Representing the ICT4Peace Foundation, Sanjana Hattotuwa participated and lectured in Information and Intelligence Cooperation in Multifunctional International Operations, a course run by the Folke Bernadotte Academy in Sandö – Stockholm. Participants included high ranking officials from government, NGOs, UN and EU peacekeeping operations and MACs, analysts and information managers. As FBA notes,
The aim of this course is to develop and improve cooperation and sharing of information and intelligence in multifunctional missions by giving senior officers and professionals involved in or designated to work in multifunctional operations the ability to build functional networks and systems for collection, analysis and dissemination of information and intelligence.
Participants will learn how to improve communication and cooperation between the different actors in the mission area and gain knowledge of how information and intelligence networks can be built depending on needs and special conditions. They will develop their understanding of different actors and their respective information needs as a necessary point of departure for cooperation and coordination.
Earlier this year, the ICT4Peace Foundation and FBA signed an MoU to cooperate in the furtherance of training and capacity building in the field of crisis information management for peace support operations. The Foundation’s input into Information and Intelligence Cooperation in Multifunctional International Operations stems from this MoU.
In class feedback, all participants appreciated the presentations made by Sanjana Hattotuwa on crisis information management, open source information generation, verification, analysis and visualisation, information security, open and big data as well as cutting-edge processes, tools and platforms in social media that today are transforming the domains of peacekeeping, peacebuilding and governance.
In addition, Sanjana also ran a simulation exercise in which participants were challenged to use around 30 leading systems and platforms for crisis information management so as to strengthen real world capacity to deal with today’s complex and evolving information ecosystems.