Principle 6: Promoting pluralism.

 

Promoting pluralism and embracing diversity across communal, political, social, economic and gender divides, ensuring Fair and equal participation inpublic life and providing equitable access to institutions and services, are key foundations for sustainable peace. A pluralistic approach will not strive to eliminate differences and produce uniformity, or to simply promote tolerance in cold coexistence, but to accept differences as enriching for society and reinforcing a sense of belonging for all social groups. The Peacemaking Covenant sees pluralism as a tool that empowers everyone to participate meaningfully, including those who otherwise remain at the margins, to cocreate outcomes that respect the dignity of all. Pluralism shifts from inclusion as token representation to authentic political processes that value the contributions of all, support the expression of diverse views and priorities for society, and create a fair space of influence for diverse groups. Inclusion and power sharing within peace processes are a crucial starting point to address legitimacy deficits but must be accompanied by efforts to promote pluralism in political, social and economic life if it is not to be tokenistic. A commitment to pluralism must also recognise the conflict-producing cleavages, power structures and organising principles that reinforce exclusion and marginalisation in society. Vulnerable and marginalised groups are often those most affected in conflict and fragile settings, and those with least power often take the most responsibility to protect their communities, leading efforts to mediate, address humanitarian needs, prevent violence and build peace even in the midst of war. Pluralism can be assessed by tracing and evaluating how implementation of a peace agreement strives to overcome these political, economic and social exclusions and the degree to which all actors and groups eschew exclusionary politics.

- Implications and recommendations -

• Promoting a pluralistic social peace requires concrete actions to respondpositively to diversity in a society, rather than seeing diversity as a threat or challenge. It also requires recognising the limits of respect for diversity, in particular among groups or actors that advocate violent or exclusionary political, social or economic policies. Pluralism requires institutionalising arrangements, in and beyond constitutions and legal frameworks, to include and reflect the equal status and intersecting interests and claims of all groups in society. 
• A commitment to pluralism requires efforts to realise the aspirations of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, as well as wider efforts to increase representativeness and responsive outcomes to achieve just and inclusive transformations towards a shared future for all groups in society. 
• A commitment to pluralism is not just about who is included, but also what is included in different elements of peace settlements. It requires a longer-term approach that identifies and works within the multiple social, economic, political and security domains where efforts to advancing pluralism are required.

• Building pluralistic societies requires equal attention to the social hardware (institutions, laws, and policies) and the software (social mindsets and narratives) that shape how pluralism is understood. 
• Shaping pluralistic hardware includes institutional and regulatory arrangements - constitutions, governance and legal frameworks, the relationship between the economy and society, education policies, and the media - that form the legal and political space within which social groups and individuals interact. 
• Accountable and sustainable security institutions must also embrace pluralism to build legitimacy through fostering non-violent, noncoercive social relationships to enable active participation and genuine inclusion in political, social and economic life.
• Shaping pluralistic software involves attending to the cultural habits or public perceptions of belonging and voice and supporting social norms that include diversity-embracing cultural narratives to address groupbased inequalities including, in particular, gender inequalities.
•  Rules and policies to promote pluralism can only endure when they are sustained by and contribute to supportive sociocultural norms.
• Social capital - the norms and networks that enable people to act collectively - is central to sustainable peace. Supporting efforts to generate bridging social capital that builds and reinforces links between and across communities to foster genuinely pluralistic societies strengthens the legitimacy of institutions and political processes, as well as reducing frictions that can lead to conflicts. 
• Pluralistic politics can be promoted through hybrid arrangements (for example, in legal systems), or through institutional subsidiarity and devolution of decision making to the community level.
•  Formal legal and political accountability mechanisms and procedures must be established to ensure that the principles of pluralism enshrined in agreements and peace processes are upheld and respected.

Rationale

The principle of pluralism between states is one of the cornerstones of the global order, exemplified by the twin doctrines of self-determination and noninterference in the internal affairs of states. Political communities are free to pursue their destiny as they best see fit and to make choices that are respected by others. But pluralism at the global level is also balanced with a commitment to upholding and protecting human rights within states and seeking peaceful means of conflict resolution between them - as enshrined in the UN Charter and countless other International Agreements. Promoting and protecting pluralism and inclusion is thus a key dimension of any effort to build sustainable peace between states and within diverse groups in society.

The extensive process of global consultation that led to the development of the Principles for Peace identified pluralism as an essential tenet of peace in society. Discussions with traditional and religious peacemakers highlighted respect for difference and common humanity as important elements of peace.

Social and political institutions need to accept diverse and multiple identities rather than expecting individuals to assimilate to the predominant identity. Traditional peacemakers emphasised the need to view diversity as enriching and creating common ground, not by seeking to promote a homogenous or exclusive identity, but by working towards a common purpose.

 Promoting pluralistic peace processes poses considerable challenges. In today's world, people live in increasingly diverse and multicultural environments, but many societies are experiencing greater polarisation, exclusion and even xenophobia, rather than inclusion and respect for diversity. Many of these trends have been deliberately manipulated or amplified by social media. Exclusion and marginalisation can trigger and exacerbate conflicts, thwarting the achievement of stable and sustainable peace, and are linked to conflict recurrence. Groupbased inequalities provide powerful grievances that can be used by political entrepreneurs to mobilise for protest or violence. Conversely, the fear of losing status privileges can provoke members of powerful groups to scapegoat the less privileged.

Contemporary peace processes have predominantly sought political settlements and powersharing agreements between belligerent parties, with a strong push to make the overall process more inclusive and representative of society at large. There is a growing body of evidence that the participation of women (and women's civilsociety groups) in peace negotiations (and peace operations or policing) contribute to the legitimacy and durability of peace after civil war. Women peacebuilders worldwide are doing critical work to build peace in their communities as well as on the national and international level. But despite the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women and Peace and Security in 2000, women are often not recognised or included in formal highlevel processes, or involved at all, meaning that their knowledge and agency does not influence the peace. Similarly, there is evidence that youth can play an important role in consolidating and maintaining peace. The groundbreaking United Nations Security Council Resolution2250 on Youth, Peace and Security in 2015 recognised the role young people can and do play if worked with to advancing peace and development. Inclusion has become practically synonymous with promoting the Women, Peace and Security and the Youth Peace, and Security Agendas. Often, however, inclusion is practised instrumentally by improving representation of under-represented groups and adding diversity to an otherwise identical process focused on elite bargains. This does little to enhance the legitimacy of the process if it is disconnected from a broader and transformative vision for a more pluralistic society. Fulfilling the aspirations of the Women, Peace and Security and the Youth, Peace and Security Agendas and wider efforts to increase representativeness and responsive governance are central to legitimate and sustainable peacemaking. It is important to provide support, visibility and investment to implement these commitments and to the multiple frameworks and action plans for the wider inclusion of all stakeholders, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and Sustainable Development Goal 5: "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls".

 Pluralism does not presuppose the importance of one type of diversity; acknowledges the varied and multifaceted ways in which particular groups or communities engage with each other. A commitment to a pluralistic social peace also implies two deeper purposes: to empower and protect previously

marginalised and silenced groups, and to pave the way for antagonistic relationships to be transformed into peaceful ones and for resolving conflicts and differences.

Minority rights and representation, as enshrined in many peace settlements, have often reflected and reinforced a norm of minimal coexistence (in separate spheres) without sufficient attention to generating social capital that builds bridges between and across communities to foster genuinely pluralistic societies. Even in relatively successful peace processes - such as in Northern Ireland - efforts to augment bridging social capital that links different social groups (ethnic, cultural, religious, etc.) have had limited success, especially in political contexts that reinforce existing in-group ties through power sharing.

The ethical value of pluralism entails the idea that the diverse goals, histories, and practices of groups should not onlybe tolerated, but explicitly acknowledged as worthy of respect and treated with dignity. This means avoiding top-down approaches to peacemaking and/or the paternalistic imposition of particular models. Pluralism also requires great attention to the context of peacemaking efforts, beyond acknowledgment of historical practices that determine how and why power is distributed in a community. A richer understanding of context will focus attention on the collective experience of a community and the processes of participation that inform contemporary political decisions and actions.

 In conflict-affected societies, prior political experience may have been violent and exclusionary, and awareness of the fault lines in a community's shared present and past is essential to foster a peaceful transformation to a more pluralistic ethic. Ultimately, a commitment to pluralism strengthens the legitimacy of institutions and political processes, as well as reducing frictions that can lead to conflicts.

 Increased support and recognition of the agency and determination of civil society actors in challenging circumstances are vital. Meaningful participation by and inclusion of these voices will help to legitimise a peace process both internally and externally. Moreover, they will contribute to the achievement of pluralistic politics and societies, where diversity is embraced, historically marginalised groups and minorities are respected, and women and youth are part of decision-making processes. 

Pluralistic peacemaking requires concrete and practical legal,political, economic and social measures, based on a vision for a common future that is understood by all groups in society. Business actors should ensure that their workforces, workplaces, supply and value chains embody a commitment to diversity and pluralism. Civilsociety groups and political associations must commit to respect diversity and pluralism, with safeguards against discrimination, hate speech and extremist or violent mobilisation. External support to civilsociety groups should be aligned with adherence to these core principles and safeguard vulnerable groups that have staked their participation in peacemaking on the promises of protection from the international community.