Quick Takeout: PeaceTech Alliance at Austrian Forum for PeaceBlog Details

BY NATHAN COYLE / ON 31 JULY, 2025

Quick Takeout: PeaceTech Alliance at Austrian Forum for Peace

On July 4th, the PeaceTech Alliance and the Austrian Centre for Peace hosted a full-day workshop and closed summit as part of the Austrian Forum for Peace—an ongoing platform for dialogue, strategy, and innovation in Austrian peace policy. Designed to bring together actors from across government, academia, civil society, and international organisations, the Forum offers space to shape Austria’s role in peacebuilding in a rapidly changing global landscape.

This session focused on a pressing and forward-looking question: What could a human-centric, values-driven approach to PeaceTech look like—and how might Austria lead not through dominance, but through trust, neutrality, and ethical innovation?

The gathering brought together a wide mix of voices—independent officers from several federal ministries, including the Chancellery, Defence, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry for Women, Science and Research—alongside participants from universities, the third sector, and international organisations, as well as technologists, peace practitioners, artists, and civil society actors.

What emerged wasn’t a fixed strategy, but a shared sense of direction. A vision. One grounded in Austria’s unique strengths: neutrality, trust, diplomacy, and a long-standing commitment to human rights and multilateralism.

Key Themes from the Forum

• Austria is well-placed to lead differently
  Rather than chasing scale or technological dominance, Austria can lead with values. Its credibility in peacebuilding and its commitment to digital humanism position it as a trusted actor—able to connect ethics, diplomacy, and technology in a meaningful way.
• A national PeaceTech sandbox could become reality
  There was strong support for Austria to serve as a neutral testbed for PeaceTech tools—where ethical digital solutions can be co-developed, trialled, and refined in partnership with those working directly on the ground.
• PeaceTech needs skills, not just software
  A recurring theme was the need to bridge gaps between peacebuilders, policymakers, and technologists. That means creating shared learning environments, prioritising low-tech and mobile-first innovation, and investing in long-term capacity building.
• Data sovereignty must be front and centre
  Participants emphasised that ethical data governance is essential: not just who collects data, but who owns it, how it’s used, and whether it truly serves the needs of communities in conflict-affected settings. Austria could help shape global standards here.
• The ecosystem is growing—but needs coordination
  Momentum exists, but it’s fragmented. A national mapping of actors, better cross-sector engagement, and a shared PeaceTech narrative were all identified as next steps. The PeaceTech Alliance was highlighted as a key player in helping build this coordination.

A full synthesis paper is currently in preparation. But already, the message from July 4th is clear: Austria has both the credibility and the opportunity to shape PeaceTech as infrastructure for care, not just code—an approach rooted in cooperation, inclusion, and long-term peace.

PeaceTech doesn’t need to start with strategy. It can start with vision.