Phase 2
Planning and preparation
Phase description
The National Dialogue is officially announced, and preparations will begin. This requires the gathering of relevant information about the issues at stake and the definition of the Dialogue's mandate. The agenda will be set, and a chair and steering mechanisms will be selected. Participants will be identified, and arrangements for their inclusion and decision-making procedures developed. The planning and preparatory process can be participatory to various degrees and can provide limited levels of control to stakeholders and negotiation parties. For instance, the agenda may be set top-down by the government, while the participants have more freedom in developing the specific themes. There may also be different degrees of influence by third parties, including influential countries and organizations.
Explore the following 3 use case(s) of digital technology:
Use Case 1
Online collaboration in support of the peace process
This website enables collaboration on initiatives relating to the peace talks. Participants from different stakeholder groups can work together to identify common concerns, build coalitions around key issues, and plan joint actions that support the mediation. In addition, members of the public could use the site to identify activities happening in their locality and join them. Results of the collaboration could feed into the negotiation, for instance, by enabling a collaborative approach to agenda-setting. The tool could also help building pressure on the negotiation parties by demonstrating public support for peace and advocating for specific process outcomes. Once an agreement has been reached, the website could also be used to organize initiatives that are included in the formal provisions of the peace agreement. A password-protected version of the website could be available for a closed group of civil society actors for more direct coordination. This tool can be used accross all phases of the process.
Important context factors
This tool requires a relatively open environment and general support for peace from the population, as well as an active civil society and community leaders. The site will require a wide user base from the start to ensure it generates sufficient momentum through a critical mass of activities. This project will be constrained in the context of a divided society, with limited civil society groups and restricted freedom of expression. The use case requires access to the internet for large parts of the population and some culture of civic engagement.
Risks and possible unintended consequences
- There may be limited political momentum if the site is not populated with an initial set of engaging projects
- The site may be misused for initiatives that reinforce division and polarization, or promote partisan interests
Strategic purpose of digital inclusion
Functions of digital Technology
Outputs of digital Technology
Technologies used
Website
Use Case 2
Participatory peace campaign
This online campaign demonstrates progress in the peace process and pressures the conflict parties to join the formal negotiation process. The campaign would operate on social media, where mediation support actors would share multi-media content (videos and photos) that document progress in the peace process. Each piece of media content would link to an online platform through which users could reach out to their political or community representative. Once a formal negotiation process is established, the campaign would demonstrate that there has been tangible progress. It would also invite the users to lobby their political representatives to commit to a peaceful settlement of the conflict. There could also be a “call for action” element, integrated at a later stage. For instance, people could register with the page to sign up for more confidence-building measures and then choose to film or otherwise disseminate that information.
Important context factors
Such a campaign will work best where the population (or at least parts) are in favor of a peaceful settlement. Some degree of freedom of expression is necessary so that people feel safe enough to share content. The campaign will be less effective in the context of a strongly divided population.
Risks and possible unintended consequences
- The campaign may lose momentum and the participants may become disengaged, particularly in the call to action
- A dominant group or party may use the campaign to promote hegemonic views/narratives
- The campaign may be seen as a PR-tool for the peace process if it does not have a broad-based buy-in
- The campaign may revive grievances, or the participants may be unable to agree on a shared political narrative.
Strategic purpose of digital inclusion
Functions of digital Technology
Outputs of digital Technology
Technologies used
Online platform, apps, social media
Use Case 3
Rapid polling: agenda setting
A polling system used to identify and understand core constituency issues in the run-up to negotiations, especially of marginalized and underrepresented groups. The results of this poll would be used for agenda setting and to inform the design of the negotiation process. The polling could take place through dedicated polling apps, online forms, text messaging applications, or SMS systems. The information would be collected, classified, analyzed, and conclusions shared with mediators. The data could also be shared back to the polling participants and distributed among a broader set of organizations involved in the peace process.
Important context factors
There needs to be some pre-existing public acceptance of the process for people to agree to contribute to a poll. Conflict parties and mediators should be willing to incorporate the polling data into the agenda-setting process. The credibility of the organization conducting polling is critical to its success.
Risks and possible unintended consequences
- Groups associated with conflict parties may use the polls to unduly influence the agenda
- Participants may become disillusioned with the process if they feel poll results are not transparently included in the agenda-setting process
- The analysis may be biased, depending on the sampling methodology used
- Mediators may become overwhelmed with data and may lack the capacity to analyze it
- Polls could lead to heightened expectations that cannot be met by the mediation
Strategic purpose of digital inclusion
Functions of digital Technology
Outputs of digital Technology
Technologies used
Online forms, polling apps, messaging services, SMS systems
Proceed to another phase
Phase 2