ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan
On 13 May 2026, the Preventive Diplomacy Academy (PDA) of the UNRCCA convened an online session for its 2026 cohort from Central Asia and Afghanistan, focusing on the role of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms and data-driven approaches in supporting conflict prevention and strengthening early warning systems.
The session highlighted the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDPPA) Innovation Cell’s portfolio and its work to advance innovation in support of peacebuilding and conflict prevention measures. Mr. Luke Westbury, Associate Expert at UNDPPA, introduced a range of digital tools developed by the Innovation Cell, including Ramesh, a multilingual and anonymous digital dialogue platform capable of engaging up to 1,000 participants in real time to capture local perspectives; Diplomatic Pulse, a platform aggregating official government statements through curated sources with analytical features such as search, heat maps, and downloadable outputs; GeoGuard, an open-source satellite and remote-sensing platform linking environmental data with conflict indicators across 26 countries while avoiding causal claims; and the Peace and Security Data Hub, a joint DPPA-DPO repository providing access to live UN-related data and visualizations.
Participants learned about ongoing efforts to develop tools that help detect and verify information, in response to the growing challenge of AI-generated misinformation and information pollution. The importance of maintaining a “human-in-the-loop” approach was underscored, ensuring that technological innovation is complemented by human oversight to safeguard analytical integrity, cultural sensitivity and political neutrality. A case study from Libya illustrated how insights from digital dialogue can support constitutional processes through the inclusion of local perspectives.
The session featured an interactive digital dialogue exercise using the Ramesh platform, allowing PDA participants to contribute real-time perspectives and compare their responses with findings from previous cohorts. As the second Preventive Diplomacy Academy cohort to take part in this initiative, participants provided valuable insights on the opportunities and challenges of integrating artificial intelligence into peacebuilding. The exercise demonstrated how AI-enabled digital dialogues can broaden participation, elevate diverse voices, and generate actionable insights to support more inclusive and evidence-based analysis in the field.
Participants also engaged in a Q&A session on operational constraints, tool usability and local adaptation. Key challenges included sensitivities in linking environmental and conflict data, as well as limited availability of open-source satellite datasets. The importance of collaboration with regional offices, including UNRCCA, was emphasized to ensure tools are adapted to local languages, needs and contexts.
