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Social Media for Communication & Conflict Resolution

I came across an OSCE update on facebook asking: "Can social media help us prepare for peace?" In the new Report "Preparing for peace Communications in conflict resolution" the OSCE explains the role of Social Media in conflict resolution, detailing challenges and opportunities.
OSCE/Curtis Budden
Definitely recommending reading this OSCE publication. It is great that an Organization such as the OSCE is keeping active in Social Media, and at the same time "Mapping the blogosphere, reporting on negotiations, using social media to overcome divides". Credit to the OSCE PPIS, Ireland’s 2012 OSCE Chairmanship, the US Mission to the OSCE and the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the OSCE. 

Having worked for the OSCE in 2009, I launched the official OSCE presence on facebook and twitter, along with Issuu. It was an excellent start, and I am happy to see that the team in PPIS are keeping up with the OSCE presence in Social Media and are launching initiatives such as Social Media and Communications in conflict resolution.

My work was focused on digital public diplomacy, since then, I strongly believe that the Internet has changed public diplomacy. The 2009 Informal meeting of OSCE foreign ministers in Corfu, was also the first event to feature Social Media in the communications mix. This year, during the Irish chairmanship, Social Media was fully integrated in the OSCE live webcast for the 19th Ministerial Council, with live tweeting and questions coming in from facebook and twitter. So good to see Social Media being utilised to their full potential for an international Organization. 


I feel quite passionate about the subject; will be trying to write more about how Social Media can play a role in international Public Diplomacy and Digital Diplomacy.
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