Select Committee on International Development Written Evidence


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.  RECOMENDATIONS

  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 and 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—ie 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





 
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