conflict and postconflict reconstruction

Conflict and Postconflict

Reconstruction:

Conflict and Postconflict

Reconstruction:

Background and Issues

By Monika Wroz

The Integrated-perspectives Approach toConflict and Peace Issues


Human Rights

Social Development

Ecological

Global



• Changes in warfare have brought about the need for aid and social workers to engage in conflict and postconflict situations

• To achieve more lasting peace, social work must improve its capacities in:

• community building

• social cohesion

• reconciliation

• rebuilding communities

• building stronger, harmonious, multicultural societies



1. Global Perspective:

• Creating a Global Civil Society is Essential

• Prevalence of conflict makes it a global issue

• Among the causes of conflict are the inequitable distributions of wealth, trade, aid

• Response must be global as reconstruction requires well-coordinated international efforts and requires helping professionals to share resources

2. Human Rights Perspective:

• Common causal factor

• Must be emphasized over the economic and political

• Social workers must protect the rights of marginalized/overlooked persons

3. Ecological Perspective:

• Damage often an intentional consequence of conflict

• Usually affects the poorest population

• Ensure rebuilding of communities is sustainable

• Opportunity to rectify past ecologically damaging tendencies

4. Social Development Perspective:

• Reconstruction should be development not relief-driven

• Provides a multilevel, multidimensional and comprehensive approach



The Extent and Nature of Modern Conflict The Extent and Nature of Modern Conflict

Causes:• colonial legacy• ethnic/religious tensions in pluralisticStates• interference in national affairs byforeign states• territorial disputes•development process

Impact:• social/personal• economic• developmental• structural

Characteristics:• focus on civilians• use of mercenaries• focus on destroying Infrastructure• displacement oflarge numbers• use of torture and rape• involvement of childsoldiers• landmines• no stated “rules ofengagement” – lack of protocol

The Role of the United NationsThe Role of the United Nations

• Traditionally has been to keep peace and assist in providing aid

• Has faced increasingly more pressure by global community to intervene in conflict areas

• Decisions influenced by member states who:

• provide financial support

• provide personnel

• have voting rights

The Role of Global Civil SocietyThe Role of Global Civil Society

• More nongovernmental agencies are becoming involved and are initiating their own programs

• Many NGO’s play a role in UN decisions (Red Cross, Medecins sans Frontieres, Amnesty Int.)

• Collaborative work between agencies is difficult but should be pursued

The Postconflict ResponseThe Postconflict Response

Recommend: The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein

• Continuation of activities begun during conflict

• Response to conflict might include:

– diplomacy

– provision of armaments

– training

– profiteering UN

should to take control ASAP

• Humanitarian response

– needs of persons affected

• Human Rights

– monitoring abuses

– involved in reconciliation

– involved in peace agreements

• Influx of various organizations

– Humanitarian goals

– Economic development

– Service provision

– Exploiting needs

The Postconflict Situation and the Postconflict Agenda

The Postconflict Situation and the Postconflict Agenda

The Postconflict Situation: An Analysis

The Postconflict Agenda

The Comprehensive Postconflict Agenda

• Comprehensive Agenda is endorsed in theory:

– Must be linked and coordinated

– Must be sustainable

– Must build on existing and on-going goals of society and its people

– Benefits of sustained peace and even development are worth economic costs

– Is multilevel: can be applied nationally or locally

– Includes interlocking “peacebuilding tasks”

The Postconflict Agenda

A cumulative process

Predisposing Factors

Conflict

Precipitating Factors

Postcolonial Situation

Areas of Need – to Rebuild

Populations With

Specific Needs

Significance of International context

Significance of location of conflict

The Postconflict Situation: an Analysis

The Comprehensive Postconflict Agenda

•All activities undertaken in such a way that they

contribute to establishing a firm

foundation for ongoing development of

the society

•All activities undertaken in such a way that they

contribute to establishing a firm

foundation for ongoing development of

the society

•Immediate needs of individuals and families generally

•Immediate needs of populations with specific needs

•Immediate needs of communities

•Immediate needs of society

•Immediate needs of individuals and families generally

•Immediate needs of populations with specific needs

•Immediate needs of communities

•Immediate needs of society

•Enforcement of Peace Agreement

•Return of displaced persons and their

reintegration

•Demobilization of soldiers and their reintegration

•Reconciliation

•Enforcement of Peace Agreement

•Return of displaced persons and their

reintegration

•Demobilization of soldiers and their reintegration

•Reconciliation

Peacekeeping for an interim Period and

Provisional Governmentor Administration

Peacekeeping for an interim Period and

Provisional Governmentor Administration

ComprehensiveApproach to

People’s Well-being

ComprehensiveApproach to

People’s Well-being

Root Causes of Conflict at all Levels, Including

Predisposing andPrecipitating Factors

Root Causes of Conflict at all Levels, Including

Predisposing andPrecipitating Factors

Erin Baines is the research director at the Liu Centre for Global Issues at UBC.

