation, negotiation), reconciliation, peacekeeping (both civilian and military), conflict prevention, post-conflict reconstruction, institutional and organizational capacity building, demobilization and reintegration, monitoring and advocacy, conflict transformation, psychosocial rehabilitation, and rule of law. �These peace-building methods, as part of a cohesive long term strategy, target both the root causes of a conflict and the violence that may result.�nformation and communication technologies (ICTs)� hardware and software that helps people communicate, understand data, and learn, via tools such as computers, the internet, mobile phones, and more - �can be a tremendous help in implementing these peace-building methods."

Ronald "Skip" Cole and Teresa Crawford co-author an essay published�here�on ICT4Peace that complements the work of the Foundation and in particular, it's�ICT4Peace inventorisation.�The examples in this essay and many more found in our�wiki�point to the fact that ICT4Peace is rapidly maturing as a field of practice and applied research.

Launch of ICT4Peace inventory wiki: A global database ICT in crisis management, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding

27th August 2007, Geneva, Switzerland: The ICT4Peace Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of its ICT4Peace Inventory Wiki, accessible immediately from http://www.ict4peace.org/inventory-1.html.

The ICT4Peace inventory wiki is one of three key foci of the ICT4Peace Foundation. It will be updated regularly and highlight emerging best practices from the field, significant research initiatives and well-grounded examples of ICT4Peace as defined in the Foundation�s mandate. This will include cataloguing at least 100 existing ICT tools and mechanisms � operational, legal and conceptual � geared towards conflict mitigation. The inventorisation will include initiatives identified in the report on ICT4peace by the ICT4Peace Foundation published in 2005, along with more recent examples from around the world in the use of ICT for conflict mitigation using PC�s, mobile phones, the web and the Internet.

�This tool provides a comprehensive overview of the many ways in which ICT is already used in crisis management.� said Daniel Stauffacher, Chairman of the ICT4Peace Foundation on the occasion of the launch of the launch of the ICT4Peace Inventory Wiki. He went on to say that �Over time, it will be an invaluable resource for policy makers, academia as well a practitioners in the field to share and learn from best practices and examples of ICT4Peace across the world.�

The ICT4Peace process spearheaded by the Foundation aims to enhance the performance of the international community in crisis management through the application of information and Communications Technology (ICT) � technologies that can facilitate effective and sustained communication between peoples, communities and stakeholders involved in crisis management, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding. Crisis management is defined, for the purposes of this process, as civilian and/or military intervention in a crisis that may be a violent or non-violent with the intention of preventing a further escalation of the crisis and facilitating its resolution.

Two other key foci of the Foundation are to enhance the performance of the international community in crisis management through ICT and develop templates for ICT, media and communications in conflict management. From 2007 � 2008, key partners in ICT4Peace will work with the United Nations, bilateral and multilateral donors, international NGOs, civil society organizations, academia and Universities as well as global business to establish ICT4Peace as integral to their approach to and understanding of crisis management. ICT4Peace will establish broad principles derived from operational best practices, integrate them into UN processes and make ICT part of UN evaluation exercises.

For more details on ICT4Peace and the Foundation�s work, please read our mission statement - http://www.ict4peace.org/mission-1.html. The Foundation also has a growing library of content related to ICT4Peace and a list of events that can be accessed through its library and events database respectively. Please visit our website for more information � http://www.ict4peace.org.

We encourage you to get in touch with the Foundation with details of your work and to find out more about the ICT4Peace process. Please email Mr. Daniel Stauffacher, Chairman of the ICT4Peace Foundation, at danielstauffacher@ict4peace.org.

First version of the OCHA Information Management Toolbox

The first version of the OCHA Information Management Toolbox , a resource base designed to assist Humanitarian Affairs professionals in managing information to support their work in ensuring better humanitarian planning and response.

The Toolbox refers to four main areas, Information Management Principles and OCHA Standard Products; GIS and Technical Tools; HIC Management and Administration; and General Reference.� As with all tools, your feedback is welcomed.� In particular, please share with us examples of best practice from your own offices to assist in the development of the second version.

Access the toolkit here.

Business engagement in humanitarian relief: key trends and policy implications

Business engagement in humanitarian relief: key trends and policy implications

Authors: A. Binder; J., M. Witte
Publisher: Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI, 2007

This paper explores the new roles that companies are playing in humanitarian action. It examines the various forms corporate engagement, with a particular focus on partnerships, and explores the underlying motivations behind this involvement. The authors also discuss whether these new forms of corporate engagement - along with new donor funding patterns - represent potential competition to humanitarian ctors, and how they could potentially impact humanitarian principles.

