The role of grassroots peace institutions called "peace commissions" in peacebuilding in Nicaragua

What is it about?

This article talks about a grassroots peace initiative that appeared in war-affected areas of Nicaragua in the 1980s with the aim of contributing to peacebuilding locally: the peace commissions. Despite being a bottom-up initiative, the peace commissions managed to convert into a broad peace network, weaving relationships with a variety of actors with the assistance of external organizations. They adapted their work to the evolving socio-political context, beginning with immediate concerns during the armed conflict, such as mediating between warring parties to protect civilians, and progressively addressing a broader range of conflicts. While this adaptive capacity can explain their endurance, the sustainability of their peacebuilding endeavours matters most. By establishing local capacities for peace throughout society, the peace commissions laid the ground for these peacebuilding endeavours to last.

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Why is it important?

This article provides a unique account of a bottom-up infrastructure for peace, which has proved not only to be effective but also sustainable, and looks into the factors that can explain this, in particular its adaptative capacity and connections with a wide range of actors. This is an important contribution to the literature on peacebuilding, in general, and infrastructures for peace, in particular. But, more importantly perhaps, it has practical implications for other similar processes, as many lessons can be learnt from this case for the participation of civil society in peacebuilding and the sustainability of peacebuilding processes.

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