IFIT’s Law and Peace Summit

Following months of research and consultations with top government, law, mediation, and justice experts, the Law and Peace Summit was the first formal occasion at which the initial vision of the treaty was presented and discussed. The event was held in Barcelona.

Establishment of the Expert Advisory Group

IFIT set up an Expert Advisory Group (EAG), consisting of a mix of 22 renowned international negotiators, jurists, civic, and political leaders meant to provide active guidance on the Initiative’s larger substantive and strategic dimensions. During the inaugural meeting, we delved into key questions surrounding the substance and procedure of the Initiative.

Kick-off of the Global Consultation Process

For the launch of the Global Consultation Process, we sent out bilateral outreach letters to hundreds of governments along with global, regional, and national institutions.

Interactive workshop at the Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development

This interactive workshop “Building the International Law of Peace Negotiation" allowed experts, academics, practitioners, and policy makers to learn firsthand about the origins and concepts underlying the Peace Treaty Initiative as well as review and comment on the indicative text.

In-house info-session with constitutional experts from International IDEA

The session was designed to facilitate a discussion on the core ideas underlying the Peace Treaty Initiative and key substantive elements of its indicative text. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and explore potential collaboration opportunities within the framework of the Global Consultation Process.

Informative seminar with the Melbourne Law School

In this in-house info session participants discussed key substantive elements of the Initiative’s indicative text and ​​ brainstormed on possible avenues of collaboration within the framework of the Global Consultation Process.

Expert regional workshop in Latin America

This workshop, jointly organised with Universidad de los Andes, promoted an initial space for discussion among academics and experts in international law from Latin America and the Caribbean. Under the title “Mesa académica regional: Reflexiones desde la región hacia la construcción del derecho internacional para las negociaciones de paz”, it aimed at analysing certain key substantive elements of the indicative text of the PTI, and identifying challenges and opportunities from a regional perspective.

Special panel at the Carter School Peace Week

The special session called Building the International Law of Peace Negotiation gave participants the opportunity to learn first-hand about the origins and key concepts underlying the Peace Treaty Initiative.

Info-session with CSPPS: “The Peace Treaty Initiative. Incentivizing peace negotiations”

IFIT presented the Peace Treaty Initiative at the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding’s (CSPPS) Core Group Meeting for the International Day of Peace.

In-house workshop with the Faculty of Laws of Tel Aviv University

This in-house info session provided participants with an overview of the initiative and the rationale for the treaty. It also promoted a discussion around certain key elements in the indicative text of the treaty, and fostered a conversation regarding its relevance from Israel's perspective.

A special seminar with the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Justice and Security at QUB

This special session hosted by Queen’s University Belfast provided participants with an overview of the initiative and the rationale for the treaty. It also fostered a conversation regarding its relevance from a Northern Ireland Perspective.

Special Blog Symposium

This blog was a symposium in which IFIT’s Executive Director, Mark Freeman, and international law experts discussed the opportunities presented by the Peace Treaty Initiative and some of the main substantive elements of its indicative text. It was hosted by the Armed Groups and International Law (AGIL).

Interactive workshop on the Peace Treaty Initiative with AIPAZ

This in-house info session aimed to a) provide participants with an overview of the initiative, and the rationale and justification for the proposed treaty; and b) identify collaboration alternatives with La Asociación Española de Investigación para la Paz (AIPAZ) as part of the overall consultation process.

Op-Ed mini-series hosted by Justiceinfo.net

In this insightful op-ed miniseries focusing on the Russia-Ukraine reality, contributors close to the initiative shared their ideas on revitalising the debate around how to achieve peace and justice. Dive into these three compelling articles here: "Here is a way for International Law to better help end conflicts" by Hesham Youseff. "Negotiating Amnesties, Peace and Justice: A New Path" by Mark Freeman and Louise Mallinder. “Getting Back to What Matters: Victim Voices and the Making of International Law”, by Paula Gaviria.

Global Strategy Meeting of the Expert Advisory Group

The first in-person meeting of the Expert Advisory Group took place at IFIT’s headquarters in Barcelona. Members had the opportunity to engage in reflective discussions and strategic planning, addressing crucial substantive and procedural questions related to the initiative.

Dedicated panel at the European University Institute (EUI)’s State of Union Summit

This special session on the Peace Treaty Initiative aimed at: a) discussing today’s international peace architecture; b) looking into the incentives to make negotiations a more attractive and safer choice for governments facing conflicts; and c) assessing the value of the Peace Treaty Initiative within the EU.