The paper finds that business engagement in humanitarian relief has expanded in scope and size in recent years, in both voluntary and commercial ways. This increased humanitarian involvement is attributed to a range of factors, with the most prominent rationale being that such activities of contribute to positive branding and motivate staff.

The paper also finds that:

companies engaged in humanitarian work tend to prefer in-kind assistance to cash aid
the vast majority of engagement relates to natural disaster relief, with the financial value of such engagement remaining very small
commercial engagement in humanitarian relief is based largely on effective public relations/brand management campaigns by companies involved in this field
the perception that companies increasingly compete on a commercial basis with traditional humanitarian actors seems overstated and may be influenced by the highly publicised instances of corporations receiving large USAID contracts during the Afghan and Iraq wars
commercial business engagement seems to be largely limited to reconstruction and long-term development
partnerships with businesses can bring needed technical expertise and added capacity.

The report recommends that:

partner selection should be based on a match between identified gaps, the skills and capacities on offer and the ability of the agency to manage the partnership
companies should seek not to limit themselves to natural disasters or high-profile cases
companies should be more transparent about the contributions they make to humanitarian relief.

Click here to download.

Technology and its limits in humanitarian aid

Photo credit: The Economist �

The Economist, in a recent article, contributes to the debates on how technology is (re)shaping humanitarian aid. Titled� , the article goes to explore how mobile phones and the web are transforming the manner in which humanitarian aid is planned and operationalised, with significant changes in the relationships between victims and aid agencies.

Not all are convinced. Paul Currion has an excellent post on his blog that questions many of the assumptions of the article in the Economist. He avers,

The response to famine was exactly the same as it has always been - send more food. Mohammed Sokor is in exactly the same position of supplication as he would have been ten years ago, only now his begging letter is a text message that can be quickly deleted, rather than the �crumpled note� passed on by hand. The aid world is about power relations, with beneficiaries at the bottom of the pile, and there are limits to how much technology can change that. The �familiar flow of authority� is still intact, except now it comes with a customised ringtone.

What do you think? Send us your comments and experiences and also see our own approach to technology and conflict management. �

Launch of ICT4Peace: An International Process for Crisis Management

ICT4Peace aims to enhance the performance of the international community in crisis management through the application of information Communications Technology (ICT) � technologies that can facilitate effective and sustained communication between peoples, communities and stakeholders involved in crisis management, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding. Crisis management is defined, for the purposes of this process, as civilian and/or military intervention in a crisis that may be a violent or non-violent with the intention of preventing a further escalation of the crisis and facilitating its resolution. This definition covers peace mediation, peace-keeping and peace-building activities of the international community. In bridging the fragmentation between various organisations and activities during different crisis phases, ICT4Peace aims to facilitate a holistic, cohesive and collaborative mechanisms directly in line with Paragraph 36 of the WSIS Tunis Commitment.

Read more on our Mission page and download a copy of our concept note and roadmap here . Please send in your comments, ideas and suggestions to help strengthen ICT4Peace by adding them on to this post or by emailing us.�

A world wide web of terror?

"In short, the hand-held video camera has become as important a tool of insurgency as the AK-47 or the RPG rocket-launcher. As Mr Zawahiri himself once put it in an intercepted letter to Zarqawi, �More than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media.� Or as one jihadi magazine found on Irhabi007�s computer explained: �Film everything; this is good advice for all mujahideen [holy warriors]. Brothers, don�t disdain photography. You should be aware that every frame you take is as good as a missile fired at the Crusader enemy and his puppets.� Just before his arrest, Irhabi007 had set up a website that, he hoped, would rival YouTube, to share jihadi videos. He called it Youbombit.com."

Internet jihad: A world wide web of terror is a compelling article published in The Economist that explores the use of the internet and web by Al Qaeda and terrorists in general.

Sanjana Hattotuwa, Advisor to the ICT4Peace Foundation, writes about the article on his blog here and avers that a more nuanced approach is necessary to address the growth of hate and extremism on the Interweb.�

ICT as a tool for Peacebuilding, Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management: Some pertinent questions

Special Advisor to the ICT4Peace Foundation Sanjana Hattotuwa 's blog on ICT4Peace has an entry with links to research, websites and current best practices from the field on the use of ICT as a tool for peacebuilding. The post is in response to some questions posed to the panelists invited to share their ideas at an upcoming event on ICT4Peace in Geneva organised by GAID .

Click here for the post.