Anchoring the Peace: Civil Society Actors in Peace Accords and Durable Peace

A Wealth of Expertise and Lived Experience

“…A study of eighty-three signed peace agreements between 1989 and 2004 found that the inclusion of civil society representatives in peace negotiations significantly reduces the risk of a peace agreement breaking down (Nilsson 2012). Another study of female representation in peace agreements suggests that advancing the participation of women representatives can result in a more durable peace, especially if women are also included in the implementation of the peace agreement (Stone 2014).…”

Spoiling the Peace? Peace Process Exclusivity and Political Violence in North-Central Africa

“…15 Nilsson finds that peace agreements that feature a broad inclusion of civil society in their texts are also more likely to be associated with enduring peace. 16 We build on this previous work and consider the impact of excluding parties that are not necessarily combatant groups or civil society organisations but still may be relatively deprived due to a peace deal. Since highly inclusive agreements may be difficult to reach, we contend that there is a real-world trade-off between the ability to reach an agreement and the sustainability of that agreement over time.…”

Legitimate Representation: Civil Society Actors in Peace Negotiations Revisited

“…It is exactly because of the inherent elite nature of such negotiations, often externally mediated, that it has been proposed tbat civil society groups can become valuable participants in tbe negotiation process (e.g. Barnes 2002;McKeon 2004;McGbie & Wamai 2011;Nilsson 2012;Paffenbolz et al 2006;Wanis-St. John & Kew 2008). As stated above, through the involvement of civil society, the legitimacy of the negotiations and agreement is said to be improved, which in turn heightens chances for sustainable peace.…”

“…More precisely, involving civil society organizations in negotiations arguably has a positive effect on creating conditions for durable peace (Wanis-St John & Kew 2008).^ On the one hand, this research is based on the normative claim that the inclusion of civil society actors enhances the legitimacy of the negotiations, in turn affecting the prospects of peace (Barnes 2002;Belloni 2008:199;Bell & O'Rourke 2007;McKeon 2004;Nilsson 2012). On the other hand, an empirical foundation for this finding does exist, including a recent statistical study that considers 83 peace agreements, showing that the inclusion of civil society actors increases the durability of peace (Nilsson 2012; see also Wanis-St. John & Kew 2008). But these empirical findings, backed by normative claims, still lack detailed exploration.…”