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
| 
