ABSTRACT
This paper examines the opportunities and challenges of a Whole-of-Society approach to peacebuilding through the prism of EU multi-track diplomacy in conflict-affected environments. Although inclusivity has emerged as a global normative imperative embedded in various international policy guidelines, the literature on inclusive political settlements highlights that participatory processes do not necessarily contribute to effective decision-making outcomes. The paper assesses how EU actors seek to overcome this dilemma when supporting mediation and dialogue processes in third countries, and how local actors assess such interventions. Through a comparative review of EU intervention in Georgia and Yemen, the paper argues that multi-track mediation and dialogue support might provide an effective strategy to promote a meaningful participation by all relevant stakeholders in peace processes, but only if adequate mechanisms for inter-track coordination are provided for, and if vertical multi-actor inclusivity is complemented by horizontal coherence between diplomatic action and other policy domains of intervention.
