Unofficial peace groups are significant players in a peace process, who have been widely assessed with regard to their role in community relations. However, the peace and conflict resolution organisations (P/CROs) have been paid little attention in the existing literature in relation to their role in shaping, promoting or precluding a conflict resolution process. This book aims to close this gap by focusing on the relevant peace groups that played a role both in reducing the level of violence and maintaining the peace processes in Northern Ireland and Turkey. There has been little focus on the peace groups’ role in shaping and promoting the Northern Irish and Turkey's Kurdish peace processes. This chapter argues that official negotiations are not enough on their own as it is more complicated to bring ethno-nationalist conflicts to an end through official negotiations only. Therefore, I suggest complementing official negotiations (track-one diplomacy) with peace organisations in order to create unofficial conflict resolution approaches (track-two diplomacy) by exploring ethno-nationalist conflicts in a wider context. It is imperative because P/CROs may provide a close link between the effectiveness of peace institutions and the decisions of the political elite.

P/CROs can infl uence decision-making mechanisms through public and non-public conferences, forums and events with the participation of current or former politicians; representatives of conflicting parties and actors; important figures and intellectuals in the conflict-aff ected society; and other grassroots initiatives. The role of peace organisations may begin in the prenegotiation stage and continue until an agreement between conflicting parties is reached. This chapter argues that the efficiency of these organisations has facilitated progress in ending violence in both of the chosen peace processes. Thus, it is crucial to understand their influence in both conflicts. This chapter aims to answer the following question: To what extent have peace and conflict resolution organisations facilitated peacemaking efforts during existing violence in Northern Ireland and Turkey?