Interactive voice response and radio for peacebuilding: a macro view of the literature and experiences from the field

Initially used for customer service and public health survey work in the United States in the 1970s, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technologies in more recent decades have come to play an increasingly important role in international development efforts around the world, including in peacebuilding work in post-conflict contexts. IVR technologies—the broad term used to describe automated systems that allow humans to interact with computers through phones using voice—range from traditional automated messages to newer talk-to-text applications on smartphones, like Siri on Apple phones or Cortana on Windows phones.

Alongside continuous technological advancements, IVR is being deployed in increasingly innovative and constantly evolving ways, ranging from connecting diaspora communities to their home countries to supporting Ebola awareness in Sierra Leone. In a wide range of development work, IVR is most often used in conjunction with radio—a key medium in post-conflict and developing regions—and particularly by NGOs working with community radio stations to help improve interactivity with their listeners and to reach remote and illiterate audiences.