Ceasefire monitoring and verification: identifying best practice
A thought provoking checklist of key issues to bear in mind for effective ceasefire monitoring. This paper advocates the need for creative planning as static mandates are pitched against rapidly changing realities on the ground. It is crucial to understand ceasefires as part of a process that begins before the actual agreement and does not stop until fully implemented. Identifying the political and economic considerations of the parties, knowing just when and how to involve experts, devising internal and external communication strategies and creating an environment to avoid new conflict and security vacuums are just some of the ingredients to turn ceasefires into peace.