DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION D+ C Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit E +Z

International Journal

ISSN 2366-7257 D +CMonthly e-Paper March 2017

G20 Resilience Welfare programmes Germany will put Assessing a term that Poor and vulnerable SDGs high on agenda is being used ever people need more than of Hamburg summit more in policy debate support for self-help

Promoting peace Front page: Juan Manuel Santos, Nobel Peace Laureate and Colombian president, wears a dove on his lapel. Photograph: picture-alliance/AP Photo

D+C March 2017 In German in E+Z Focus Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit. Both language versions at www.DandC.eu Peace requires civil engagement Monitor Trade policy and the Sustainable Development Goals | Fifth anniversary of Transition from war to peace Engagement Global | Corporation Atlas 2017 sheds light on global food After more than half a century of civil war, a peace industry | Populists compound corruption problems, according to Transparency agreement has been concluded in Colombia. In International | In Pakistan and India, the non-profit sector is not regulated appropriately rural areas far from the capital, however, local actors | Nowadays: Single refugee mothers in Uganda | Imprint 4 hold sway, and it will be difficult to take steps towards peaceful coexistence. Amanda Camilo Ibarra of the women’s rights organisation Ruta

Debate ­Pacífica discussed matters in an interview. Page 20 Comments on German aspirations for the G20 summit in Hamburg, upcoming elections in Kenya, the shortcomings of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index and Myanmar after one year of rule by Aung San Help in times of crisis Civil conflict resolution can contribute to facilitating Suu Kyi’s party 10 peaceful coexistence in crisis zones, involving vari- ous groups – including refugees and returnees – in public life. Work needs to be done at the grassroots level, as Martina Rieken of Germany’s Civil Peace Tribune Service elaborates. Peacebuilding is a multi-faceted challenge and must restore trust in society. Peter Usche Merk: A critique of the increasingly used notion resilience 15 Tibi, an experienced mediator from South Sudan, spells out what needs to be considered. Pages 23, 25 Frank Bliss: Why poor and vulnerable people need more than support for self-help 17 Peace and the media After violent crises, a strong foundation for peace- oriented media work was laid in Uganda, as Gloria Focus: Promoting peace Laker Aciro of the Peace Journalism Foundation of East Africa writes. In Kenya, news outlets must Interview With Amanda Camilo Ibarra: ensure that hate speech will not distort their cover- Challenges during Colombia’s transition from civil war to peace 20 age of the election campaign this year. Journalist Isaac Sagala offers some advice. Pages 26, 28 Martina Rieken: Civil conflict resolution contributes to preventing violence – and Germany’s Civil Peace Service can lend support 23 Empowering women Peter Tibi: Five essential issues for building peace 25 Medica Afghanistan is one of the country’s few non-governmental organisations that support Gloria Laker Aciro: In Uganda, the foundations women who have experienced sexualised violence. Its leaders Humaira Rasuli and Saifora Paktiss for peace journalism are in place 26 spoke about their approach, achievements and future challenges in an interview. Page 30 Isaac Sagala: Kenyan media must not tolerate or even reiterate hate speech in the upcoming election campaign 28 Carnival for peace Interview with Humaira Rasuli and Saifora Paktiss: Young people in Baghdad organise an annual street Medica Afghanistan supports women who have survived sexualised violence 30 festival to promote peace. The event has also given rise to more civil-society activism, Eva-Maria Ver- Eva-Maria Verfürth : Bagdad’s annual peace carnival 33 fürth of D+C/E+Z reports. Page 33

Lisdey Espinoza Pedraza and Markus Heinrich: No justice without remembering Peace parks could prove useful in the Middle East and North Africa 35 Cambodia’s murderous Khmer Rouge regime left deep marks on the country. Four decades after its Sun Narin: To cope with Khmer Rouge inflicted traumas, collapse, people are still seeking justice. To cope Cambodians need documentation, memorialisation and reparation 36 with traumas, Cambodians need documentation, memorialisation and reparation, argues Sun Narin, Karoline Caesar: Relevant reading on peacebuilding 38 a journalist. Page 36

