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Peace Commissioners and Secretariats for Peace: The Role of Government Sponsored Peace Institutionsť in Reducing Violent Conflicts
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| | Unformatted Document Text:
I
nternational Studies Association Paper, 2
008
Craig Zelizer, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Government, Georgetown University, ## email not listed ##
ABSTRACT
Peace Commissioners and Secretariats for Peace: The Role of Government
Sponsored
“
Peace Institutions” in Reducing Violent Conflicts
In many conflict-affected countries around the world, there are a multitude of actors who are working to reduce and prevent conflicts, ranging from civil society actors to track I diplomats
.
Several countries
have created
government-sponsored
offices and/or
initiatives to facilitate peace negotiations between conflicting parties (including the government)
and build capacity for peace in the wider society.
These include institutions
such as the High Commissioner for Peace in Colombia and the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process in Sri Lanka. To date there has been little research
on
the work of
government-sponsored
institutions in facilitating
the reduction of
conflict.
This paper will explore how commissioners or secretariats for peace function within conflict environments, what are their roles and impacts on
conflict
.
INTRODUCTION
Over the past several decades, the peacebuilding field has rapidly expanded in practice and theory. Peacebuilding activities are generally designed to address several areas including preventing conflicts before they erupt into violence, reducing violence in conflicted settings and transforming and building institutions to help build stable post-conflict societies (Fisher, 1993; Lederach, 1997). Peacebuilding activities may range from direct negotiations between belligerent parties, to building community capacity and institutions, to integrating peacebuilding into other development sectors such as health and education (Lange & Quinn 2003)
There are a host of actors who play a critical role in peacebuilding ranging from official government representatives in negotiations, international mediators (unofficial and official), religious and community leaders, civil society, international organizations, and the private sector (Diamond & McDonald, 1996). No single actor or institution can address all of the critical needs in a peacebuilding or negotiation process, to achieve success it is necessary to work across multiple levels and sectors to build sustainable peace (Lederach, 1997).
One of the most challenging components of building peace is ending long-term violent conflicts that involve civil wars or insurgent movements that cause significant damage to the physical, social, and cultural infrastructure of societies. While the number of armed conflicts around the world has decreased in recent years (Human Security, 2005), the peacebuilding field is still struggling with developing more effective processes and institutions to help move armed actors to the negotiation process. There are several
Zelizer, ISA Paper 2008,
Peace Commissioners and Secretariats for Peace
1
|
| |
| |
|
|
I
nternational Studies Association Paper, 2
008
Craig Zelizer, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Government,
Georgetown University, ## email not listed ##
ABSTRACT
Peace Commissioners and Secretariats for Peace: The Role of Government
Sponsored
“
Peace Institutions” in Reducing Violent Conflicts
In many conflict-affected countries around the world, there are a multitude of actors who
are working to reduce and prevent conflicts, ranging from civil society actors to track I
diplomats
.
Several countries
have created
government-sponsored
offices and/or
initiatives to facilitate peace negotiations between conflicting parties (including the
government)
and build capacity for peace in the wider society.
These include institutions
such as the High Commissioner for Peace in Colombia and the Secretariat for
Coordinating the Peace Process in Sri Lanka. To date there has been little research
on
the work of
government-sponsored
institutions in facilitating
the reduction of
conflict.
This paper will explore how commissioners or secretariats for peace function within
conflict environments, what are their roles and impacts on
conflict
.
INTRODUCTION
Over the past several decades, the peacebuilding field has rapidly expanded in practice
and theory. Peacebuilding activities are generally designed to address several areas
including preventing conflicts before they erupt into violence, reducing violence in
conflicted settings and transforming and building institutions to help build stable post-
conflict societies (Fisher, 1993; Lederach, 1997). Peacebuilding activities may range
from direct negotiations between belligerent parties, to building community capacity and
institutions, to integrating peacebuilding into other development sectors such as health
and education (Lange & Quinn 2003)
There are a host of actors who play a critical role in peacebuilding ranging from official
government representatives in negotiations, international mediators (unofficial and
official), religious and community leaders, civil society, international organizations, and
the private sector (Diamond & McDonald, 1996). No single actor or institution can
address all of the critical needs in a peacebuilding or negotiation process, to achieve
success it is necessary to work across multiple levels and sectors to build sustainable
peace (Lederach, 1997).
One of the most challenging components of building peace is ending long-term violent
conflicts that involve civil wars or insurgent movements that cause significant damage to
the physical, social, and cultural infrastructure of societies. While the number of armed
conflicts around the world has decreased in recent years (Human Security, 2005), the
peacebuilding field is still struggling with developing more effective processes and
institutions to help move armed actors to the negotiation process. There are several
Zelizer, ISA Paper 2008,
Peace Commissioners and Secretariats for Peace
1
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