Women’s Digital Inclusion in Peacemaking

Technology is increasingly framed as the solution to calls for inclusive peace negotiations. Digital tools such as online dialogues and Natural Language Processing are being identified as new alternatives to the in-person participation of groups that have historically been excluded from peace processes, particularly women. Yet, such digital approaches to peacemaking have the potential to perpetuate the exclusion that they are designed to address. This policy brief shows the risks that digital tools pose to women’s substantive engagement in peacemaking. Digital inclusion misrepresents and subverts women’s agendas. It also denies women the opportunity to address the perceptions of those who oppose gender equality through face-to-face interactions.