Could peace technology help Ukraine? Peacetech Forum gathered peacebuilders and technologists to find the answer
On March 11 – the 16th day of Ukraine’s defending of its sovereignty and freedom from Russia’s full-scale invasion – peace technology enthusiasts gathered in Helsinki to discuss and ideate how technology could help Ukraine.
With many humanitarian and other initiatives already in place to help the people of Ukraine, this forum was underpinned by the determination of the organizers and participants to contribute their talents, interests and expertise in technological innovation to ensure quality peace for Ukraine.
The event was organized by Peace Invaders, Aalto Entrepreneurship Society and Wicked Helsinki. Watch the recording of the full livestream here.
Peacetech Forum started with a series of short talks by expert peacebuilders and technologists. We first heard a video address by William Ury, an American author, academic, anthropologist, and negotiation expert, who co-founded the Harvard Program on Negotiation.
– I have spent the last 45 years working in war zones and conflict areas around the world, and one thing I can tell you is – it’s really hard work. And the impossible can become possible. Why? I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
To highlight the perseverance of possibilities in dark times, Ury shared his experiences of seeing the Cold War transformed with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the diverse communities of South Africa finding ways to transform their relationships towards peace. Now too, William has a positive outlook.
– Things look very dark, but there are ways out of this situation. There are ways for inclusive security.
“Things look very dark, but there are ways out of this situation. There are ways for inclusive security.”
Limit the damage
The belief that peace is possible – and possible with the help of technology – was also shared by our second live speaker Maria Mekri. Mekri is currently the Executive Director at SaferGlobe. Previously, Mekri served as the peace and security thematic lead at the United Nations Innovation Lab UNTIL in Espoo, and is experienced in creating practical solutions for (post-)crisis situations. Mekri talked about the two biggest challenges to humankind: climate change as well as conflict and fragility. The conflict and fragility challenge, according to Mekri, we collectively do not know much about.
– It means that basically we are in many ways less able to get our act together as humankind.
According to Mekri, what the peacetech community could do is to try to limit the amount of damage that the Russian aggression is causing to Ukrainians and the whole world.
– Peace is not what happens when no-one is looking but rather requires action.
Build climate-resilient societies
The next speaker Jyri Wuorisalo‘s message was based on his experiences in developing countries and crisis areas, as well as human security. Wuorisalo currently serves as an RDI advisor at Savonia AMK and coordinates the Human Security Finland network focusing on climate security.
“Peace is not what happens when no-one is looking but rather requires action.”
– We must build climate-resilient societies and climate-resilient technologies, Wuorisalo emphasized.
Indeed, conflicts always have grave environmental consequences. With regards to the preceding 8 years of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in Eastern Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) generated an “Environmental Assessment and Recovery Priorities for Eastern Ukraine” (2017), dividing the recommended actions into what is required “today”, “tomorrow” and “the day after tomorrow”. Even more consideration for restoration of the environment of Ukraine is needed due to the devastating environmental destruction that Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has already caused since February 24, 2022. As Wuorisalo highlighted:
– We must combine climate security and environmental security with building peace and security.
Aape Pohjavirta, founder of Funzi, shared about his peacetech visions. Photo: Wicked Helsinki
Fourth live speaker – Aape Pohjavirta – continued to encourage the participants that peace is possible. Pohjavirta is the Founder and President of Funzi and an industry leader with a vision for science, technology, and innovation contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Pohjavirta shared personal experiences of studying at a German school in Finland and how his education’s emphasis on collective responsibility for letting the atrocities of World War II happen shaped his determination to work for peace.
– I came out solemnly sworn to fight to the last drop of blood in my body against racism and war and conflict.
Later in life Pohjavirta developed a fascination with technology.
– I saw in technology an opportunity for us to develop something better, something more beautiful.
Pohjavirta saw choosing a better life for oneself and for other people as an opportunity – something that organizers of Peacetech Forum deeply believe in. Pohjavirta emphasized that peace technology, as developed and practiced at Funzi, allows people to learn new things and become more humane by learning to understand other views.
Visual peace technology
The next speaker was myself, Yelyzaveta (Lisa) Glybchenko – a Ukrainian grassroots peacebuilder and doctoral researcher at Tampere University working on my research project “Visual Peacetech: Digital Visual Images as Security-Building Tools”
Inspired by five years of work in the digital visual art-for-peace initiative I founded - Color Up Peace, I research the digital visuality of peace, virtual reality technologies as peacebuilding tools and augmented reality technologies as tools to implement peaceful futures. My research and creation of original digital media pieces aim to empower grassroots peacebuilders to use digital visual tools in grassroots peace processes.
Lisa Glybchenko sharing about the situation in Ukraine. Photo: Wicked Helsinki
I gave an overview of how technologies had been used in Ukraine’s defense, with the hope that this overview can help guide the subsequent ideation session. I told the participants about a variety of chat-bots created for various causes like supporting children and safely reporting war crimes, an air danger app to help Ukrainians save their lives during bombings by Russian troops, a platforms for displaced Ukrainians to find employment in Ukraine and aboard.
I also introduced the audience to the resource developed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for foreign audiences – WAR.UKRAINE.UA. The resource explains why Russia invaded Ukraine, lets users understand how they can help Ukraine, and introduces users to real defenders of Ukraine.
Ideas to action
Following my talk, we started an ideation session to brainstorm technological solutions to help the people of Ukraine. The participants split into groups, discussed and came up with a lot of suggestions. These suggestions were collected by Mikaeli Langinvainio, who facilitated this session.
The event participants brainstorming for new projects to help Ukraine. Photo: Wicked Helsinki
Mikaeli is experienced in the field of peace mediation. In 2016 he, together with Juha Törmänen, started Inclus, to which they transferred from Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), to provide inclusive risk management software both to companies and more broadly to conflict transformation processes. The participants discussed some of the solutions and had the opportunity to express interest to take these ideas forward and to the people of Ukraine.
Susanna Partanen, founding member of Peace Invaders and the initiator of Peacetech Forum, was happy about the evening.
– I think the event was a success. We were happy that so many people could join us at such a short notice. Many participants said it was useful and hoped for more similar events. We had participants both from Ukraine and from Russia, which was important.
Follow-up action is planned already for the coming weekend, when Peace Invaders, Wicked Helsinki and Color up Peace join the Solve the SDG -hackaton with a peace-themed challenge 22.4.-26.4.2022.
Photo: Lisa Glybchenko
– Join us in the effort to help Ukraine by creating innovative interventions to reduce suffering, meet acute needs and repair what the war has destroyed, Partanen says.
Peace challenge mentors include Lisa Glybchenko, Apurva Ganoo, Maria Mekri, Sakari Mesimäki and Aayush Kucheria.
For more information about the upcoming hackaton, go to www.solvethesdgs.com.
Peace Invaders is a Finnish NGO working to harness the power of technology and media for conflict transformation.
We want peace. We mean business.