Peacemakers are individuals and organizations involved in peacemaking, often in countries affected by war, violent conflict, and political instability.[1] They engage in processes such as negotiation, mediation, conciliation, and arbitration—drawing on international law and norms.
The objective is to move a violent conflict into non-violent dialogue, where differences are settled through conflict transformation processes or through the work of representative political institutions.[1]
Peacemaking can occur at different levels, sometimes referred to as tracks.[1] "High level" (governmental and international) peacemaking, involving direct talks between the leaders of conflicting parties, is sometimes thus referred to as Track 1.[2] Tracks 2 and 3 are said to involve dialogue at lower levels—often unofficially between groups, parties, and stakeholders to a violent conflict—as well as efforts to avoid violence by addressing its causes and deleterious results.[2] Peacemakers may be active in all three tracks, or in what is sometimes called multi-track diplomacy.[3]
Selected list of prominent inter-governmental and non-governmental peacemaking organizations: