Peace agreement
A pact between belligerents to end conflict, usually accompanied by provisions for addressing grievances and building trust. The term is also used to describe the process of a state resolving internal conflict or civil war through negotiated settlements with the participation of non-State organized armed groups.
Most agreements fall into three broad categories: pre-negotiation agreements that delineate who should negotiate when and how; framework or substantive agreements that address the underlying issues of the conflict; and implementation agreements that flesh out the substantive aspects of the framework or substantive agreements. Partial agreements, such as ceasefires or interim arrangements, are often the precursor to a full agreement (Bell).
The success of an agreement depends on the implementation of its provisions. The most effective are those that are built on an inclusive understanding of the nature of a conflict and are geared towards transforming conflicts into stable societies with democratic governance and the rule of law. Those that ignore the sensitivity of group-level dynamics, such as cultural identity and security concerns, are often more volatile and may be difficult to sustain.
Research efforts are ongoing to identify the ingredients that make an agreement successful. One key finding is that the political authority of those in charge of implementing an agreement can have a significant impact on the outcome. Chakma, for example, has examined why government turnover, measured as the number of leadership changes in the country from negotiation to implementation, reduces the effectiveness of an agreement but does not have a similar effect on the quality or duration of an outcome (2020). Other factors that influence implementation include power-sharing provisions and strategies of accommodation.