| Author |
Message |
Phil Bartle
| | Posted on Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 11:23 pm: | |
A few weeks ago, I got a message from a person in Zimbabwe who is starting to build a local NGO. He pointed out that Zimbabwe is now a conflict zone; would I offer him some advice for doing development work in a conflict zone.
In my work in Kenya-Somalia, I worked for UNHCR, an emergency response organization. One of my colleagues, head of a small UNHCR outpost in Somalia, had his brains shot out as he was landing in a little chartered Cessna in a small town in Somalia, only 100 km from where I was head of another UNHCR outpost, which I got to and from by the same plane. My earlier work in Afghanistan came closer to development work (with Swedish Save the Children), but was organized as if it were relief work. I supervised a cross border rehabilitation programme from Peshawar (Pakistan).
So after I got the question from Zimbabwe, I have been seriously asking myself if development work (in contrast to emergency response) can in fact be done in a conflict zone and, if so, how would it be modified in such an environment?
What are your ideas ? |
Francesca Ballarin
Guest
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 10:39 am: | |
I think that it depends by the nature of the conflict itself.
I experienced great differences in the relief work in situation of war (e.g. Kosovo crisis) and in situation of protracted crisis (e.g. Somalia). My opinion is that in protracted crises working on development standards is somehow the only way to interrupt the perpetuation of the conflict, although it requires specific skills related to emergency relief work (e.g. on security). In this sense I think that Somalia is probably most evident case and the international community should take it as a big lesson learned.
Conversely, in war situations (meaning 1 temporal circumscribed event) emergency relief operations should just respond to contingent needs.
Relief activities should of course try as much as possible to pose basis for long term development.
From my poin of view, question is now which kind of crisis is the one in Zimbabwe?
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Robert Maletta
Guest
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 06:54 pm: | |
Dear Phil,
It seems to me that "Development-as-business-as-usual" in a conflict zone does not work from my experience in Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, etc. In the most obvious case--in high intensity conflict--people do not develop themselves if they are afraid for their security. However, there are situations where the conflict is of a lower threshold and people are still living in their homes with the threat of conflict, or are returning to their homes. There may be opportunities here for supporting people in their basic needs, their human rights, and in conflict resolution activities. Strategies for "development in conflict" will depend upon what groups you target and your goals for strengthening their coping abilities.
A good case study on what development agencies can do in conflict zones would be that of ACORD-UK's programme in northern Uganda. There, they are dealing with a low intensity rebel war that is claiming lives and livelihoods over a protracted period. The situation is not yet so bad that everyone has fled, but not ideal for doing conventional development work. ACORD has tailored a programme to deal with the local population by empowering their local staff to develop strategies and to then implement them with the goal of strengthening coping strategies, dealing with victims and returnees in their physical health and mental well-being, as well as supporting them in their material needs through income generating activities and support to credit schemes and local support groups. It would be well worth contacting them to find out about this.
Hope this helps!
Robert Maletta
www.robertmaletta.com |
Fiona Ninnes
Guest
| | Posted on Monday, May 05, 2003 - 02:43 am: | |
Here are a couple of publications that you may be interested in:
Conflict and Development: Organisational adaptation in conflict situations
Mark Adams and Mark Bradbury
75pp
Oxfam
1995
ISBN 0855983205
Aus$5.00 (on special 2 copies available)
Description: This paper considers ways in which NGOs might adapt policies, practices, and organisational structures to meet the challenge of working in situations of conflict.
Development in Conflict: the Gender Dimension: Report of a workshop held in Thailand, February 1993
Judy El Bushra and Eugenia Piza Lopez
99pp
Oxfam
1993
ISBN 0855982942
Aus$2.00 (on special 2 copies available)
Description: This paper is intended for development workers who need clearer practical and theoretical insights into the problems of integrating a gender perspective into conflict-related work. |
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