Memorandum submitted by the Department
for International Development, with contributions from the Post-Conflict
Reconstruction Unit and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
1. Conflict and poverty must be addressed
together. This government recognises that violent conflict represents
one of the greatest barriers to the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals.
2. Poverty, inequality and fragile states
create fertile conditions for violent conflict. The World Bank
estimates that Low Income Countries with poor governance are 15
times more likely to be involved in civil wars than OECD countries.
Conversely, such violent conflict can destroy decades of development
progress, creating and entrenching poverty both nationally and,
potentially, regionally.
3. With 24 of the world's 40 poorest countries
in the midst of armed conflict or having only recently emerged
from it, DFID recognised the need to build our analytical capabilities
on conflict and security and ensure we work on these issues with
our bilateral, Whitehall and multilateral partners.
4. The central aim of DFID's conflict policy
is to build the will and capacity of states and civil society
to resolve disputes non-violently as a precursor to sustainable
development and effective poverty reduction. This objective is
encapsulated in a Public Service Agreement shared with MOD and
FCO:
"By 2008, deliver improved effectiveness
of UK and international support in conflict prevention by addressing
long-term structural causes of conflict, managing regional and
national tension and violence, and supporting post-conflict reconstruction,
where the UK can make a significant contribution, in particular,
Africa, Asia, Balkans and the Middle East."
5. Outlined below are some of the key conflict
and development initiatives in which DFID is currently engaged.
THE CONFLICT
PREVENTION POOLS
6. Since 2001, DFID, the Ministry of Defence,
and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been working together
on the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), chaired by the
Foreign Secretary, and the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool (ACPP),
chaired by the Secretary of State for International Development.
7. The Pools were established as a mechanism
to improve the UK's effectiveness in conflict prevention. They
bring together UK Government expertise in defence, development
and diplomacy, and are supported by HM Treasury and the Cabinet
Office. Activities funded by the Pools must directly contribute
to conflict prevention, post conflict reconstruction, conflict
management or resolution, where a joint approach adds value.
Global Conflict Prevention Pool
8. The GCPP has developed regional and country
strategies to address conflict in Afghanistan, the Balkans, the
Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, Indonesia and East Timor,
India/Pakistan, Iraq, Latin America, the Middle East and North
Africa, Nepal, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) and Sri Lanka, as well as three thematic strategies which
focus on Security Sector Reform, Small Arms and Light Weapons,
and improving the UN system for conflict prevention and response.
[24]
9. A recent external evaluation of the Conflict
Prevention Pools by Bradford University's School of Peace Studies,
published in 2004, concluded that the Pools have promoted significantly
better interdepartmental interaction and cooperation and that
they have made a tangible contribution to containing conflict
in a large number of locations around the world. The Government's
response to the evaluation was published on 30 July 2004 and can
be found on the DFID and FCO websites.
10. Key achievements of the Pools include:
— Helping to ensure that the recent
transfer of power in Georgia took place without recourse to violence.
— Confirming the UK's status as amongst
the world leaders in the field of Security Sector Reform (SSR).
— Increasing the UN's capacity to respond
to conflict situations.
— Better policy discussion between
Departments on key conflicts and areas of potential conflict.
— Policy discussion and joint working
underpins a genuinely shared HMG approach eg Peacebuilding Framework
in Sri Lanka.
Africa Conflict Prevention Pool
11. The ACPP works at several different
levels. At the continental level, the Africa Pool is guided by
the UK Sub-Saharan Strategy for Conflict Prevention. At the regional
level, the Pool works through four Regional Conflict Advisers
based in Africa; these are a recent innovation and an important
resource for greater analysis of conflict and programmes that
take account of the causes and consequences of conflict. At the
country level, the work of the Pool is based around the existing
desk work and programmes of the three departments concerned.
12. Key successes include: effective contributions
to AU and ECOWAS peace support missions in Burundi, Sudan, Cote
d'Ivoire and Liberia; major support to ongoing stability in Sierra
Leone through Security Sector Reform and other programmes; major
engagement in peace processes in Sudan and Somalia; peacebuilding
programmes in Burundi and Angola and support to capacity building
of African peacekeepers via regional and country training programmes.
THE POST
CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION
UNIT
13. In 2004, the UK Government established
an inter-departmental unit to coordinate our contribution to immediate
post-conflict stabilisation. Housed in DFID, the Post Conflict
Reconstruction Unit (PCRU) provides a further opportunity to forge
strong links between conflict and development approaches.
14. Prevention is clearly the more effective
way of fighting conflict and insecurity, but we can do better
at responding to it when it happens. Past experience in Afghanistan,
Sierra Leone and the Balkans has shown that there is still a gap
in our ability to deal comprehensively with post conflict situations.
15. The Defence and Overseas Policy Cabinet
Committee defined the PCRU's mandate in February 2004 as being:
"to improve the UK's contribution to post conflict stabilisation
by:
— developing strategy for post conflict
stabilisation, including linking military and civilian planning;
working with wider international community; and
— planning, implementing and managing
the UK contribution to post conflict stabilisation, including
practical civilian capabilities needed to stabilise environment
in immediate post conflict situations."
16. The PCRU aims to ensure that the UK's
contribution to post conflict recovery is better designed, faster,
and more flexible. It is a cross-government and multi-disciplinary
team and is initially being developed to be used primarily where
significant UK forces are engaged. It will reach full strength
in mid-2006 and consist of a London-based core team of about 40,
drawn from across government and other sectors. It will also develop
a pool of Deployable Civilian Experts who may be called on in
times of crisis.
