When violence starts between or within countries, one of the most important and most difficult questions is, how can it be stopped?

Peace mediators, humanitarian actors, peacekeeping forces, and governments face these types of questions almost every day. Despite the central role ceasefires play in ending wars and protecting affected civilians, practical knowledge of how to design, implement, and sustain them is not always available – or accessible – to all relevant actors.

Hence, the Ceasefire Project, a collaboration between the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre) in Geneva, was established. Supported by the European Union and complemented by partnerships with researchers from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Uppsala University, as well as experienced ceasefire experts and mediation practitioners from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the project aims to strengthen global capacity to design, negotiate and implement ceasefire efforts in ways that reduce violence and create space for negotiating lasting peace between conflict parties.

A recently published videos series conveys key messages from the extensive body of data, research and practical experience on ceasefires to make essential ceasefire knowledge accessible to mediators, peace experts, and peacemakers worldwide.

This blog provides you with a bird’s eye-view of the Ceasefire Project’s key insights captured in the form of the video series called “Understanding Ceasefires: A Practical Video Course”. Four of the eight videos are summarised below:

Eight Principles for Effective Ceasefires

The video series opens with, “Essential Ceasefire Principles,” which highlights eight building blocks that make ceasefire agreements realistic and durable. Rather than offering idealized solutions, the series underscores that ceasefires are effective only when they reflect the specific realities of a given conflict. Nevertheless, a number of core principles can serve as useful guidelines:

• Context matters: A ceasefire must reflect the political and military dynamics on the ground. There is no universal formula.
• Clarity prevents misunderstandings that can lead to escalation: Even small ambiguities in language can lead to misunderstandings that reignite violence.
• Inclusivity improves compliance: When local communities, women’s groups and civil society are meaningfully involved in shaping a ceasefire, the likelihood of sustained adherence to agreements increases.
• Ceasefires are not peace agreements: They create breathing space and reduce harm, yet they must be integrated into a broader political process if they are to lead to long-term stability.

The video explains that ceasefires may fail for two main reasons. First, conflict parties lack the will to stop fighting, or the power asymmetries between them may hinder negotiations. Second, agreements may fail because they overlook essential technical elements or rely on assumptions about conditions on the ground that do not actually exist.

Watch: Essential Ceasefire Principles

Humanitarian Pauses, Cessation of Hostilities, and Definitive Agreements: Understanding Ceasefire Types

Ceasefires are often spoken about as if they were all the same, yet the second video, “Types of Ceasefires,” demonstrates the opposite. It illustrates the spectrum of ceasefire arrangements, ranging from short humanitarian pauses designed to enable the delivery of aid or civilian evacuations, to preliminary ceasefires that can serve as stepping stones toward definitive ceasefires and formal peace deals.

The video highlights several essential distinctions between types of ceasefires:

• Declaration of intent: Often the first step, where parties express willingness to reduce violence even before violence reduction mechanisms are in place.
• Cessation of hostilities: A more formal commitment that begins to regulate conduct and restrict certain military actions, yet without clear monitoring and/or verification. An example is the UN-brokered nationwide truce in Yemen in 2022.
• Preliminary ceasefires: A more formalized cessation of hostilities that also has a clear timeline and monitoring and/or verification mechanisms. The idea is to pave the way for political negotiations. Examples include the Sudanese Nuba Mountain Ceasefire Agreement reached in Switzerland on the Bürgenstock in 2002.
• Definitive ceasefires: Detailed, negotiated agreements addressing core security questions and anchoring principles of later security transitions and disarmament processes. Examples include the security sections in the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, or in the Government of Colombia-FARC peace agreement in 2016.

Understanding these categories is vital because mediators must choose the right type of agreement for the specific moment and context. Attempting to negotiate a definitive ceasefire when the political environment only permits a limited humanitarian pause may undermine both.

Watch: Types of Ceasefires

The Art and Precision of Ceasefire Design

Another video in the series, “Ceasefire Design,” brings together the Ceasefire Project’s technical insights and illustrates the wide range of details that must be considered during ceasefire negotiations.

Key elements include:

• Clear definitions of prohibited actions, which can cover everything from troop movements to drone flights.
• Disengagement plans, specifying how and when forces withdraw or reposition to reduce accidental or intentional clashes.
• Threat reduction measures, including weapon cantonment, hotlines between commanders, and restrictions on heavy weaponry.
• Sequencing and timelines, ensuring that expectations are realistic and aligned with political and logistical conditions.

One of the video’s most striking points is how small technical oversights can have outsized effects. For example, a ceasefire that bans artillery shelling but does not address reconnaissance drones may quickly break down because one side interprets drone flights as preparation for attack.

Watch: Ceasefire Design

From Agreement to Reality: Making Ceasefires Work on the Ground

Designing a ceasefire is only part of the challenge. The video, “Ceasefire Implementation,” explores the complex procedures required to ensure that an agreement is translated into a lived reality for conflict-affected communities.

The video highlights several indispensable components:

• Interim security measures, such as the joint security management of demilitarised zones, help to stabilize volatile areas.
• Joint Ceasefire Commissions (JCC), which provide a forum for parties to address incidents, clarify rules, and adapt to new developments, with the aim of restoring compliance when parts of the agreement are violated.
• Monitoring and/or verification missions, which report to the JCC and can range from international observers collaborating with conflict parties to also include locally staffed monitoring networks, depending on what is feasible and trusted in a given context.

One of the video’s key messages is that implementation mechanisms are not add-ons. They are essential structural elements that determine whether a ceasefire will hold, especially in environments where trust between parties remains fragile.

Watch: Ceasefire Implementation

Importance of this Work

The Ceasefire Project is motivated by a simple yet urgent insight: armed conflicts across the globe are increasing in number and becoming more fragmented and complex, with civilians frequently caught between shifting frontlines. Effective ceasefire practice is therefore a critical tool for reducing violence and creating openings for diplomacy.

By bringing together the real-world experience of practitioners and rigorous academic research, the project bridges the gap between the field and the classroom. The resulting knowledge base supports mediators, conflict parties, and international organizations as they navigate the complex task of translating commitments to stop fighting into meaningful and sustainable change on the ground.

For ETH Zurich’s Centre for Security Studies, the project reflects a long-standing commitment to evidence-based research on peace and security. It also underscores a fundamental aspect of ETH’s global role: when expertise is combined with collaboration, knowledge becomes a tool for protecting lives.

Explore the full video series and learn more about the Ceasefire Project: Understanding Ceasefires – A Practical Video Series Produced by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and the Centre for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich.

See also the recently published book on ceasefires: Ceasefires – Stopping the Violence and Negotiating Peace – Center for Security Studies | ETH Zurich

For more details see: Ceasefireproject.org