United Nations peace process as a peacemaking and human rights exercise. Lessons from conflict resolution in Sierra Leone

Abstract

The United Nations peace process in Sierra Leone is one of the most successful initiatives in conflict resolution in the history of the UN. The peace building process has led to sustainable peace in a country located in a highly conflict ridden region in the world. This paper analyzes the peacemaking process to understand the process and its underlying unique features. Placing the events in the context of peacemaking criminology and human rights, it is argued that the UN peacemaking greatly reflects the values advocated by peacemaking criminology, while the goals of the process reflect universal human rights, recognized and promoted by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).