Peace talks are discussions and negotiations designed to bring conflicting parties together for dialogue on a peaceful resolution of a given conflict. Peace talks can occur in a variety of contexts, including armed conflicts, civil wars, ethnic and religious strife, and environmental issues.
As a result, many specialised mediation services have developed to assist in bringing parties to the table for such negotiations. In addition, a number of international institutions have emerged to encourage and oversee peace processes.
For example, the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and Interpeace co-founded Peace Talks with the support of the Swiss Government to expand the space for dialogue on peacebuilding through a series of city-specific events featuring speakers who share their inspirational stories, ideas and practical solutions for resolving conflict and inspiring action.
However, even in a context of strong domestic pressure for a peaceful solution to the conflict, there can be difficulties persuading warring parties to engage in peace talks. In this context, it may be helpful for key actors, such as regional powers, to proactively promote the value of such talks.
It might also be useful for governments to bolster the peacemaking capacity of their embassy networks. Furthermore, a high level of engagement by states might help amplify the financial, technical and human resources available for the negotiation process. This could be particularly important if the potential for an agreement is considered to be low. In this case, secret back-channel discussions might be especially valuable in jump-starting the process.
