Technology for Peace
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The Vision
The project Technology For Peace (Tech4Peace) was envisioned and implemented in order to enhance one of the most basic human rights, the right of communication across the military barriers in Cyprus.
Founding members
The Tech4Peace project was founded as one of the projects selected for implementation during a Peace Bazaar organized by the Cyprus Conflict Resolution Trainers Group in 1997 [1]. The members of the founding team were Yiannis Laouris, Harry Anastasiou, Dervis Besimler and Bekir Azgin. They were all members of the Cyprus Conflict Resolution Trainers Group.
Historical Information
The Technology for Peace (Tech4Peace) project began in 1996 with two activities which were practically funded by their participants:
- A bicommunal virtual organisation (known at the time as UCM: United Cyprus Movement) has been set-up on the Internet to discuss matters of general interest and attempt to inform and recruit Cypriots (both Turkish and Greek) who lived abroad. The software for automating the workings of this virtual community was partly designed and developed by Greek Cypriot Yiannis Laouris and Turkish Cypriot Turgut Durduran. The whole system was hosted in various university servers (USA, Australia), but since 1997 it became a "refugee project" because the expenses rose to a level that the participants couldn’t afford.
- In August 1997, Laouris and Anastasiou (from the Greek Cypriot side) in coordination with their counterparts in the North, Dervis Besimler and Bekir Azgin, together with other members of the Initiative from both communities, and all members of the Cyprus Conflict Resolution Trainers Group, planned and materialized an Internet Workshop for students[2]. This activity was funded (provision for space and snacks) by the Fulbright Commission and took place in the Fulbright Building in the Buffer zone.
In 1997, a USAID grant ($12,000 for the Greek Cypriot side) to Dr. Hrach Gregorian of the Institute of World Affairs[3], who has been collaborating with the two sides of the Tech4Peace initiative, was used to purchase for two computers, in the South and four in the North, a server in the States, rent for space and internet fees for six months, and modest facilitators' remunerations. Following two parallel workshops, and a follow-up for a six-month period of virtual negotiations and communication, the project was brought to existence and its significance and contributions became visible.
The project also enjoyed the enthusiastic support of the USAID representation in Cyprus Mrs. Judith Baroody, it received great and positive attention by the media, by diplomats and of course, more importantly, it was embraced by the peace builders of both sides who gradually saw the potential and opportunity provided by cyberspace.
A small follow-up grant by the USIP ($6,000 for GC side) supported the purchase of two additional computers, and paid for internet connection fees during a workshop that took place in the summer of 1998. This workshop signalled the new revised strategy of the Technology for Peace initiative, which was to involve and train active and existing members of bicommunal groups so that they could benefit from the potentials and advantages that virtual cyberspace infrastructures have to offer.
Tech4Peace has also been supported both financially and in terms of man hours by its members. For example, while the funds for renting Internet Services have already been used up, the system continued to operate with subsidees from its members. It has organised and hosted many seminars and workshops, organized many other activities and laid the foundations for the first organized infrastructure for the bicommunal world. In contrast to its numerous activities and significant contributions so far, to this date, it has been supported only by modest funds.
CYBER KIDS has supported the Tech4Peace project by donating funds and space. It hosted the project for 12 months at its own expense and offered technical know-how at no cost.
Needs Assessment at the time of launching
As the political situation stood at the time, the Tech4Peace project provided the only form of communication in a bicommunally structured system between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. The ban on direct bicommunal contacts and events had consequently raised the Tech4Peace project to a new level of significance. For the first time, citizens engaged in peace building had in fact been able to sustain communication through periods of paralysis of the rapprochement efforts resulting from political reasons and impasse. Through e-mails and chatting they could keep the citizen peace process alive, sustaining motivation through difficult times, while anticipating possible progress on the political level. In fact, a number of bicommunal groups which have been active through regular meetings were then requesting training and participation in the Tech4Peace project as the only means of sustaining communication and continuity for their work.
