PeaceTech at CrossRoads: Insights from the 2025 Kluz Prize for PeaceTech Award Ceremony

In today’s geopolitical environment with 61 active conflicts around the world, the need for PeaceTech has never been more critical. From AI-driven early warning systems to satellite systems for humanitarian response, PeaceTech can transform how decision makers respond to conflicts and ultimately save lives. Now in its fourth year, the Kluz Prize for PeaceTech awards technology innovators who are unlocking the PeaceTech opportunity by creating innovative ways to use technologies for peace. 

On September 19th, 2025—leading up to the International Day of Peace, and coinciding with the 80th United Nations General Assembly—we hosted our annual Kluz Prize for PeaceTech Award Ceremony in New York City. The event brought together a diverse community of global leaders, policymakers, technology entrepreneurs, venture capitalists,  innovators and peacebuilders, to explore how emerging technologies can be harnessed to build a more peaceful future.

The event included presentations from the 2025 prize winners, a panel discussion with experts across the humanitarian, technology and venture capital sectors, and other presentations. 

In what follows we provide a summary of the discussions during the event.

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Opening Remarks: Incubating a New System for Peace for the 21st Century

Artur Kluz, Founder & CEO of Kluz Ventures, opened the event by introducing the need for PeaceTech in today’s global landscape. He began by framing peace as “the most urgent—and most complex—challenge of our time. Peace demands strategic and systemic thinking, international coordination, and above all, a solid infrastructure of trust.”  He pointed to history: humanity has long searched for ways to achieve peace—from the Pax Romana, to diplomacy and treaties, to the founding of the United Nations in 1945. Yet too often, these efforts failed to prevent war—and millions perished.

He then addressed the audience with a pressing question:

“Can PeaceTech save the world—and become a modern Pax Technica, a new system of peace for the 21st century?”

He then discussed how technology is fueling today’s conflicts. The challenge, he argued, is whether the same tools being used for defense and security can be directed toward peace. There is an opportunity to move towards triple-use technologies that serve commercial, defense, and peacebuilding purposes. 

He concluded by illustrating how PeaceTech can be put into practice, drawing on examples from previous Kluz Prize winners. These include: conflict prediction platforms, drones detecting landmines, satellites locating resources, and digital infrastructure supporting refugees. 

He thanked the audience for joining the event and underlined how inspiring it is that the Kluz Prize for PeaceTech is becoming a global benchmark—where technology and peace converge, setting trends and revealing what’s next. He noted that the timing—September 19th, on the eve of the International Day of Peace, and the United Nations General Assembly in New York, 2025—make this moment especially significant.

Finally, he left the audience with the words of Baltasar Gracián:
“The greatest peace is won with foresight.”

The Award Ceremony

The Award Ceremony recognized, where the winners and special distinctions of the 2025 Kluz Prize for PeaceTech were officially recognized and celebrated. This year, the team received 170+ applications from 67 countries around the world and the shortlisted applications were reviewed by the distinguished Selection Committee: 

• Andrew Schroeder, Vice President of Research and Analysis at Direct Relief

• Artur Kluz, Founder & CEO of Kluz Ventures

• Bradley Tusk, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Tusk Venture Partners and Founder of Tusk Strategies

• Christine Keung, General Partner of J2 Ventures

• Francesca Bosco, Chief Strategy Officer of the CyberPeace Institute

• François Chopard, CEO of Starburst

• Harsh Zala, CEO & Co-Founder of Aerobotics7

• Josephine Millward, Venture Capital Investor, Strategic Advisor & Partner at OpAmp Capital

• Matthew Sanders, CEO of Humanity 2.0 and Longbeard

• Stefaan Verhulst, Co-Founder & Chief Research & Development Officer of The GovLab

• Urvashi Kikani, CTO & Co-Founder of Aerobotics7.

Word cloud illustrating the wide range of technologies featured in applications for the 2025 Kluz Prize for PeaceTech.

At the Award Ceremony, the Kluz Prize for PeaceTech team recognized four initiatives:

• Common Space was awarded the top prize, the 2025 Kluz Prize for PeaceTech, for developing the first independent, community-tasked satellite mission focused on peacebuilding and humanitarian action. The initiative delivers open-access imagery over areas of humanitarian need, providing data to verify violations, support response efforts, and inform peacebuilding activities.

• The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) received a Special Distinction for International Organization Advancing Peace for its Compass toolkit, which integrates AI and field data to improve the speed and safety of mine clearance in post-conflict settings.

• Anadyr Horizon Inc. was recognized with a Special Distinction for the Use of AI for Peace for its AI-based simulations that examine how leaders make decisions under pressure, offering a method to anticipate escalation and design preventive strategies.

• The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) earned a Special Distinction for the Use of Open Source Technology for its use of crowdsourced mapping and open data in conflict zones, supporting documentation of damage, protection of cultural sites, and recovery planning.

