Digital feast and famine: Digital technologies and humanitarian law in food security, starvation and famine risk

Explores the role of digital tech in the violation and application of humanitarian law, and its consequences for famine risk and prevention.

Abstract

This paper explores the role of digital technologies in the violation and application of humanitarian law, and its consequences for famine risk and prevention. The link between famine, digital technologies and humanitarian law and key issues are addressed.

The authors describe how warring parties may manipulate or undermine mobile phone and internet networks, the impact on food security and famine, and how this can be considered in international law. Digital technologies can help to assess and analyse famine and starvation crimes, and have been used in food assistance responses.

This paper is an output of the Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform (PEACEREP) programme.

Citation

Jaspars, S., Murdoch, C. and Majid, N. Digital feast and famine: Digital technologies and humanitarian law in food security, starvation and famine risk (PeaceRep Report). World Peace Foundation, Tufts University, Somerville, MA 2022

Digital feast and famine: Digital technologies and humanitarian law in food security, starvation and famine risk

Updates to this page

Published 7 June 2022