Today, conflict is the reason for nearly all of the 68 million displaced people worldwide. 2022 alone saw a record 15 million refugees flee their homes and nearly 8,000 lives lost to terrorist attacks. And the United States is no exception: in the first half of 2018, more Americans were killed by gun violence in schools than while serving in the military. Low estimates put the cost of violence at more than $14 trillion per year, a number that is expected to increase significantly as displacement from climate change and resource scarcity worsen.
But when we put the right tools in the right hands, it changes everything.
We believe everyone has the power of peacetech so we leverage low-cost, easy-to-use tech and local partnerships to put the right tools in the hands of the people best positioned to make a difference: activists, peacebuilders, and NGOs in some of the most violent places on earth.
Our work takes many forms. From our headquarters in Washington D.C., we run a PeaceTech Accelerator for startups using technological innovation to do everything from connecting at-risk youth across Africa with jobs to warning civilians in Syria of incoming missile attacks. In places like India, Kenya, Iraq, Myanmar, Costa Rica, and Nigeria, our PeaceTech Exchanges offer training and affordable tech tools to peacebuilders in communities around the world. And on the data front, our research around issues like social media and hate speech serve to inform policymakers, data scientists, activists, and business leaders while also providing a foundation for predictive analytics and a proprietary platform for early warning of violence. We partnered with Drexel University to launch the U.S.’s first Master’s Degree in Peace Engineering to educate generation after generation on the power of peacetech.
Head on over to Our Progress to meet local peacebuilders and activists from around the world building peace with technology.
Our Values
We are committed to creating a values-driven work culture at PeaceTech Lab. The values we have outlined below are intended to create a foundation for the way we work with each other and our external partners. They also have an aspirational quality to them. Some are difficult to attain or quantify, but we believe that all of them are worth pursuing, both as individuals and as a team.
Share your time, knowledge, and lessons learned.
Be generous with your talents and experience, and make them a common resource. We want everyone to benefit from your being part of the team. By the same token, don’t be afraid to ask others for help when you need it.
R-e-s-p-e-c-t.
Respect for the dignity of every individual must form the basis for all of our interpersonal interactions, whether they are fellow staff or people outside our organization. The spirit of sharing, collaboration, creativity, and fun can only come as a result of respect for each other.
Actions speak louder than words.
We want to make the Lab an action-oriented place where we prioritize tangible results over abstract ideas. We want to be a doing organization, not just a thinking one.
Be honest about what you know and what you can do.
Our knowledge and capabilities, both as individuals and as an organization, have their limits. At times, our skills might not be appropriate to the problem at hand. At times, we might not have the capacity to do the things being asked of us. Regardless of the scenario, be honest about what we bring to the table. Ultimately, this will give the Lab a reputation for integrity and excellence.
Take initiative and be accountable.
We want to foster a sense of personal ownership and investment in the Lab’s collective success. So tackle a problem or pursue an idea, keeping in mind that your time is a precious resource. Make sure that you spend it on activities that serve our mission and further our interests.
Create common ownership around decisions that affect the big picture.
Some of the decisions we take as individuals can have implications for the long-term or strategic direction of the Lab. So make sure to build consensus around those decisions with your superiors, subordinates, and colleagues. This will help us create a sense of collective investment in and clarity around the vision of the Lab as it evolves over time.
Never forget who you're working for: individuals and communities affected by conflict.
In everything we do, we must be focused on the welfare, safety, and capacity of people in conflict zones. They are our primary customer, and all of our work must be aimed at making a positive difference in their lives.
Try new things. Learn from experience.
We want the Lab to be a hub of innovation, so we encourage new ideas, entrepreneurialism, and risk-taking. We also want to make sure that every opportunity for innovation, whether successful or not, is also an opportunity for learning and improvement.
Pursue diversity of thought, opinion, expertise, and people.
We believe that true innovation happens when different viewpoints intersect. This requires that we actively pursue diverse perspectives from people who don’t think like us, look like us, or have the same life experiences as us.
Take your work seriously, but not yourself.
We want the Lab to be a fun place to work. The work we do can sometimes be heavy, but let’s keep our workplace interactions light.
Always ask why.
We must be driven by facts and data when we make our decisions, large or small. We want all of our activities to be intentional, based on a clear understanding of both the problem at hand and the solutions we’re applying.
Empower others to make decisions and grow as individuals.
We want the Lab to be a place where people experience personal and professional growth, whether they are staff or external partners. We also want to create a space where all staff, regardless of their position, feel empowered to make decisions and pursue ideas that serve our mission.
Let’s Build Peace Together.
“I’ve seen firsthand the power of data and technology to transform careers, enterprises, and economies. PeaceTech Lab offers an even bolder promise: by putting the power of leading-edge technology, media, and data into the hands of peacemakers around the world, it will be possible to save lives and transform societies.”
- Tom Monahan, Managing Partner at Norton Street Capital & Lab Board Member
