In an age of rapidly changing conflict realities and challenges, the UN needs to innovate to keep its work in the realm of peace and security up to speed and fit-for-purpose. Contemporary challenges such as geostrategic tensions, climate crisis, global mistrust and the spread of mis- and dis-information, as well as global systemic shocks such as COVID-19, require novel partnerships, approaches and technologies.

In 2020, the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UN DPPA) established the Innovation Cell is a dedicated capacity to explore, pioneer, support, and leverage cross-cutting methodologies, including new technologies, behavioral insights, immersive visualization, and other means to advance the implementation of the Department’s mandate. As part of the UN Innovation Network, the Innovation Cell serves as a catalyst for innovation across the Department and its field presences to strengthen the UN’s conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding effort in this spirit.

“Futuring Peace” is an effort of the UN DPPA Innovation Cell to encourage interdisciplinary approaches such as futures thinking and speculative design and their practical limits to peace processes in a world of increasing complexity, to better prepare the United Nations for the “unknown unknowns” and global systemic shocks such as COVID-19. This website serves as a repository featuring past, ongoing and future projects in this context.