Webinar: Why do local peace agreements matter?
Why Do Local Peace Agreements Matter?
PSRP webinar | Thursday 3 December 2020, 1-2pm GMT | Online via Zoom
Join us for a webinar on why local peace processes matter. What can we learn from local peace agreements about what conflict landscapes look like, and to what extent do our conceptualisations of armed conflict work? We will examine a case study of local agreements in Syria, with a focus on how particular they are from national agreements but also how ‘local’ they actually are in the context of a complex nested conflict, and then look at additional examples of local agreements from around the world. The event will conclude with an open Q&A and the opportunity for discussion. Featuring PSRP’s Dr Juline Beaujouan, Robert Wilson, and Dr Jan Pospisil from the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution alongside event chair Marika Theros from the Conflict Research Programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Register now.
This event is part of PSRP’s Peace Talks webinar series, which will run from October 2020 – March 2021.
Local Peace Agreements: research and resources
At the Political Settlements Research Programme (PSRP) we are investigating the fragmentation and localisation of conflict management and peacemaking through a collection of almost 300 local peace agreements: the PA-X Local Peace Agreements Database. This collection of local peace agreements raises the potential for analysing patterns in local peacemaking over time and across varying contexts, as well as exploring any links between local, regional and national-level peace processes. It also helps us to better understand the practices of highly localised actors, their influence on wider conflict dynamics, and their interactions with actors more embedded in the national-level process whose wider conflict agendas ultimately shape conditions at the local level. For further information on local peace agreements, we invite you to explore the following resources:
PA-X Local Peace Agreements Database
PSRP has created the PA-X Local Peace Agreements Database, which is publicly available at www.peaceagreements.org/lsearch. PA-X Local is the first open-access database of written local peace agreements from across a global set of conflict-affected contexts. The local peace agreements included are publicly available written agreements between locally-based and other actors,which address local conflict-generating grievances only within a part of the wider conflict-affected area. PA-X Local offers a glimpse into the processes and outcomes of local peacemaking, including information on how it relates to any national peace process.
Joint Analysis Workshop: Participant Perspectives
In October 2019, PSRP and ASPR hosted a joint analysis workshop at the British Academy in London. The event brought together different actors in peace and conflict processes to discuss what they think local agreements do and are, and how they fit into the broader practice of peace building. The event report, Untangling Conflict: Local Peace Agreements in Contemporary Armed Violence is available now.
A video featuring participant perspectives from the event is available here.
Local Peace Processes: Opportunities and Challenges for Women’s Engagement
This PA-X Gender Spotlight report asks the questions: When and how do local peace processes and agreements address conflict? What are the opportunities and challenges for women and gender-equality advocates seeking to meaningfully engage with local peace processes?
Scratching below the surface: what can local peace agreements tell us about armed groups and conflict fragmentation?
This blog describes three initial observations on dynamics of conflict and peacemaking that have emerged from our review of local peace agreements.