A Peace agreement refers to any type of settlement concluded between a State party to an armed conflict and one or more non-State parties in order to bring the conflict to an end. They often contain important provisions aimed at preventing future outbreaks of violence, including a ceasefire, power-sharing, financial issues and addressing the root causes of the conflict.
Peace agreements can be divided into three broad categories; pre-negotiation, framework and implementation. While the function of pre-negotiation agreements are clear (regulating who can negotiate on behalf of their respective party and with what status), framework and implementation agreements deal with more important, substantive issues in a conflict.
These include identifying the economic claims and motivations that are underlying the conflict, and implementing mechanisms to address them. This is crucial since scholars have found that armed conflict can actually deepen socio-economic inequalities and generate new economic claims which need to be addressed in post conflict negotiations.
Often, the creation of a peace agreement requires the involvement of external actors in the capacity as negotiators and mediators. While their role is crucial, they cannot achieve anything without the proper involvement of internal parties in the process. This includes transparency and creating a sense of ownership in the agreement amongst those who will be affected. Furthermore, a balance needs to be struck between the involvement of external actors and the reluctance by local political leaders to implement an agreement that has been “imposed” on them.