A peace agreement is a set of provisions that define the HOW and WHAT of a peace process. The HOW of a peace process includes the procedures and institutions that help a conflict to end, while the WHAT of a peace process refers to changes in issues such as power distribution, natural resources management and the type of mechanisms to address past injustices. Peace agreements tend to have two types of substantive components: power-sharing and political inclusion (Vandeginste and Sriram, 2011).
One of the most studied provisions of peace agreements is a prohibition of hostilities between the parties. This clause typically includes the prohibition of state support for hostile acts in a conflict zone. The territorial scope of the prohibition may include states, regions or non-state armed groups.
Other substantial provisions often refer to specific policies and processes that are meant to change the WHAT of a conflict. These can include things like establishing transitional justice mechanisms or amnesties that are intended to resolve past grievances systematically and fairly. The scholarly literature on this issue suggests that transitional justice mechanisms are an effective way to reduce the likelihood of future civil wars (Joshi and Quinn, 2015).
These types of provisions are usually included in an effort to prevent conflicts from occurring in the future. However, the exact effectiveness of these kinds of measures is still largely unclear. One of the biggest problems in implementing these kind of provisions is that they require the parties to overcome their fears and trust each other. This is often difficult, especially during a conflict when the perception of a threat is high (Bekoe, 2002).
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