Panel Discussion: From Vision to Impact

The event included a panel discussion on the evolving opportunities and challenges for PeaceTech. The panel was moderated by Stefaan G. Verhulst, Co-Founder of The GovLab. Panelists included Christine Keung, General Partner at J2 Ventures; Andrew Schroeder, Vice President of Research and Analysis at Direct Relief and Co-Founder of CrisisReady; and Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, Head of Anticipatory Action and Innovation at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research. Below is a summary of the main themes discussed.

(1) The Shifting Landscape of Humanitarian Action

Andrew Schroeder emphasized two major developments in the past year. First, the rapid spread of AI into humanitarian systems, where predictive models and automated structures are now influencing aid delivery and risk analysis. These tools can create opportunities to increase the speed and precision of humanitarian response—for example, by anticipating population displacement, forecasting food insecurity, or mapping needs in real time. At the same time, they raise challenges around bias, oversight, and unintended consequences. As he noted, “AI has overtaken so much of our world already; it’s made some things easier to do, such as coding and data analysis, and some things much more difficult, such as community data protection, which challenges how we imagine the possibilities of humanitarian action.”” Second, Schroeder highlighted the funding crisis following steep cuts in U.S. and UN budgets. With fewer resources, organizations are being forced to rethink how technology can sustain or even replace parts of traditional aid delivery.

(2) Investment, Defense Spending, and Market Incentives

Christine Keung highlighted the surge in global defense spending, observing that practitioners increasingly describe the current environment as one of conflict rather than peace. “In the circles that I now run in, I think a lot of folks are actually saying that this is now not a time of peace… We are absolutely in a cold war,” she said. Defense technologies, particularly dual-use tools such as drones, have altered the economics of warfare and drawn billions in new investment. Venture capital has followed this trend, with defense now considered a leading asset class. Keung contrasted this with the scarcity of funding for peace-oriented projects, asking how markets could be reshaped to “make peace greater than war.”

(3) From Negative Peace to Positive Peace

Eleonore Fournier-Tombs discussed the distinction between negative peace (reducing or preventing violence) and positive peace (building dialogue). She argued that much of today’s humanitarian technology resembles “whack-a-mole,” focused on short-term prevention without addressing structural causes. She also pointed to the ethical dilemmas organizations face when predictive tools generate sensitive data. In conflict environments, governments may pressure humanitarian actors to hand over information. As she explained, this has led some organizations to deliberately limit the amount of data they collect in the first place: if the data does not exist, it cannot be misused against vulnerable communities. For Fournier-Tombs, the challenge is therefore not only how to design predictive tools, but how to build deliberative systems that foster dialogue and peaceful solutions while also protecting the people they aim to serve.

(4) Localizing Technology and Shifting Power

Schroeder underscored that real progress depends on putting tools directly into the hands of affected communities. He cited the work of Common Space and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, where communities generate or access data themselves. He argued that localizing technology use is not only more effective at ensuring relevance, accuracy, and community ownership of data, but also essential given shrinking budgets. By enabling communities to generate and apply insights directly, local approaches can build trust, improve sustainability, and reduce reliance on external actors. Schroeder added that AI and data science could play a critical role if governance frameworks support accessibility and community control.

(5) Governance Frameworks for High-Risk Technologies

Fournier-Tombs spoke about the current state of AI governance. She traced her involvement back to early UN efforts in 2016–2017, when data scientists inside the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) began drafting internal ethics frameworks. Since then, global governance has gained momentum: the UN is now establishing an International Scientific Panel on AI to provide a shared technical baseline, while regional frameworks such as the EU AI Act and the U.S. AI Risk Management Framework impose obligations—or at least guidance—for high-risk deployments. She noted that PeaceTech tools often fall into these high-risk categories, given the sensitivity of conflict environments, and outlined the need to evaluate risks at multiple levels: to individuals, organizations, and broader ecosystems.

(6) The Question of Funding Models

Keung argued “The type of capital you accept determines the trajectory of your company,” noting that venture capital—structured for rapid, high-risk returns—rarely matches the needs of peacebuilding initiatives. Historically, humanitarian projects relied on government and nonprofit funding, but those sources are now shrinking. Without alternative financial models like triple-use innovative technologies may continue to flow primarily toward defense rather than peace.

Looking Ahead

Over the past years, the PeaceTech Prize has helped shine a light on a remarkable and often overlooked field. By reviewing more than 500 projects across regions and themes, we have seen how creativity and courage flourish even in the most fragile contexts—whether through grassroots solutions designed by local communities or cutting-edge technologies developed by start-ups at the frontier. These innovators demonstrate that technology can indeed be a force for peace.

But our journey has also made one thing clear: recognition alone is not enough. While celebrating these projects matters, too many remain underfunded, unsupported, and disconnected from a broader intellectual and governance framework. If PeaceTech is to reach its full potential, it needs more than applause—it needs scaffolding.

That is why the next chapter for the PeaceTech Prize is about moving from prize to building a platform. A platform that not only spotlights innovation but also mobilizes investment, develops governance frameworks for responsible use, and creates the intellectual foundation to define what PeaceTech is and what it should become. This is where the real work begins. Join us! 

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Have any questions or are interested in collaborating? Contact us at info@kluzprize.org to learn more about how you can get involved in shaping the future of PeaceTech.