Inclusion in peace processes represents a crucial element for the creation of sustainable and lasting solutions to conflicts. This approach aims to ensure that representatives of all the parties included, the “stakeholders”, are involved in the negotiation and decision making stages. Listening and taking into consideration the voices of all those who have or may have an interest – regardless of their origins, characteristics and ideologies – affects the sustainability of the final result. Indeed, promoting the expression of different ideas and prospectives during peace processes leads to treaties, agreements and social pacts that reflect the reality on which we try to intervene, increasing the chances that stakeholders will maintain and sustain results in the long term. The fundamental role of inclusion has been recognized by various international regulatory frameworks. Among the most well-known in the field of peacebuilding are the sixteenth objective of the 2030 Agenda of the UN, the study Pathways for Peace co-published by the World Bank and the UN and, again from the UN, resolutions 1325 on the subject women, peace and security and 2250 on youth participation. Also new digital technologies can play a relevant role in promoting participation in peace processes. However, the mere involvement of a wide range of actors in peace processes is not enough to ensure the effective prevention or the end of an armed conflict. The participation of staleholders’ representatives must be meaningful: their perspectives, exigences and aspirations, when appropriate, need to be not only listened to but seriously taken into consideration and integrated into the final product of the process to ensure a stable, just and lasting peace.
The event is organized in collaboration with Agency for Peacebuilding.
