Memorandum submitted by World Vision
1 World Vision
1.1 World Vision,
one of the world's leading relief and development agencies, is
a Christian charity is working with over 85 million people
in nearly 100 countries in their struggle against poverty, hunger
and injustice, irrespective of their religious beliefs.
1.2 World Vision functions as a partnership of
interdependent national offices, overseen by their own boards
or advisory councils, bound together by a common mission statement
and shared core values. Each national office, regardless of its
size and the extent of its programmes, enjoys equal voice in Partnership
governance, erasing the usual distinctions between the developed
and developing world.
1.3 World Vision
UK is a member of several major interagency groups including the
Disasters and Emergency Committee (DEC), British Overseas NGOs
for Development (BOND) and the Consortium for Street Children
(CSC).
2. RECOMMENDATIONS
World Vision recommends that the UK government's
peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction policies be based
upon the following considerations:
2.1 Design and implementation of peacebuilding
and post-conflict reconstruction programmes should be based upon
a comprehensive understanding and strategic analysis of the particular
context and dynamics in each case, drawing upon the knowledge
and experience of local partners. This can be combined with best
practice and lessons learned from programmes that have been done
in comparable situations elsewhere.
2.1.1 In our experience, peacebuilding and post-conflict
reconstruction programmes are most effective when they designed
and implemented by partnerships including local actors, institutions
and agencies with direct involvement in the particular context
supported by international agencies and experts who have relevant
skills in conflict analysis and strategic design which can be
adapted and applied to the specific situation to be addressed
by the programme.
2.1.2 For example, World Vision programmes to
support peacebuilding in Northern Uganda have been designed and
implemented on the basis of a strong partnership between World
Vision Uganda, World Vision UK and other supporting partners and
coalitions. World Vision Uganda staff recommend that DFID support
to the war affected communities in Northern Uganda should address
more than immediate needs of the victims affected by conflict.
There is also an urgent need to support long-term conflict mitigation
and conflict prevention programmes that address root causes and
secondary causes.
2.2 Peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction
initiatives are more likely to be effective when they are integrated
with practical programmes that address common community needs
such as health, education, housing, etc. People who have seen
each other as enemies are more likely to be persuaded to come
together for dialogue and possible reconciliation, if there is
an expectation that they will all benefit from this engagement
which aims to address particular physical, social and economic
needs. In the process of discussing these issues of common concern,
their animosity and fear of each other may be reduced and they
can begin to develop peaceful relationships and to work together
for a common aim.
2.2.1 So, for example, in the Maluku (Indonesia)
Peace and Reconciliation Programme, co-funded by World Vision
UK and the Department for International Development (DFID) through
its Civil Society Challenge Fund, peacebuilding was integrated
with education in this programme that provided transitional educational
opportunities for war-affected children. This project was implemented
in 37 schools in 21 school clusters. The Community Education Committee,
a newly created structure which acted as the implementing body
for this project, brought together representatives of different
religious and ethnic communities which had been in conflict with
each other, and thus provided a vehicle for building relationships
that helped to ease tensions and encourage reconciliation.
2.3 Civil society has an important role to play
in promoting common values and norms for government and for the
wider society, rather than representing the interests of one side
or the other in a conflict situation. Where society is divided,
civil society can play a valuable role in generating debate about
ways and means to that are more focused on the common interest
of all the people and less concerned about the more narrow interests
of particular ethnic or religious groups.
2.3.1 A relevant example from our experience
is the Pokatusa Peace & Reconciliation Project which emerged
from discussions between local communities, World Vision Uganda
and World Vision Kenya and was supported by World Vision UK and
DFID. The project was implemented in the pastoral communities
of Northeastern Uganda and Western Kenya through a set of integrated
strategies, including:
- Mobilisation and sensitisation of main stakeholders
(ethnic group leaders, lead warriors, District Administrators,
community leaders, religious leaders, women and local council
leaders) to generate a critical mass to further peace and reconciliation
in the communities
- Civil society capacity building, including formation
of inter-ethnic peace & reconciliation committees at sub-county,
district and project levels.
- Educational programmes and cultural exchanges
among the various ethnic groups and warring sub-clans
- Peace advocacy through workshops, rallies and
radio broadcasts
- Income-generating activities for youth, women
and reformed warriors.
Particularly important and effective in promoting
common interests for peace and reconciliation among all groups
in this particular region was the project's cross-border Joint
Venture Committee including national government officials, legislators
and religious leaders from both Kenya and Uganda.
2.4 National and local government involvement
in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstructuion efforts should
be supported and strengthened as much as possible, with the aim
of mainstreaming and ensuring the sustainability of programmes.
This needs to be combined with the establishment of relevant structures
and mechanisms to provide for public monitoring and accountability
of government.
2.4.1 For example, the Maluku Peace and Reconciliation
Programme (see 2.2.1) was combined with two other related programmes:
- Enhancing Teachers Capacity in Peace Education,
jointly funded by DFID, UNDP and UNICEF, which worked with Ministry
of Education officials, headmasters, teachers and supervisors
to support the development of a particular peace education methodology
for use in the schools, and
- "Peace and Tolerance magazine" project,
funded by the European Commission, to nurture peace attitudes
and skills among war-affected school children through the magazine
and teacher supplement combined with training, curriculum and
classroom activities for the teachers and students.
Both of these projects helped to extend the values
and ideas of reconciliation to communities that were not directly
involved in the Maluku Peace and Reconciliation Programme. The
provision of peace education training provided an incentive and
morale boost to teachers as well as improving the learning environment
for students.
2.5 When supporting projects in countries and
regions that are in transition from violent conflict to fragile
peace, there is a need for donors and supporters to keep in close
touch with the changing situation through their relationships
with responsible and knowledgeable local partners. In such a fluid
context, new problems and issues will arise during implementation
of the project and external donors therefore need to be accessible,
flexible and willing to adjust their support to changing priorities.
2.5.1 An example from our experience is a World
Vision project in a fragile African state that has recently emerged
from an extended period of violent conflict. This project was
implemented by the WV national partner office and was supported
by the DFID Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) though World Vision
UK. (For reasons of confidentiality, the project name and country
are not mentioned here.) A specific recommendations made in the
final evaluation of this project is that DFID should consider
projects supported by the CSCF as process projects - i.e. that
changes to project outputs should be expected during the life
of the project.
2.6 World
Vision asks that the role of children as peace-builders be recognised.
World Vision research has shown that children are potentially
among the most powerful of peace builders. Reconciliation programmes
that bring together children from different ethnic or religious
groups that have been in conflict can help to break down social
barriers and prejudices that have emerged during conflict. World
Vision peacebuilding projects that include children have demonstrated
the ability of children to see beyond the reasons for conflict
and to gain a common understanding with each other. These groups
of children have provided a catalyst for change for the whole
community through their communication and understanding.
2.7 In
relation to coherence within the international system in addressing
post-conflict needs, World Vision asks that the UK government
support the system of UN Resident Coordinators for coordination
of aid during post-conflict transition. We have seen how this
can be very important in situations such as Burundi, for example.
January 2006
| 
