The Digital Transformation Strategy of UN Peacekeeping uses data, technology and innovation to better equip missions – operating in complex environments – to tackle current and future challenges and work more efficiently.
Goals
Digital Transformation helps peacekeeping missions leverage data and technology, drive innovation and improve decision-making to:
- Enhance Operational Effectiveness
- Strengthen Safety and Security
- Improve Mandate Implementation
Making peacekeeping stronger through data, technology and innovation
Digital transformation of UN peacekeeping focuses on three key areas that drive sustainable and impactful transformation:
- Making better use of data in missions: Building an ecosystem combining data, tools and expertise for seamless collaboration and decision-making at headquarters and in missions. This involves the systematic collection, management and use of data to drive impact.
- Improving management of digital initiatives: Strengthening the governance of digital projects so they respond to priority needs and have sustainable funding.
- Supporting innovation in peacekeeping: Helping identify peacekeeping challenges and support development of digital and data solutions by providing resources, learning and hands-on assistance.
Impact in the field
Enhancing situational awareness and operational planning
Situational Awareness helps peacekeepers analyze and understand the state of the environment for mission decision-making to improve safety, security and operational effectiveness in missions.
How we do it:
The Unite Aware (UA) platform collects, manages and visualizes situational awareness data. For example, the UA platform enables peacekeeping personnel to record and share data on incidents and events in a coordinated manner, plan and track patrols in real time, and visualize and analyze this data using advanced data analytics and GIS technologies.
These capabilities enable timely and coordinated responses bolstered by improved incident notification, reporting and patrol management.
Driving innovation
The Digital Transformation Team identifies challenges across UN Peacekeeping – both in the field and at headquarters – and leverages data and technology to develop new and effective ways of working to address them.
How we do it:
The Digital Transformation Team supports knowledge exchange and skills development across missions, including monthly learning sessions and creating communities for innovators and data-focused staff to share practices.
Innovation accelerators, hackathons, and on-demand support mechanisms bring together diverse teams to co-create solutions for peacekeeping challenges.
Resources and capacity-building – including in areas like Generative AI – ensure UN personnel have the resources to use digital systems, platforms, and tools to facilitate daily tasks and improve efficiency.
Strengthening Approaches to Addressing Harmful Information
Misleading or inaccurate information can undermine peacekeeping efforts by distorting facts and perceptions. The Information Integrity Unit provides missions with guidance, support, training, and tools for addressing misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech.
How we do it:
By monitoring and analyzing information risks early, missions can articulate responses to threats like:
- Misinformation disrupting operations
- False narratives undermining the safety and security of peacekeepers
These responses can include:
- Proactive and reactive public communications
- Community outreach
- Political advocacy
- Engagement with tech platforms
Advancing Whole-of-Mission Impact Assessment
Understanding the impact of field missions’ work is critical to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of peacekeeping mandate delivery. Missions are using data to evaluate progress against mandated activities like protecting civilians and ceasefire monitoring with the Comprehensive Planning and Performance Assessment System (CPAS).
How we do it:
By gathering, analyzing and visualizing data from various systems across the mission, CPAS lets leadership identify where activities are most impactful and where resources might be reallocated. This allows missions to swiftly identify ineffective tasks and reorient staff to support mandate implementation.
Who’s coordinating this work?
Digital transformation is happening throughout UN peacekeeping. At our headquarters, a small Digital Transformation Team partners with peacekeeping missions and digital initiative teams to deliver effective solutions to support field needs. Another key partner is the UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT). It provides technical guidance, ICT services, and infrastructure for digital projects, in line with the UN ICT Strategy.