Technology and development

In recent years we have witnessed an orchestrated effort of the EU, the UN and many developed countries to introduce Information Technology and new technologies as tools to accelerate development.

Seeds of Peace (www.seedsofpeace.org) founded in 1993, uses a taste-of-the-art technology to enable teenagers across border to engage in democratic dialogue within their SeedNetsource library. It supports dialogue during period of unrest, thus contributing towards reconciliation and coexistance. The network has over 2,500 young people from 4 conflict regions.org

The Watson Institute has created a system that facilitates global debates (www.infopeace.org) and investigates how global actors make use of IT to influence world politics.

Using mobile technology

Vodafone and mobile solutions

Access to communications is postulated as a means of superior distribution of money. Using the concept of M-Money (Mobile money) there have been trials in Kenya to allow mobile users to pay school fees, micro-finance loan repayments, deliver humanitarian aid etc. There is further research being done into the overall socio-economic impact of mobiles in India and Turkey (Vodafone mobilising development report, 08/09, p. 13).

Vodafone plans to “establish our policy on assisting law enforcement by March 2010” (p. 20, Vodafone report).

Partnership through the Vodafone Foundation called Frontline SMS for NGOs to be able to transmit messages instantly for health outbreaks, HIV awareness etc.

Safaricom’s M-PESA service in Kenya was one of 10 private sector initiatives in 2008 to be recognised by the World Business and Development Award as making a significant contribution to the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Celtel (Source: de Catheu, “Growing Inclusive Markets” initiative of UNDP, 2007)

Celtel is a mobile telecommunications company in Africa (with its headquarters in the Netherlands). It entered the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2000 at the time of a civil war and where more than 75% of the population lived on less than $1 a day. Infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, financial institutions, and media, was and remains either absent or in a dire state. Insecurity from armed groups was rampant, and isolation and pauperization of communities were consequently common. As a result, it was a challenge for Celtel to deploy its staff, cell phone towers, satellite dishes, and generators. Nevertheless, fixed-line telephone penetration was and remains minimal whereas the need for telecommunication is significant. Many people became displaced during the war and mobile communication has proven to be essential for the reintegration of communities and to reunite families. Displaced people and refugees formed a natural market for Celtel. In response to these conditions, Celtel built its business model on mobile telephony, prepaid cards, shared-access, and local distribution. Prepaid cards avoid the problems of having to deal with bad debts. Handsets can be shared by family members and by communities. Local entrepreneurs (“mamans GSM”) may rent the handset from Celtel and start a mobile Celtel kiosk to earn a living. Access to microcredit can be vital for these local entrepreneurs. Celtel also makes clever use of the ongoing reconstruction efforts in its marketing activities; for example, in many villages the only recently painted walls are Celtel red and yellow (i.e., the walls of the vendor units of Celtel), UN blue, and Vodacom (a competitor) white, green, and blue. In a culture of the spoken word, Celtel’s “advertising campaigns emphasize re-connecting people previously separated, believing in oneself, and building a new tomorrow, all themes that resonate in a post-conflict country”.

Furthermore, its “quality of service takes into account social challenges such as illiteracy”. For example, Celtel has been setting up customer care centers throughout the country. Celtel has also paid great attention to the development of locally appropriate applications such as the development of Celpay (now owned by another company), a mobile banking system, which enables the poor to transfer funds through encrypted SMS. This way Celtel does not need to travel with large amounts of money. Given the lack of a financial infrastructure and the danger of holding cash, it has become one of the most popular means of payment in the country. Celtel also engages in local capacity building. For example, it partners the government in a demobilization and reintegration program for formercombatants. Celpay facilitates the payments to these former combatants. The Congolese people benefit enormously from this mobile communication as it helps compensate for the present lack of infrastructure, security, and social cohesion. Mobile communication augments people’s access to information and their ability to do business; “farmers and small entrepreneurs can reduce the cost of travel, get information on the priceof goods to buy and sell as well as on security and road conditions. Job applicants can seek information on training and on opportunities in both the formal and informal sector”. It also increases access to basic health and education services where it can be difficult to transport people to a doctor. “There are many cases of former street children and child soldiers who have turned to selling prepaid cards for a living”. Celtel has invested over US$300 million in the Congo. It had over 2 million customers in 2007 and is profitable.

Technology and Peace

Media Release, Thursday 15 May 2003

Traditionally, the peace movement has been suspicious of technology as opposition to particular inventions, such as nuclear technology, has translated into opposition to technology in general.

University of Melbourne researchers are helping show that there is no inherent conflict between peace and technological development. In fact, technology can offer new mechanisms to serve the values of peace.

The University of Melbourne has a proud history of contributing to peace and non-violent resolution of conflict in Australia and has launched an ambitious project to compile an inventory of all research and other activities contributing to peace associated with the University. This will not only map the University’s current contribution, but will also build future capacity through establishing a University-wide peace network.

The Peace Inventory project forms part of the lead up to the major international conference International Perspectives on Peace and Reconciliation being hosted by the University of Melbourne as its flagship conference for its 150th anniversary year.

Reporting War and Peace

One important application of technology is enabling communication and connection between people beyond their immediate environment. Modern communication technologies such as live satellite broadcasting, the Internet or video cameras have the potential to create empathy and understanding on a global scale.

Simon Cottle is a Professor and Director of the Media and Communications Program. His research interests include the impact of journalism on the mediation of conflicts and social problems. Recent books include Media Organization and Production (2003) and News, Public Relations and Power (2003). He is currently writing Media Performance and Public Transformation: The Racist Murder of Stephen Lawrence (2004), and Mediatized Conflicts: Understanding Media and Conflict in the Contemporary World (2004).

