Implementing Peace Agreements: Supporting the Transition from the Negotiation Table to Reality

To date, conversations on best practice in mediation support and peace promotion have tended to focus primarily on efforts to bring about the signing of a peace agreement. Yet the challenges in realizing the often ambitious provisions of a peace agreement are considerable. Implementation begins at the negotiating table, when the parties discuss how to ensure the realization of their commitments, and remains a challenge years after the signing of a peace agreement. This paper aims to make a modest contribution to the discussion on how mediation support actors and peacebuilders can contribute to quality implementation. Doing so, it draws from the discussions during the Mediation Support Network (MSN) meetings 2018 in London and 2019 in Bogota where participants and guests discussed the dynamics of implementation, identifying opportunities and challenges, and explored how third parties can play a constructive role in promoting effective implementation.