Using technology to promote communication and peace activities in a conflict area like Cyprus, in which physical access was restricted at the time, was a top priority on the agendas of those who wished to support rapprochment. The need for communication between the two sides was obvious. The fact that hundreds of people who were involved in bicommunal activities communicate through emails was to a large degree due to the fact that dozens of people received direct training by Tech4Peace and dozens of others regularly called and requested help, contact information or technical support by Tech4Peace. Volunteers had invested hundreds of hours supporting all those who wished to stay in contact with the other side.
It is probably fair to state that peace builders from both sides, viewed the initiative as their virtual "office" which provided them support at all levels.
Moreover, a new Coordinating Group has been formed in each respective community which is making full use of the group e-mailing system that we have set up in the context of the initiative (currently, the members of the Coordinating Group are working with their respective groups to introduce them in Tech4Peace and encourage them to use and benefit from the infrastructure that is creating). In this context sustaining and further developing of the project has far reaching repercussions for the cause of peace in Cyprus, particularly by way of sustaining citizen involvement, in spite of the periodic political odds.
The facilities made available by Tech4Peace did not entail only a means of communication, but also a hi-tech type of infrastructure which could be used for a vast range of projects and activities. In that sense, the need and also the opportunity of the project was to optimize its utilization by adding informational content to the system and inviting citizens to utilize it efficiently and effectively. In addition to providing a sustainable means of communication, internet exposes peacebuilders from both communities to global information. The fact, for example, that within a few minutes, one can access first-hand information on most recent issues (e.g. EU-Cyprus relations, Palestinean-Israel disputes etc.) or read about the mission and activities of all types of organizations (e.g. Peace Centers, funding organizations, government agencies etc. world-wide).
Project Description, Sustainability, Impact and bicommunality
Training
In light of the above perspective, activating and further expanding the TFP project is now a priority and urgent need. It is a fact that the full potential of TFP is far from realization because of two main reasons: a) a number of bicommunal groups are in queue waiting to be trained in using TFP to reactivate, enhance and expand their rapprochement activities, and b) more equipment is needed to meet the demand.
More specifically, we request funding for a series of workshops, in which a number of active bicommunal groups, whose contacts have been abruptly terminated by political intervention since last December, can be reactivated through training in the use of the TFP facilities. (Note: Even if direct bicommunal contacts resume, the TFP facilities can add a vital efficiency dimension to the work and communication between the bicommunal group members).
We suggest one initial training workshop to train trainers followed by a series of a few two-day workshops to train representative members of active bicommunal groups. Their content and area of emphasis are explained in more detail below in Part VI.
Electronic Archives (web pages) and Strategies
In a further series of workshops, the various bicommunal groups created their web pages giving a profile of their work and activities and creating a virtual meeting and promotion place. This entailed:
- Designing the electronic base for their home page with a great range of sub-pages reflecting the entire spectrum of their bicommunal activities and
- Adding the relevant textual-literary content for their pages.
This process involved a combination of computer experts designing the electronic base of the TFP internet page(s) working together with active representatives of the various bicommunal groups who will provide and prepare all the relevant information for the content.
The workshops will involve four major components:
1. Design all the essential pages to be prepared, and their electronic-thematic interrelationships, involving all the relevant persons representing the corresponding areas i.e. Archives of past conflict-resolution workshop results, a magazine section hosting articles on peace, policy scenarios for peace, a record of past bicommunal and peace events, announcements of upcoming events, a "library" of book lists on peace related issues, a page presenting official political documents of the two sides side-by-side including UN documents, a section on imaginative post-solution, news bulletins, etc., a creative ideas section, etc., etc.
2. Design the electronic base for the server that will host the TFP page(s), and their interactive relationships, mostly by people versed in technical matters, graphic designers etc.
3. Compile the content materials, classify them, process them and upload them. There exist already a mass of material, ideas and projects which are scattered and essentially unknown and inaccessible to the public and interested parties.