“Today journalism makes use of fast-developing technologies and can report conflicts and catastrophes often as they happen in real-time. Former barriers of time and space, it seems, have been overcome through instantaneous global communications. Depending on how they are deployed, these technologies can enable or disable public expression and elaboration of contending interests and give voice to the differences of identity, experience, values and histories that inform conflicts.

“While some argue that this opens up new possibilities for an international public sphere of understanding and even moral solidarity with the plight of distant others, others suggest that these new media have induced ‘compassion fatigue’ and rarely provide us with more than superficial comment.

“Many of the undergraduate courses in the University of Melbourne’s BA (Media and Communications) and postgraduate (MA Global Media Communications and MA Global Journalism) programmes of study examine the role of media in reporting and exacerbating conflicts as well as their potential to play a more constructive role in enhancing public understanding of the issues and identities are at stake.

“A major study being undertaken in the Media and Communications Program is examining for the first time how news, current affairs and documentary television formats mediate global issues and conflicts – such as migration, terrorism and ecology. We’re looking at how media formats are currently being used in different countries and how they could be developed in the future.”

Computers and Conflict

Technology also creates new mechanisms for direct communication between conflicting parties. New internet technologies potentially offer more effective and efficient techniques for resolving both online and offline disputes.

Melissa Conley Tyler is a staff member at the International Conflict Resolution Centre who is currently conducting a major research project on online alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for the Department of Justice, Victoria. ADR involves an impartial person assisting people in a dispute to resolve their problems. Online ADR refers to dispute resolution through information technology, particularly the internet.

“There has been an explosion of interest in online dispute resolution worldwide as people have grappled with the difficulty of using traditional methods in cross-border online disputes.

“If you’ve bought a faulty piece of equipment from Oregon for $100 over the internet, you’re not going to launch an international court case to resolve the dispute. And even for disputes where parties could use other methods, there can be advantages to resolving disputes online such as reducing time and travel costs and helping people who are intimidated by meeting face to face.

“The 76 online dispute resolution systems we’ve surveyed have adapted a number of processes for use online, such as complaint handing, mediation, arbitration and case appraisal. Modern systems use a secure website with encryption and password protection. They deal with a broad range of disputes, from family law and insurance claims to internet domain name disputes. The most successful has settled more than 200,000 disputes.

“We can foresee a time when online communication will be as ubiquitous as the telephone. It’s not a question of whether online dispute resolution will happen – it’s a question of when and how. The key is to help people experience new online technologies so they can see their potential to resolve disputes.”

Sustainable Technologies

Finally, technology can contribute to reducing conflict by promoting sustainable development that is good for all of the world’s people and for the environment.

While some conflicts are about misunderstanding and can be resolved by better communication, others are about access to scarce resources. Without human ingenuity and the development of innovative technology, it is likely that resource scarcity will lead to increased conflict around the world.

Hector Malano is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the International Technologies Centre. He is a member of the International Water Resources Association and is currently Vice-President of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage.

“My first job was on an irrigation project in a rather poor area of Argentina and this brought home the reality that the livelihood of most of the farmers around the world depends on water. Within the broad scope of water resources I focus my research primarily on water sharing in river basins as well as irrigation for agriculture.

“The need for integrated water management is particularly obvious in complex multi-jurisdictional situations such as river basins. Two of the most complex areas I’ve worked on are the Mekong and Murray-Darling river basins. The role of planning is essential in international river basins where water shortages are likely to become potential sources of conflict in future.

“Water resources policy plays a vital role in water allocation and competition. In turn, water supply is vital to maintaining public health in hot climates. The International Technologies Centre has developed an integrated modelling system for sustainable water allocation and supply planning and has assisted with water management issues in countries including China, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka.

“Irrigation is the activity within water resources that consumes most of the water around the world. Roughly 90% of the water being withdrawn from rivers and other sources around the world is for agriculture. When water supplies become stressed, the only option in most cases is to reduce the amount of water that is used for agriculture.

“In developing countries where farming is for subsistence, the only way that water use can be reduced is by improving the efficiency of irrigation. Often 40-50% of water used for irrigation is lost before it gets to the crop it is intended for, so there is plenty of room for technology and management to reduce the amount of water loss.”

Lu Aye is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Deputy Director of the International Technologies Centre. His research focuses on better understanding of energy efficient technologies and their implementation, particularly in developing countries. He has been involved in diverse projects from introducing solar energy at the Queen Victoria Markets to developing a manual on practical aspects of energy conservation for Thailand.

“The International Technologies Centre makes a contribution to peace through promoting sustainable development. We teach postgraduate courses in environmental engineering, energy, water resources, utilities management, development technologies and project management to provide graduates with the appropriate skills to tackle complex problems. The Centre also plays a role through research and consulting on issues such as management of water resources, water supply and sanitation, alternative sources of energy and infrastructure management.

“We teach the importance of managing energy resources to meet global and local needs for sustainability and minimal environmental impact. This includes improving energy efficiency in gasoline and diesel vehicles, solar and electric air conditioning, renewable energy use in rural industries, solar drying systems, heat pump design and performance estimation and alternative refrigeration fluids.

“There is no alternative to learning to manage the world’s resources better. Both improved technologies and policy and management changes are needed to create this.”

Source: University of Melbourne http://voice.unimelb.edu.au/view.php?articleID=609