Guatemala’s peace process: context, analysis and evaluation Enrique Alvarez and Tania Palencia Prado (2002) Guatemala’s 1996 peace accords’ almost 200 substantive commitments on social, economic and political reforms were the result of extensive public participation in defining the agenda for negotiations. The parallel democratization process was reinforced by the public debate and democratic space created by the peace process’s mechanisms for public participation. The article describes the context that led to the accords and democratization, as well as the instruments created for public participation, including the National Reconciliation Commission, the Grand National Dialogue and the Oslo consultations. Despite this wealth of initiatives, the authors argue that the failure to implement the accords fully is in part due to the lack of an institutionalized mechanism for civil society participation and the failure of civil society to foster cohesive mass mobilization.
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