International Law Workshop at the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security of the University of Glasgow

In this invitation-only workshop, 17 UK-based international law experts –comprising esteemed academics and practitioners– came together for a focused discussion around key legal and policy questions embedded in the Peace Treaty Initiative’s indicative text. Participants exchanged their views on those areas where the proposed treaty could provide greater clarity about international law, institutionalise and streamline implementation, and introduce innovative new norms and procedures.

Special high-level workshop on “The Doha Peace Talks: Lessons for the Peace Treaty Initiative”

This workshop brought together select key members from the Doha peace delegations to reflect on the challenges and lessons learned from the intra-Afghan peace talks that could directly inform the Peace Treaty Initiative.

Special session with the International Network of Victims & Survivors of Serious Human Rights Abuses (INOVAS)

At this special session, members of the executive committee learned first-hand about the origins and concepts underlying the initiative; and engaged in an interactive discussion on the role of INOVAS and victims associations in the global consultation process for the treaty.

Event on “Peace Negotiations, International Law and the Missing Role of Technology”

During the first "Special International Law Workshop", participants learned first-hand about the indicative draft of the proposed treaty and engaged in lively discussions on key questions of law and policy embedded in the draft. The day concluded with an evening cocktail hosted at Debevoise’s New York office. The next day, in the dynamic expert workshop on "Peace Negotiations, International Law and the Missing Role of Technology”, experts and practitioners working within or at the intersection of peace negotiations, public international law, and technology and security converged to explore technology’s evolving role in peace negotiation and international treaty law. We discussed strategies for better integrating technology into treaty frameworks.

Event on “Lessons learned from the Northern Ireland Peace Process: A conceptual and practical look into the Peace Treaty Initiative”

This event consisted of two differentiated sessions. Participants at the high-level interactive workshop explored challenges and lessons learned from the Northern Ireland Peace Process and how these lessons might inform the content of the proposed treaty on peace negotiations. After, at an engaging public event, experts and scholars delved into the main accomplishments and obstacles in the implementation of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, discussing their relevance to the Peace Treaty Initiative.

Special session at CSPPS’s Core Group Meeting on the International Day of Peace

This in-house informative session with members of CSPPS’s Core Group sparked insightful discussions on the vision behind our Peace Treaty Initiative and the essential elements of the Draft Articles. We exchanged ideas for mutual benefit and explored win-win avenues of collaboration.

Workshop on lessons learned and opportunities from the Havana Peace Talks for the Peace Treaty

During the simulation exercise, “Las negociaciones entre el Gobierno de Colombia y las FARC: Lecciones y oportunidades para la Iniciativa para un Tratado de Paz”, members of the National Brain Trust for the Colombian Transition and other experts of IFIT’s network whom were involved in the negotiations in Havana reflected upon the main challenges of the peace process between the Government of Colombia and the FARC, as well as on possible methodological, substantive, or procedural benefits that the proposal of the Convention on Conflict Prevention and Resolution could have brought to it.

Panel at the ‘Bangkok Summit On Bringing Community Initiatives: Strengthening Sustaining Peace And Guarantees Of Non-Recurrence In The Asia Pacific Region’

IFIT was invited to share insights on the current global discourse for peacebuilding, sustaining peace, and transitional justice with leading civil society organisations in Asia-Pacific. We proudly presented our innovative Peace Treaty Initiative, aiming to drive positive change in the conflict resolution discourse. This summit was co-organised by the Asia Justice And Rights (AJAR), Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF), International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC), Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR) organisations.

High-Level Convening on “Practice-Informed Lessons from International Arbitration” for the Peace Treaty

International lawyers, arbitrators, peace negotiators, diplomats and academics met in London to reflect on the role that international arbitration has had in preventing and resolving armed conflicts. Practical and substantive lessons were drawn from these discussions that have contributed to shaping the final draft articles of the Convention on Conflict Prevention and Resolution.

High-level convening for Africa on “The Role of International Law in Peacemaking: A Local and Regional Look at the Peace Treaty Initiative” in Nairobi

During this high-level workshop held in Nairobi, participants learned first-hand about the draft articles of the proposed peace treaty and discussed the opportunities the treaty presented for the region in the context of Kenya's contributions to peacebuilding in Africa and beyond.

Conference on “The Case for a New International Law for Peace” with the Belgian Consulate in Barcelona

Against the backdrop of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of Europe, IFIT’s Executive Director Mark Freeman participated in the ‘Europe Talks’ conference series organised by the Consulate of Belgium in Barcelona where he advocated for a new international law for peace.