Surrounded by Tech: Leveraging Technology for Peace

As a continuation of the GPPAC Learning Month, the Improving Practices Working group invites you to join the third roundtable in its series on Intersectionalities: this will explore the topic of technology and peace. During the second round table in December, the use of technology in violent conflict emerged as one of the core "wicked problems" that need to be addressed in the context of adaptive peacebuilding. Peacebuilders face a range of threats ranging from colonised bias in 'big data' to robotised warfare, from social media marginalisation to cyber warfare and from surveillance to intentional misinformation. The roundtable will explore possibilities of how technology that previously negatively impacted stressed communities can be used to promote peace.  

This roundtable aims to start a conversation about how technological advances impact peace, justice, and conflict in positive and negative ways and share practitioners' examples. Questions for discussion include

1. What recent technology advances scare you the most?
2. What recent technology advances offer the most significant opportunity for peacebuilders?

The "roundtable" format, instead of "webinar," encourages interaction and direct engagement with the topic. This contributes to solidarity-building among the participants and learning as we consider leveraging technology for peace. We will start with an overview of peace and tech and then examine a specific case study.

Registration

Please register here to join via the zoom platform.

Speakers:

• Jonathan Rudy is the GPPAC Improving Practices Working Group co-chair and peace educator. He has taught peacebuilding and human security courses for more than 20 years at the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute, in higher education, and other adult learning spaces.  With a technology background, training, and as a self-proclaimed ‘geek’ he has followed tech trends for decades. Jonathan will give a very brief overview of the history/context of tech for peace and war, as well as a brief mapping of current and future tech trends that impact peacebuilders. See www.PeaceBuildingGlobal.com for more information on Jonathan. 
• Zander Willoughby is a peacebuilding advocate and practitioner working on ConnexUs in the Strategy Alignment Department at Search for Common Ground. His experience in the peacebuilding field, having previously served as a Youth, Peace, and Security Advocacy Expert, Program Manager for +Peace at the Alliance for Peacebuilding, and Peace Studies Coordinator for Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana. Zander holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science, French, and Peace Studies from Manchester University. Based in Northeast Washington, DC, he enjoys learning new languages, foraging, and all things coffee & hockey in his free time. Zander will talk about democratising access to information and fostering collaboration across sectors to improve programmatic impact in conflict-affected areas. He will further share his experience using ConnexUs to facilitate access, collaboration, and social impact. Participants are invited to reflect on their own information sources and share their own best practices during the roundtable.

About the GPPAC Improving Practice Working Group

The GPPAC Improving Practices Working Group aims to improve how conflict prevention and peacebuilding are done in practice. Based on the principles of Human Security and Multi-Stakeholder participation, the Improving Practice Working Group has held regular face-to-face and virtual gatherings to strengthen the bonds, learning and sharing among the group.