Digital Transformations, Inclusion and Confidentiality in Peace Mediation

The document analyzes the role of digital technologies in peace mediation, focusing on how non-governmental Peace Facilitation Organizations (PFOs) integrate 'PeaceTech' and manage digital conflict. It explores the tension between the need for confidentiality in high-level negotiations and the potential for digital tools to increase transparency and inclusion in community-level dialogues. While acknowledging that digital platforms can reach new demographics, the authors argue that technology is not a guarantee of equitable representation and should complement rather than replace traditional mediation.

• Peace Facilitation Organizations (PFOs) are adopting two main digital strategies: using digital tools as platforms for mediation and inclusion, and managing digital conflict drivers such as social media polarization.
• Specific 'PeaceTech' tools are being used to enhance mediation; for example, CMI's INCLUS software was used in Yemen to visualize points of agreement and disagreement among stakeholders via scatter plots.
• PFOs are actively addressing digital conflict through methods like the 'Redirect Method' by Moonshot, Ushahidi's monitoring of violence in Kenya, and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue's (HD) 'social media peace agreement' in Nigeria.
• Digitalization complicates confidentiality in high-stakes negotiations by making it harder for participants to hide their locations and increasing the risk of instant leaks of documents and photos.
• While confidentiality is vital in early stages, digital tools can be used in later stages to maintain narrative control and transparency, as seen during the 2018 Libyan National Conference via a public interactive website.
• Digital platforms can expand inclusion by reaching hard-to-access areas or new demographics, but they do not automatically ensure equitable representation or a full understanding of the platform by participants.
• The use of digital tools introduces significant security risks for PFOs; in one reported instance, a PFO faced government surveillance, including tapped phones, followed employees, and a stolen computer.

APA

Tholens, S., & Rolandsen, Ø. H. (2024). Digital Transformations, Inclusion and Confidentiality in Peace Mediation. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/13be50bd-d73f-495f-85d2-9c1f7e276724/PRIO Policy Brief 19 2024.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Tholens, Simone, and Øystein H. Rolandsen. Digital Transformations, Inclusion and Confidentiality in Peace Mediation. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2024. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/13be50bd-d73f-495f-85d2-9c1f7e276724/PRIO Policy Brief 19 2024.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tholens |first1=Simone |last2=Rolandsen |first2=Øystein H. |title=Digital Transformations, Inclusion and Confidentiality in Peace Mediation |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2024 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/13be50bd-d73f-495f-85d2-9c1f7e276724/PRIO Policy Brief 19 2024.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tholens2024digital, author = {Tholens, Simone and Rolandsen, Øystein H.}, title = {{Digital Transformations, Inclusion and Confidentiality in Peace Mediation}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2024}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/13be50bd-d73f-495f-85d2-9c1f7e276724/PRIO Policy Brief 19 2024.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }