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

Data Connectors

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"
(https://nethopeglobalsummit2016.sched.org, includes Exhibitors)

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

 Smart City Expo

 

 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

GICDH

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: 201620152014 
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