Dear Colleagues,
Since 2005, the Swiss government has funded a project called “ICT4Peace” that focuses on the application of information and communication technology (ICT) to support activities promoting peace in areas of conflict.
This process developed out of my involvement as co-organiser of Phase 1 of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Switzerland in December 2003. Despite evidence that conflict has a direct and negative impact on development processes, ICT4Peace was not a priority of the first phase of the WSIS. The Swiss government felt that it was worth exploring these issues further, particularly in the context of WSIS and the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.
We hope that the website will become a useful resource for the emerging ICT4P community, and that it will provide a platform for ongoing research and dialogue in this critically important but under-supported field. Please send us any comments and suggestions you may have concerning ways to promote the objectives mentioned above and to make the website a vibrant and helpful community resource.
Yours,
Daniel Stauffacher
Chairman of the ICT4Peace Foundation and Former Delegate of the Swiss Federal Council for the World Summit on the Information Society