The theme
Today’s world is increasingly marked by protracted wars and polarised societies. While political leaders routinely refer to peace as a priority, trust in mediation and peace processes is eroding. Even more worryingly, armed conflict is increasingly perceived as a legitimate way to settle international disputes and exercise power, while international law and human rights are often ignored.
In the digital age, information and communication technologies (ICT) are profoundly reshaping the ways in which wars are waged and how dialogue and peaceful relations can be promoted. Although often associated with risks and threats, digital technologies can offer new opportunities to strengthen mediation, inclusion and access to peace processes, especially for women, young people and marginalised groups.
The strategic use of technology becomes not only an object of study, but also a concrete tool for testing innovative peacebuilding practices. The digital dimension makes it possible, for example, to broaden participation, facilitate intercultural exchange, monitor crises in real time and make decision-making processes more transparent and accessible.
Agency for Peacebuilding has launched a series of research projects and initiatives that aim to explore, critically and constructively, the potential of digital technologies to foster a fairer, more effective and more sustainable peace. This page brings together the analyses and contributions AP has produced on digital technology applied to peace, which culminated in May 2025 with the seventh edition of the Bologna Peacebuilding Forum, entitled “Smart Peace. Tech. Human. Possible.”
Useful content:
Relive the highlights of the Forum here:
Read the main contents of the forum:
- Study “Strategic Foresight in Italian Foreign Policy”
- Scientific report of the conference “Smart Peace. Tech. Human. Peace.”
You may also be interested in the following content on the same topic:
- From Gaza to Sudan: dystopia and expectations of artificial intelligence by Bernardo Venturi
- “From cyberwar to cyberpeace” by Mikhail Silvestro Sustersic
The Bologna Peacebuilding Forum
Now in its seventh edition, the Bologna Peacebuilding Forum (BPF) has become a leading international event where scholars and practitioners discuss the new frontiers of peacebuilding. This edition offered a space to analyse and discuss the challenges and opportunities for peacebuilding in the digital age, reflecting on how technology can be used in a smart and human-centred way.
The BPF took place over three days of conferences, round tables, working groups and workshops in several historic venues in Bologna, involving experts, institutions, young people and practitioners. The event was structured on several levels: political and institutional connections on the first day, academic and outreach reflections on digital and international innovation on the second, and the engagement of new generations on the third. The full programme, with the list of experts who took part, is available on the website.
