Phase 3
Main negotiations
Phase description
This phase involves various Dialogue activities at the local, regional and national level that aim at the development of a joint outcome document. These processes will be conducted by the mechanisms established earlier, such as consultations. The negotiations may be broad-based and inclusive, offering space to political parties, civil society, women, youth, business, religious, and traditional actors, or may be characterized by limited conventional inclusion, offering few seats for civil society and political parties, as well as top-down agenda setting. In addition, civil society actors may run parallel processes with the aim of broadening participation in the process. The phase often ends with a nation-wide National Dialogue Conference.
Explore the following 4 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
Public digital consultations
This online discussion forum enables consultative processes with a broad cross-section of the population. The website would allow back-and-forth, interactive communication between the mediator and the population during the ongoing negotiation process, focused on specific and tangible elements of the negotiations. Ideally, such digital consultations should be complemented by offline consultations. A social media campaign could be run to invite people to the online discussion forum. Qualitative data gathered through this process could be analyzed and synthesized through text analysis tools that leverage Artificial Intelligence.
Important context factors
Digital consultations require a high level of political will among those at the negotiation table, as well as a capacity to integrate large amounts of feedback into negotiations. In addition, the public should feel comfortable enough to express themselves openly through digital means and have access to relevant technologies.
Risks and possible unintended consequences
- Information that goes into a digital consultation may not be processed in time to feed into the negotiations
- The digital consultation may raise false expectations among the population if there is insufficient commitment to integrate the results into the negotation process
- There may be increased fragmentation and polarization in the population as a result of consulting more people about what’s on the agenda of discussions
- Spoilers may use the digital consultation to unduly skew the agenda of discussions
Strategic purpose of digital inclusion
Functions of digital Technology
Outputs of digital Technology
Technologies used
Online discussion forum, social media, Natural language processing
Use Case 3
Virtual exchange between conflict parties
This tool could be used to build trust between communities on different sides of the conflict and build momentum for a developing or ongoing peace process. Cohorts of 8-12 people reflecting different dividing lines would participate in a series of exchanges. The topics of each discussion would be announced, and the participants would be asked to provide their feedback. The virtual exchange would take place before or in parallel to the formal dialogue process, focusing on shared needs and allowing participants to lead the conversation and topics. Through the process, participants would begin to understand and feel empathy towards each other, supporting an enabling environment for peace negotiations.
Important context factors
Successful virtual exchange requires strong facilitation and a high quality platform to ensure success. The type of conflict and types of grievances among the population influences to which degree a meaningful online dialogue is possible. The proximity of the participants to the formal peace negotiations determines the impact of the virtual exchange on the overall mediation.
Risks and possible unintended consequences
- Spoilers may aim to sabotage the dialogue by leaking the content of the discussions or spreading misinformation about it
- High-profile participants may assert undue influence and monopolize the dialogue
- There may be limited progress or limited substantial outcomes of the dialogue activities
Strategic purpose of digital inclusion
Functions of digital Technology
Outputs of digital Technology
Technologies used
Video conferencing
Use Case 4
Countering misinformation about the negotiations
This reporting and analysis system tracks the spread of misinformation on social media and offline. The system would combine automatic monitoring of specific keywords and accounts on social media with reports from critical informants on rumors that they are picking up. Informants could be civil society actors trusted by the mediation team. Such rumors could include false information about security incidents, such as ceasefire violations, about the negotiation process, as well as any other information that mediators consider might derail peace talks. Once a rumour relevant to the negotiations is identified, the system would analyse its factual validity, source, spread and impact on public opinion. This analysis would be used by mediation support actors to counter the rumor with targeted messaging.
Important context factors
The availability of suitable informants is critical to the effectiveness of the system. The system requires a reliable and fast communication infrastructure that allows for swift analysis and response. The reach of the audience for counter messages depends on their digital literacy, language diversity, and connectedness to communication infrastructures.
Risks and possible unintended consequences
- By addressing a rumour in order to debunk it, more attention may be drawn to it than if it had gone unmentioned
- Counter messages may not work if not appropriately crafted based on the context and the information ecosystem environment.
Strategic purpose of digital inclusion
Functions of digital Technology
Outputs of digital Technology
Technologies used
Apps, online forms, SMS systems, social media analysis tools
Proceed to another phase
Phase 3