Peacekeeping Tech:
Conferences, Institutions and Recent Publications
Preliminary version (Prototype)
The United Nations seeks to incroporate appropriate technology into its peace operations in a way that increases the effectiveness of the missions and the safety of its peacekeepers. It created the Partnership for Technology in Peacekeeping in 2014 to facilitate work with a wide range of organizations, including member states, regional organizations, think tanks, and academic/scientific institutions. To help identify and bring together potential sources of expertise, this webpage lists a varitety of public actvities (all with internet links) directly relevant to peacekeeping technology. Currently in the prototype stage, the website will be improved over time with feedback from potential users.
CONTENTS
Conferences/events
Institutions
Publications (recent)
CONFERENCES
(including technology exhibits)
2019 (tentative)
| Jan 21-24 | Shield Africa: responses to Security & Defence needs for a safer Africa. | COGES, GICAT (French Land and Airland Defence and Security Industries Association) |
Abidjan |
| TBD | PeaceTech Summit | PeaceTech and USIP (see 2016 Summit) | Washington, DC |
Past years: 2018
| Jan 30-31 | International Military Helicopter | International Quality & Productivity Centre (IQPC) | London |
| Feb 26-28 | Military Radar Summit | Arlington, VA | |
| Jun 11-15 | Eurosatory: Defence & Security Interantional Exhibition (Land & Airland Reference) | COGES, GICAT (French Land and Airland Defence and Security Industries Association) |
Paris |
| TBD | PeaceTech Summit | PeaceTech and USIP (see 2016 Summit) | Washington, DC |
Past years: 2017
| Jan 19-20 | International Conference on Sustainable Peace, Preventing and Resolving Conflicts (ICSPPRC 2017) | World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (WASET) | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Feb 2 | C4ISR and Beyond | Promotive Communications Inc., Vanguard Magazine | Ottawa, Canada |
| Mar 21-23 | Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development (DIHAD) Conference & Exhibition 2017 | Index Conferences & Exhibitions | Dubai, UAE |
| Mar 27-28 | Smart Surveillance for Safer Cities | International Quality & Productivity Centre (IQPC) | Abu Dhabi, UAE |
| Mar 29-30 | Future Soldier Technology | SMi Group | London, UK |
| Apr 3-5 | Sea Air Space Exp | Navy League of the United States | National Harbor, MD USA |
| Apr 25-26 | Medical Support Operations | International Quality & Productivity Centre (IQPC) | London, UK |
| Apr 26-28 | Netmod 2017: Military network Modernization | International Quality & Productivity Centre (IQPC) | Abu Dhabi, UAE |
| May 9-10 | C4ISR Summit Middle East | International Quality & Productivity Centre (IQPC) | Abu Dhabi, UAE |
| May 15-18 | 2017 SOFIC | Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, National Defence Industrial Association (Disruptive Technologies and International Security) | Tampa, FL |
| May 23 -24 | Disruptive Technologies and International Security | Geneva Centre for Security Policy | Geneva, Switzerland |
| June 5-9 | Venture Peacebuilding Symposium ("puts the business world together with peacebuilders and conflict scholars") |
International Peace & Security Institute (IPSI), Johns Hopkins, Foundation for Inclusion | Washington, DC |
| June 6-9 | Haiti Tech Impact Summit | We Startup Haiti | Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| July 20-22 | International Humanitarian Technology Conference (IHTC) | IEEE Canada | Toronto, Canada |
| Aug 10 | Washington, D.C. Tech Security Conference 2017 | Washington, DC | |
| Aug 21-23 | UAS Summit & Expo | BBI International | Grand Forks, ND |
| Aug 22-24 | Military Radar | International Quality & Productivity Centre (IQPC) | London |
| Sept 20-21 | Military Airlift 2017 | International Quality & Productivity Centre (IQPC) | London |
|
Oct 19-22 |
Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC) | IEEE (Inst. Electrical & Electronic Engineers) Santa Clara ection |
San Jose, California, USA |
| Oct 23-26 | Radar 2017 (intern. conf. on radar systems) | Institution of Engineering and Technology | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nov 21-24 | Milipol Paris 2017 (20th edition, Homeland security) |
Comexposium (with patronage of French Ministry of Interior) | Paris |
| TBD | PeaceTech Summit | PeaceTech and USIP (see 2016 Summit) | Washington, DC |
Past events: 2016
| Nov 7-11 |
Third international Partnership for Technology in Peacekeeping Symposium |
United Nations, ICTD/DFS | Seoul, R. of Korea |
|
Nov 7-10 |
NEThope, "The Digital NGO: Turn Intent into Action" |
Global Summit 2016 |
Atlanta, GA, USA |
|
Nov 15-17 |
6th “Mine Action Technology Workshop” (esp. mobile tech), #MineAction TWS |
GICDH/UNMAS |
Lyon, France |
|
Nov 15-17 |
Barcelona, Spain |
||
|
Dec 6 |
Canada and UAVs: Future Prospects for Emerging Defence Technology |
NATO Association of Canada |
Toronto, Canada |
|
Dec 8-9 |
International Workshop on the Safe and Secure Management of Ammunition |
Geneva, Switzerland |
Other event lists:
Eventbrite: search using Google search
Humanitarian Technology (annual conference in Boston for "scientists, engineers, technologists and policymakers"): 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017?
US Air Force list: www.airforce-technology.com/exhibitions/,
Drone Conferences: Skytango list
Possible categories/items to add: conferences/meetings on specific technologies: e.g., defence technologies, environmentally friendly tech, UAVs, etc. Events in New York, Washington, DC, Geneva, and Vienna or near the Global Services Centre (Brindisi, Italy & Valencia, Spain) are particularly useful.
INSTITUTIONS
(to include contact info, if not on website)
Educational
TechChange ("online professional development in technology and social change"): courses
Foundations
Government (Programmes, Research and Training/Educational Institutions)
Canada:
Canadian Forces College (CFC Papers)
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)
Centre for Security Science (CSS) (specializes in public safety and domestic security)
Korea:
Korea Reasearch Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS), Open GIS
United States:
Agency for International Development (2014)
2014; 2014; 2014
Center for Technology and National Security Policy (2014), National Defense University
Disaster Apps Challenge, Explosive Remnants of War and Land Mine Reporting Apps Challenge
Department of Defence, support for peacekeeping, 2016 Defence Ministerial
Technology Source Book: Enabling Technologies for UN Peacekeeping Operations, 2015 (pdf)
PeaceTech Lab, linked to US Institute for Peace (USIP)
* PeaceTech is "typically low cost, easy to use, and highly accessible" to help mediate conflict between groups, protect people, end violence, and/or deal with root causes of conflict
* PeaceTech Scalerator (Accelerator) program helps start-ups scale (into larger operations) through structured mentorship and a peer network, with a pitch day for founders to potential investors.
STAR/TIDES Annual technology demonstration, Washington, DC, Contact
(Sharing To Accelerate Research – Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support)
Tech demo schedules: 2016, 2015, 2014
White House (Obama Administration)
FACT SHEET: U.S. Support to Peace Operations 2015 Leaders’ Summit on UN Peacekeeping, 28 September 2015 ("The United States will increase the provision of material support to the UN and become a leading 'technology contributing country' ")
Miscellaneous
International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres (IAPTC)
NGOs and Think Tanks
Canada
Canadian Pugwash Group - Conferences on global security issues, with focus on science
Peace Geeks
Science for Peace
World Federalist Movement Canada
Europe
UNITAR’s Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) based at CERN, Switzerland
Germany
Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF)
International
Drones for Good
Switzerland
Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining
ICT for Peace
UK-based
Vertic (Verification Research, Training and Information Centre)
US
Protect the People
PeaceTech Lab (see government/US above)
UAViators ("safe, coordinated and effective use of UAVs" for humanitarian ops and development)
Professional Societies and Industry Associations
(note: specific commercial corporations not included)
Devex ("media platform for the global development community") explores mostly software like apps, and initiatives like Global2Local
IEEE (Institute for Electical and Electronic Engineers, "the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity")
IEEE GHTC (Global Humanitarian Technology Conference in Seattle or the Bay Area), 2016 (Seattle), 2017
IEEE IHTC (International Humanitarian Technology Conference) 2015 (Ottawa), 2016 (?), 2017 (Toronto, Facebook)
IEEE Region 10 (Asia and Pacific) Humanitarian Technology Conference, 2016 (Agra)
IEEE Sight (IEEE volunteers on "technology for sustainable development"), produces magazine IEEE Stpectrum
UN Bodies and International Organizations
Academic Impact (UNAI), "global initiative that aligns institutions of higher education with the United Nations in furthering the realization of the purposes and mandate of the Organization."
Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC, led by World Food Programme, WFP)
Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), incl. Science Portal
Global Pulse ("harnessing big data for development and humanitarian action")
Global Services Centre (GSC in Brindisi and Valencia): ICT & GIS support
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): Humanitarian Data Exchange
Partnership for Technology in Peacekeeping (led by ICTD/DFS/UN)
Symposia: 2014, 2015, 2016 (agenda),
ReliefWeb.int: site search on technology
Security Council
Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations: Technology meetings, 2013, 2016,
Signals Academy (Entebbe Support Centre, ESC-based, linked to Regional Training & Conference Centre or RTCC )
Mine Action Service (UNMAS)
Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
United Nations University (UNU)
Computing and Society (UNU-CS, Digital Peace Lab, ICT in peacekeeping project)
Universities
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in partnership with United Nations Academic Impact, creared MIT Solve to help address some of the world's most challenging problems, including: refugee education, carbon contributions, chronic diseases
National University of Science and Technology, Korea
RECENT PUBLICATIONS: SELECTED THEMES
(2014 onwards)
Apps
Heydarpour, Roja, 6 tech companies changing the face of peacekeeping, Devex, September 2015.
Comms & IT
Energy
Humanitarian tech
Landmines and Counter-IED
Sharland, Lisa, Counter-IED Technology in UN Peacekeeping: Expanding Capability and Mitigating Risks, International Peacekeeping, Vol. 22 , Iss. 5, 2015.
Monitoring & analysis tech
Peacekeeping tech (General)
Dorn, A. Walter, “Smart Peacekeeping: Toward Tech-Enabled UN Operations,” International Peace Institute, New York, July 2016. (pdf)
United Nations, "Performance Peacekeeping: Final Report of the Expert Pannel on Technology and Innovation in UN peacekeeping," (UN panel, 2015) (pdf, 11 MB)
United Nations, "Factsheet: DPKO/DFS 2015-16 Implementation Strategy for the Recommendations of the Expert Panel on Technology and Innovation in UN Peacekeeping" (pdf, 760 KB)
United States (Department of Defense), Technology Source Book: Enabling Technologies for UN Peacekeeping Operations, Washington, DC, 2015 (pdf)
Protection tech (force, convoys, civilians)
Situational awareness (see Monitoring and analysis tech)
Telemedicine
Transport
Tracking
A. Walter Dorn and Christoph Semken, "Blue Mission Tracking: Real-Time Location of UN Peacekeepers," International Peacekeeping, Vol.22, No.5, 2015, pp.1–20. (online) (pdf)
UAVs
United Nations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Unmanned Ariel Vehicles in Humanitarian Responses, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Humanitarian Response, June 2014.
Sandvik, Kristin Bergtora and Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert, The Good Drone, Routledge, 2017, 202 pp.
Women, Peace and Security (WPS)
UAE and Georgetown University, "Utilizing Modern Technology in Peacekeeping Operations To Improve Security for Women and Girls," no date (pdf)
Bibliographies (on peacekeeping tech):
Monitoring technology (Appendix (pdf) in Keeping Watch: Monitoring, Technology and Innovation in UN Peacekeeping, 2011.
Extra Notes
To develop: list of subject areas
(Add also from tech lists from Dorn's previous work, incl mandates list)
Possibly to add: requirements and common problems needing solutions