ICT4Peace aims to enhance the performance of the international community in crisis management through the application of information Communications Technology (ICT) – technologies that can facilitate effective and sustained communication between peoples, communities and stakeholders involved in crisis management, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding. Crisis management is defined, for the purposes of this process, as civilian and/or military intervention in a crisis that may be a violent or non-violent with the intention of preventing a further escalation of the crisis and facilitating its resolution. This definition covers peace mediation, peace-keeping and peace-building activities of the international community.
In bridging the fragmentation between various organisations and activities during different crisis phases, ICT4Peace aims to raise the awareness of and mainstream the Tunis Commitment in all stages of planning and executing crisis management and peace operations. Victims of man-made and natural disasters as well as violent and protracted ethno-political conflict are often severely disadvantaged on account of existing ICT mechanisms that fail to adequately facilitate knowledge and information transfers, augment collaboration and complement multi-stakeholder initiatives. Under the Chairmanship of President Martti Ahtisaari, a group of experts from the UN, international civil society, business and academia met in March 2007 to identify key challenges of and solutions to existing ICT mechanisms on conflict management.