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Meaningful political participation: lessons learnt from UN mediation in Afghanistan and Syria
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Corporate Editor
Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)
Abstract
In this Policy Brief, we present lessons learnt and sub-sequent policy implications from an in-depth analysis of the UN peace processes on Afghanistan and Syria. We argue that in both processes, the ability of peace process participants who come from Afghanistan and Syria to politically participate ... view more
In this Policy Brief, we present lessons learnt and sub-sequent policy implications from an in-depth analysis of the UN peace processes on Afghanistan and Syria. We argue that in both processes, the ability of peace process participants who come from Afghanistan and Syria to politically participate in their respective process was and is severely limited, thus hindering the prospects of successful conflict transformation. By political participation, we mean that peace process participants not only attend negotiations (“are being included”) but are in a position to (co-) determine who is negotiating the agreement (incl. which representation mechanism is adequate), what is the format of peace-making (incl. methods of consultation), and what are the issues negotiated in which order (agenda-setting). We call this ‘meaningful political participation’. Emphasising “inclusivity” in peace processes over meaningful political participation is highly problematic for potential progress towards longer-term/ sustainable peace. Potential organisers of peace negotiations and related pre- and post-peace agreement measures (whether outside actors or ‘indigenous’) should strengthen political participation and process legitimacy for representatives from the populations concerned. This would contribute to opening a new pathway towards more sustainable peace processes, also beyond the Syrian and Afghan cases.... view less
Keywords
Syria; Afghanistan; domestic security; peace process; political participation; peace negotiation; conflict management; UNO
Classification
Peace and Conflict Research, International Conflicts, Security Policy
Free Keywords
innerstaatlicher Konflikt; Konflikttransformation; Konfliktpartei; Konfliktbeteiligte
Document language
English
Publication Year
2021
City
Bonn
Page/Pages
7 p.
Series
BICC Policy Brief, 3/2021
Status
Published Version; reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0