• Spent 3 years with the Acholi people of Northern Uganda.

• Children are the target for abduction by the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army)

• She is looking at how Acholi traditional rituals can help to re-integrate former child soldiers back into society.

The Postconflict Agenda: example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2saj4gJ4Lvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2saj4gJ4Lvw

• To better understand complexity of humanitarian aid, social workers should specialize in this area of activity

How might we do this?

The Humanitarian Aid DebateThe Humanitarian Aid Debate

Social Workers and Humanitarian Aid

Understanding Humanitarian Aid TodayUnderstanding Humanitarian Aid Today

Expansion and

Dimensions ofHumanitarian

Aid

Expansion and

Dimensions ofHumanitarian

Aid

Key Agencies

Involved in Humanitarian

Aid

Key Agencies

Involved in Humanitarian

Aid

Centrality of Politics

Centrality of Politics

The Limitations

And Dangers of

HumanitarianAid

The Limitations

And Dangers of

HumanitarianAid

Complex Nature

Of Many Humanitarian

Disasters

Complex Nature

Of Many Humanitarian

Disasters

Humanitarian Aid and its Associated PrinciplesHumanitarian Aid and its Associated Principles

• Humanity

• Impartiality

• Neutrality

• Only possible if the underlying principle of Independence is present or it will only serve the objectives of political forces providing it

• Is it possible to distinguish institutional interests from those of the people the institutions are pledged to assist ?

• The current objectives of humanitarian aid are multifaceted & interconnected

– Alleviation of human suffering

– Colonial ambitions

– Human Rights commitments

– Power and influence

– Appeasing consciences

• Media assists in selling the technical and enterprising aspects of aid

• As social workers we must make sure humanitarian aid is not “reduced to its’ technical components for the sake of proving efficiency to donors, thereby demeaning the ideas on which humanitarian action is based”

The Temptation and Dangers of Turning Humanitarian Aid Into a The Temptation and Dangers of Turning Humanitarian Aid Into a Technical EnterpriseTechnical Enterprise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWUFEx2uwW4




Institutional Constraints to Learning in the Humanitarian Aid ContextInstitutional Constraints to Learning in the Humanitarian Aid Context

• Do we need to rethink our humanitarian response to global crises?

• In order to secure aid it often needs to be “commercialized” CNN factor

• Need to make situation seem worse than it is

• Need to make aid given seem faultless

• Results in:

• “institutional preservation”

• various & unhealthy coping strategies adopted by staff

• not questioning actions and thus, not learning from past mistakes

How are we influenced in our work?How are we influenced in our work?• Group 1: What are the needs of these children and what approach

would you use to provide aid in their situation?

• Group 2: What knowledge and tools might you use to analyze this situation to build a postconflict agenda in this area?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekigsvTDJXo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekigsvTDJXo

The Importance in Humanitarian Aid of Looking Ahead to After the The Importance in Humanitarian Aid of Looking Ahead to After the EmergencyEmergency

• Criticisms or “Negative” aspects of aid:

– Often perceived as creating dependency

– Reducing healthy levels of self-reliance

– Aid assumes responsibilities of state governments (basic welfare services)

• To achieve the ideals or “Positive” aspects of aid, these objectives need to be achieved:

– Sustainable outcome and long term recovery

– Cannot be given as an end in itself but for the well-being of its’ recipients

What can we do to achieve this?

To Achieve Sustainable Peace there must be International Accountability, New Strategies for the Disbursement of Relief and

Development Assistance

Acknowledge structural conditions promoting

violence

Avoid intervention &become selective

political tool

Establish anindependentinternational

monitoring system

Mitigate and resolve structural and

political violence

Give conflict-affectedcommunities a voice

Develop framework of Int. law promoting rights of victims of

violence &underdevelopment

Strategies fordisbursement of

relief and developmentassistance

The Importance in Humanitarian Aid of Looking Ahead to After the The Importance in Humanitarian Aid of Looking Ahead to After the EmergencyEmergency

Personnel in Humanitarian Aid Responses to CrisesPersonnel in Humanitarian Aid Responses to Crises

• Who are the “aid workers” and what do they do?

– Often “faceless”

– Need different skills than in the past

– Need to be trained and prepared to perform their job effectively

Conflict analysis& management

negotiations Human Rightsmonitoring

Working with UNmilitary

Propaganda & humanitarianbroadcasting

Longevity of emergencies

& need of developmental

paradigm

Being a country

specialist

Working inurbanterrain

Peace-building&

rehabilitation

Personal security&

Emotional health

Armed guards &

protection

conflict and postconflict reconstruction

News & Politics