What we’ve gotten wrong with peace processes, and how to fix it

Today, we face unprecedented challenges for global peace and security. Record levels of displaced people, new and ongoing internal conflicts and an unrelenting attack on multilateralism are sadly defining the ‘new normal’. Key to addressing these challenges will be the international architecture for peace and security and whether it is able to re-frame how it approaches the design and implementation of peace processes to solve our collective challenges.

Part of the challenge of building long term sustainable peace are the interrelated and fundamental problems with the way peace processes are structured today.

Firstly, too often, peace processes are focused on conflict resolution rather than the fundamental objective — sustaining peace. The goal of peace processes ought to be about helping societies build capacities to deal with conflicts in non- violent ways rather than redress violent conflict alone.
Peace processes take time, often up to 20 years — but rarely are actual peace processes crafted with this…