Attachments
Technology is increasingly framed as the solution to calls for inclusive peace negotiations. Digital tools such as online dialogues and Natural Language Processing are being identified as new alternatives to the in-person participation of groups that have historically been excluded from peace processes, particularly women. Yet, such digital approaches to peacemaking have the potential to perpetuate the exclusion that they are designed to address. This policy brief shows the risks that digital tools pose to women’s substantive engagement in peacemaking. Digital inclusion misrepresents and subverts women’s agendas. It also denies women the opportunity to address the perceptions of those who oppose gender equality through face-to-face interactions.
Brief Points
• Digital technology is hailed as a solution to the pervasive exclusion of women and other marginalized groups from peace negotiations. This framing does not acknowledge the risks that such technology presents.
• Digital tools misrepresent women’s agendas, failing to capture their complexity due to the algorithmic bias and objectives embedded in technology.
• Women face financial and social barriers to voicing their opinions and interests online. As a result, access limits women’s use of digital tools and determines which women engage in conflict resolution.
• Digital participation sidesteps a predominant challenge to gender equality and the importance of a physical seat at the table to address it. Women need in-person interactions to break down the antagonism of individuals and groups that oppose gender equality