Haciendo propio el proceso: La participación ciudadana en los procesos de paz (Accord 13)

The process for making a transition from war to peace provides an opportunity to agree new political, constitutional and economic arrangements that can deal with the roots of a conflict. However such decisions are often made solely by governments and armed groups’ representatives, who do not always represent the wider public’s interests.

Owning the process: Public participation in peacemaking (Accord issue 13, Haciendo propio el proceso: La participación ciudadana en los procesos de paz)  outlines approaches developed by government and civil society that open up the process to more people. It reveals strategies for more democratic peacemaking with a focus on the mechanisms in South Africa, Guatemala and Mali, plus examples from Colombia, the Philippines and Northern Ireland.

The publication highlights how opportunities for participation have succeeded in:

• widening the range of issues addressed
• producing broadly legitimate peace agreements
• strengthening the capacity for inclusive political participation in future governance
• facilitating a degree of political reconciliation

It also includes key texts and agreements from different peace processes.