4. Develop an on-line web-based system, which will permit the members of the various bicommunal groups to re-vote, thus changing their votes on certain questions based on changes in the real political arenas and the changing broader political environment of the Cyprus problem. The Interactive Management methodology introduced by Professor Ben Broom in Cyprus has been used to develop the first bicommunal vision maps, obstacle maps and options map. With this tool, we will not only have a stationary picture of the three maps, but also a dynamic one that will reflect the changing phases that the Cyprus problem Is going through. We will thus be in a position to provide a picture of how bicommunal consensus changes in time due to external factors (i.e. political environment, economic changes, crisis events, development of the peace movement etc.). Furthermore, the system will allow any Cypriot citizens from anywhere in the world to participate in a collective map, thus contributing to a Cypriot Bicommunal Peoples' Vision Map.
Each of the above phases can in fact be broken down into a more detailed process.
3. Infrastructure
In order to meet the demands of the coming phases, the technological infrastructure of the project needs to be upgraded. Previous funding was used for setting up four computers for training purposes, buying an ISDN Router to connect to an ISP, paying ISP connection fees for six months and covering logistics and seminar-related expenses. For the next phase it is necessary to purchase a full size server (including its software) and connect this to the ISP via a leased line in order to improve performance and reduce costs.
Currently, the TFP project is sharing a server put in place by one of its supporting organizations (CYBER Kids). When this project is supported, TFP will acquire its own server and connection facilities thus rendering it independent.
PART V Beneficiaries
The importance of such a project is that it will provide a body of material and knowledge relevant to the peace efforts in Cyprus on which one can build further projects indefinitely. It can make available, for the first time, world wide, an entire spectrum of information which gives the broader profile of the Cyprus situation and the range of peace building efforts and related culture. It can in effect provide a vital reference point for all those interested and working on the Cyprus problem at various levels ranging from citizens, professionals, academics, students, policy makers and third parties.
Especially for peace builders these sites would become a reference point that gives a bicommunal context for the problem and its possible solutions, one which provides information, ideas, and a culture in a peace enhancing framework.
The numbers for each category of beneficiaries can in this sense extend indefinitely, in accordance with interest and initiative.
PART VI Implementation arrangements
Phase 1: Set up infrastructure and prepare trainers: Set-up new server and connect to cyberspace via leased line.
A two day workshop that involves active representatives of key bicommunal groups to prepare them to act as facilitators, organizers and trainers for all upcoming workshops. Coordination with USA partner and preparation of plan of action and relevant materials.
Phase 2: Train all Bicommunal Groups to use internet: Two-day workshops to train key representative members of all bicommunal groups in using Internet and Technology For Peace Facilities, such as group e-mail, the TFP Virtual Negotiation Program etc. to facilitate their peace promoting work and coordinate their activities using Cyberspace.
Phase 3: Cultivate a cyberspace culture and publicizing of activities In a series of small workshops, identify, design and develop the electronic base for Web Pages for each bicommunal group. Each group will be encouraged and trained to assume responsibility in designing, developing using and promoting their own cyber office. In other words, groups will be encouraged to go beyond the simplistic development of web pages to the creation of a cyber space and cyber presence that will act as a place of coordination, discussion, data gathering information point, etc. for their activities. Train a "webmaster" for each group who will be given virtual and physical access to the TFP equipment.
Continue collecting content information on activities and work of all the bicommunal groups and up-load it on the appropriate TFP Web Pages. Provide continuing technical support and technical advise to all groups.
Interns
Many international students have been attracted to work as interns for the Technology for Peace project. Among them, most notable were:
- Akihiro Sando
- Astrid Blümlein
- Björn Rohde-Liebenau
- Isaac Kastellano
- Jenine Alexander
- Kerstin Wittig
- Larry Fergeson
- Pelin Aksoy
- Reinhard Eckert
Note: Alphabetic order
Publications
- Laouris, Y. and Tziapouras, G. (2002). Technology used for peace in Cyprus. Peacebuilding 3(3), 4-8.
- Laouris, Y. (2004). Information technology in the service of peace building. The case of Cyprus. World Futures, 60, 67–79.
