A Global Commitment to Peace
About the Partnership
Global law firm Hogan Lovells and PeaceTech Lab launch strategic partnership
London and Washington, D.C., 4 February 2020 – Global law firm Hogan Lovells has selected PeaceTech Lab - a global non-profit organization that works in conflict zones around the world to promote peace through technology - as its new global 'citizenship partner'.
The partnership involves the firm supporting PeaceTech Lab through pro bono legal advice, fundraising and skilled volunteering, and comes at a time when a record 70 million refugees have been displaced by violence, and hate crimes are on the rise. New dimensions of conflict are increasingly found online, where disinformation, radicalization, and cyberbullying play an ever-expanding role in ordinary people’s lives. In response, PeaceTech Lab has provided proven tools and training to courageous problem solvers in more than 25 countries, amplifying the power of tech to save lives and promote prosperity above tech’s use for harm and hatred.
“What impresses me most about PeaceTech Lab is their ability to approach the world’s oldest challenge - human conflict - through the new lens of technology, media, and data,” said Hogan Lovells Chair, Leopold von Gerlach. “With simple technologies and training, they are helping the fight against corruption, misogyny, and violent extremism in some of the most dangerous places on earth. We are proud to support them.”
PeaceTech Lab CEO Sheldon Himelfarb added, “Today we have the unprecedented ability to send pictures, money, and information around the globe at the push of a button. This means that with a simple cell phone or laptop computer, anyone can be a peacebuilder. We see Hogan Lovells’ 6,000 employees as 6,000 opportunities to put into action the motto we live by: that everyone has the power of PeaceTech.”
The partnership between Hogan Lovells and PeaceTech Lab is for three years. In addition to pro bono legal advice and fundraising, Hogan Lovells employees will have the opportunity to participate in peacetech training, workshops and community-based activities.
Hogan Lovells CEO Stephen Immelt added, "The intersection between issues of peace, justice, innovation, and technology make PeaceTech a natural fit for us as our charity partner for the next three years.”
Progress Together
Hate Speech Webinar
Nearly everyone with a social media profile has encountered harmful or manipulative content online. In places like Kenya, Cameroon, South Sudan, and beyond, rumors and hateful content can even turn deadly. With no singular law or legal definition to combat hate speech on a global scale, the necessity of understanding the term in its local context becomes essential to taking action.
Together with Hogan Lovells, we produced this primer on hate speech highlighting how we work to eliminate digital violence and to define those terms with our hate speech lexicons. Caleb Gichuhi, our Senior Specialist from our Nairobi Office, led the webinar that was available to all of Hogan Lovells’ 46 offices in 25 countries.
#ShareLoveNotHate Campaign
In this digital era, today’s conflicts are no longer defined by borders. That’s why our Hate Speech Program identifies, monitors, and trains people with the help of on-the-ground experts and local peacebuilders to combat hate speech in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Hogan Lovells joined us in our February social media campaign, #ShareLoveNotHate, to show that we can make the world safer through media, tech and data.
Media Coverage