17. To ensure that the PCRU develops in
the context of the UK's overall approach to security and stabilisation,
a new Cabinet Sub-Committee for Post Conflict Reconstruction has
been established. The PCRU is also drawing on existing initiatives
such as the Countries at Risk of Instability study and DFID's
work on fragile states and security and development and ongoing
joint endeavours such as the Conflict Prevention Pools and the
"Provincial Reconstruction Teams" in Afghanistan.
18. The PCRU is gradually developing new
capabilities that do not duplicate existing work but enable them
to address issues as a whole, co-ordinate with others, and develop.
It has also started to contribute to existing activities, for
example military training courses, where there is potential to
add value.
SECURITY AND
DEVELOPMENT
19. DFID will shortly publish a new strategy
on security and development. The paper examines the links between
security—whether for individuals or the world at large—and
development. It will set out plans for improving DFID's effectiveness
in promoting the security of the poor, and for working with colleagues
in the UK and internationally to strengthen global approaches
to both security and development.
20. The main messages of the strategy are
that:
— Security and development are inextricably
linked.
— DFID's role is to promote the security
of the poor as part of our commitment to reduce poverty.
— This does not mean a subordination
of DFID's poverty reduction work to short-term political interests
or to work on counter-terrorism.
— DFID will continue to argue that
bilateral and multilateral development budgets should only be
used for activities that are eligible as Official Development
Assistance and not for UK or global security goals.
— DFID is already doing a lot of work
on conflict and insecurity. For example, on Security Sector Reform
(SSR), the Conflict Pools and Safety, Security and Access to Justice
(SSAJ) programmes.
— But there is scope to further raise
our game through our bilateral and multilateral partnerships,
and through our collaboration with others across Whitehall.
21. As a result of the strategy:
— DFID will consider security as a
basic entitlement of the poor and make support for effective and
accountable justice systems a more regular feature of our work,
through increased support for SSR and SSAJ initiatives.
— DFID will make more use of political
and conflict analysis in our programme design, including through
analytical tools such as using Strategic Conflict Assessments
and Drivers of Change analysis.
— DFID will pay greater attention to
the regional and global dimensions of conflict and insecurity
and their impact on the poor, and to countries that play a critical
role in promoting regional stability—or instability.
— In addition to the conflict work
DFID carry out through the Conflict Prevention Pools, DFID will
integrate more elements of conflict reduction work into our programmes,
for instance through Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) programmes
and Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programmes.
— DFID will respond as far as possible
to requests from new countries for support in implementing the
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
— DFID will work more closely with
Whitehall and multilateral partners to address conflict and insecurity,
including in countries where DFID does not have programmes, through
staff exchanges, where feasible, and through more joint analysis.
FRAGILE STATES
22. In April 2003 DFID's Policy Division
established the Poverty Reduction in Difficult Environments (PRDE)
team to lead on DFID policy on fragile states. DFID defines fragile
states as countries where the government is unable or unwilling
to deliver core functions to the majority of their people, including
the poor. Although this definition includes many conflict-affected
countries, it is not restricted to these countries. Fragile states
present particular challenges to poverty reduction, accounting
for nearly 30% of people living on less that $1 per day, with
one third of their population undernourished.
23. DFID's work on fragile states is coordinated
with other areas of DFID policy, including security and development,
conflict and humanitarian issues, and aid effectiveness. Work
so far has focused on:
— Building DFID's understanding of
fragile states and developing effective policies.
— Working with other government departments
to ensure cross-Whitehall coherence on fragile states.
— Working with the wider international
community to build consensus for more effective international
engagement in fragile states.
24. A DFID policy paper on fragile states
(Why we need to work more effectively in fragile states)
was published in January 2005, setting out DFID's analysis of
the challenges posed by fragile states and committing DFID to
a number of specific actions.
25. Close cooperation with international
partners is a critical element of the Fragile States team's work.
The team have established strong partnerships with multilateral
and other bilateral donors, including the World Bank, European
Commission and UNDP. The main focus of the international work
has been the OECD-DAC Learning and Advisory Process on fragile
states, which the team co-chair with the World Bank. As a result
of the Senior Level Forum in January 2005, DAC members have agreed
on a set of Principles of Good International Engagement in Fragile
States, which stress the importance of policy coherence between
the development, diplomatic and defence wings of donor governments.
These will now be piloted in a small number of countries by a
co-ordinated group of donors.
GETTING WHITEHALL
TO WORK
TOGETHER ON
CONFLICT PREVENTION
26. The Conflict Prevention Pools (CPPs)
have had a major impact on cross-Whitehall working, helping to
develop joint conflict analysis and policies between MOD, DFID
and the FCO. The CPPs have also raised the profile of conflict
prevention within the UK's relationships with other countries.
27. The next challenge is to ensure that
newer initiatives, such as PCRU, Countries at Risk of Instability
and the Global Opportunities Fund, are integrated into HMG's wider
conflict prevention work in a way that helps achieve our shared
goals while having clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
The Overseas and Defence Secretariat in the Cabinet Office co-ordinate
between these mechanisms and are currently leading a process to
ensure that this is achieved, looking at gaps and overlaps both
in policy and funding of conflict-related work.
28. DFID works with other bilateral donors
through the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD to promote
greater harmonisation of conflict prevention policies. DFID is
perceived as a leader in encouraging other development agencies
to integrate a conflict perspective into their policies and programmes,
and in the field of SSR and SALW. The pools are seen as a model
of a successful government approach to conflict prevention and
many other donor nations are establishing or investigating similar
mechanisms.
March 2005
24 Most of DFID's Security Sector Reform, Small Arms
Light Weapons, and Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration
work is managed through the Pools. Back
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