DDR provisions in peace agreements: Global trends, 1975–2021

The document analyzes the prevalence and composition of DDR provisions in 289 peace agreements between 1975 and 2021. It finds that while DDR components are increasingly common, they are rarely implemented as a complete package, with disarmament being the most frequent provision. The brief highlights the critical role of third-party actors, particularly the UN, in supporting comprehensive DDR efforts, and notes a severe lack of explicit provisions for women and child ex-combatants despite international norms.

• Between 1975 and 2021, 45% of all peace agreements included at least one DDR component, but only 27% incorporated the full package consisting of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration.
• Disarmament is the most common DDR provision, appearing in 88% of agreements that have at least one DDR component, which likely reflects government priorities to re-establish a state monopoly on violence.
• Third-party actors, primarily the UN and regional organizations, were involved in 55% of peace agreements with at least one DDR provision between 1980 and 2021, with their involvement rising to 63% for agreements containing the full DDR package.
• There is a significant gap between international norms and practice regarding the inclusion of women and children; among 128 agreements with DDR components from 1980 to 2021, only 2 mentioned women and 11 referenced children.
• Regional variation exists in the comprehensiveness of DDR provisions, with a higher proportion of peace settlements in Africa (38%) including all three DDR components.

APA

Celestino, M. R., & Palik, J. (2025). DDR provisions in peace agreements: Global trends, 1975–2021. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/ce4f965d-d048-4749-a532-0f1e4a930c66/PRIO Policy Brief 3 - 2025.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Celestino, Mauricio Rivera, and Júlia Palik. DDR provisions in peace agreements: Global trends, 1975–2021. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2025. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/ce4f965d-d048-4749-a532-0f1e4a930c66/PRIO Policy Brief 3 - 2025.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Celestino |first1=Mauricio Rivera |last2=Palik |first2=Júlia |title=DDR provisions in peace agreements: Global trends, 1975–2021 |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=March 2025 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/ce4f965d-d048-4749-a532-0f1e4a930c66/PRIO Policy Brief 3 - 2025.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{celestino2025ddr, author = {Celestino, Mauricio Rivera and Palik, Júlia}, title = {{DDR provisions in peace agreements: Global trends, 1975–2021}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/ce4f965d-d048-4749-a532-0f1e4a930c66/PRIO Policy Brief 3 - 2025.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }