Global PeaceTech: navigating the landscape, innovating governance

Abstract

The twinned opportunities and dangers of emerging technologies are increasingly shaping the public political debate. A wide range of transnational actors are calling for a sustainable, humancentred approach to the design and governance of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data, and internet of things. In this regard, a new field of social enquiry is emerging at the intersection of peacebuilding, global affairs, and digital governance, referred to as Global PeaceTech. This is not just an academic discipline, but an ecosystem consisting of start-ups, private companies, and NGOs, working together to put technologies at the service of short- and long-term peace goals. Some of these actors were convened at EUI School of Transnational Governance in Florence for the first Global PeaceTech Conference, to discuss definitions, case studies, and policy recommendations in the area of technology for peace. As an outcome of that discussion, the paper provides a compass to navigate the Global PeaceTech landscape and advances concrete propositions to innovate governance at different levels, from local governments to global public and private actors, and multilateral organisations.