D+C e-Paper March 2017 D+C e-Paper March 2017 3 impossible. but not ing anewisdiffi cult– for reconciliation.Start- havecultures strategies All of peace-building. traditionalforms boost networksenough toOnthatbasis,local cangrow eat. again,andtheycan too. doso assistance andeconomic support matters, psychosocial order to cometo termsonly withthetrauma,not civil confl resolution ict In ofentire villages. cohesion women,andthesocial theirfamilies hurts have to relearnhow to live peacefully. together ofsociety. share to thereconstruction needed After years ofconflpeople ict, ableto contribute be theirdesperately theywillnot Otherwise, their costs. canformandcover small organisations so isneeded Once more, support in post-conflscratch.be builtfrom has situations.Trust to ict would helpful – dybut theyare whatis infrastructure typicallybe missing Strong the ruleof law institutions, and to create newandstur- perspectives. cians are nomore thanmere paper. to kick-starttheeconomy Itisessential famine. withhuman-induced ismakingheadlines country confl beingexacerbated economicsituation. bythebad ict, whichis Nowthe fi ghtingin2013.Consequently, underlying tensions have new triggered norafter theoutbreakofrenewed in2011 independent became country andaccountforfundamentalcrimes. ofjustice to resolveissues society.a peaceful easy. Thisisnot done workto legal be needs Competent andtheynowjointlybuild must of violenceandtheirvictims, perpetrators post-confl building.Inevery and institution country, ict includepeople the process including funds formonitoring the peace international support, may topeace. lead lasting which eventually process of alongsocietal thing. Itismerely thebeginning any- settle not treatyassuchdoes outthatapeace rightly point activists fl are Colombian peace.venturing outon the roadBut parties rocky to ict more. onceing withandovercoming possible trauma.Normal become lifemust for cop- income. support Aboveof civilian need all, a great number victims whoreliedongunsto generate createdforpeople be must Jobs restored. Confi reconstruction. need societies be to denceinthejudicialsystemneeds lenges. automatically.there ispeace faceenormouschal- concerned Thesocieties that mean not the war violence, The end ofactual has afterended. all,does are aff places those so areected were where beingbut regions war iswaged, them fl of war,because ee from theirhomes poverty. violenceand onlyNot Globally, are ontherunthanever moreinhistory. people before of Most Promoting peace eDitorial For people to consider and respect human rights, theyfi humanrights, For to considerandrespect people to have need rst Consider, violence. Itdeeply ofsexualised forinstance, theexperience Accordingly, plays civil society a crucial role society. in stabilising theyareUnless implementedproperly, by signed politi- treaties peace Sudan,neitherafter werethe things doneproperlyinSouth not These anddeserve need whichembarkonthisjourney andsocieties States ismakinghistory.Colombia ofcivil Afterwar, halfacentury thecon- ismorePeace thanalong-term ceasefi re. Fundamentally disrupted [email protected] editorial teamofD+C/e+z. is amemberofthe Mysorekar sheila

Photos: Heine/Lineair/Image Broker, picture alliance/AP Photo Debate Tribune out ambitions for this summer’s G20summitin out ambitionsforthissummer’s SDGs ontheG20agenda SDGs economic cooperation anddevelopment, spells cooperation economic Hamburg. The Sustainable Development Goals Development Goals Hamburg. TheSustainable state Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, theparliamentary will be high on the agenda. highontheagenda. will be a journalist, argues. argues. a journalist, The term resilience is becoming ever moreThe termisbecoming resilience onthe TI’s PerceptionIndexfocuses Corruption notion is over-rated as it distracts from isover-rated notion asitdistracts results are distorted accordingly, are distorted results asNicoBeckert, Criticising Transparency International secretary toministerfor Germany’sfederal secretary pays themoneyandwhatillegitimatefi nancial Resilience isnotenough Merk of medico international, ofmedico theFrankfurt-Merk important issues. issues. important important in policy debate. inpolicy According to Usche important fl developingTheindex hurt countries. ows most based non-governmental the organisation, based bribability ofgovernment offinot onwho but cers, PaGe 15 PaGe 12 PaGe 10

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EU trade policy Falkenberg admits today. Instead, he says, trade policy was pursued bilaterally, and Same rules for all agreements were concluded with friendly countries. Discrimination was thus reintro- duced into global trade. Falkenberg says the WTO is still a very important body for im- proving things, however. East Africa produces Critics see the WTO as a toothless ti- milk and meat itself ger that has liberalised trade but failed to and imposes high regulate it. Nonetheless, Heinz Hetmeier of import duties on Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic foreign products: Affairs and Energy (BMWi) points out: “We cattle in Rwanda. should count ourselves lucky to have a multi- lateral system such as the WTO.” It is the only international organisation – he adds – that requires its 164 members to commit to non- discrimination and equal treatment and has mechanisms for settling disputes. Hetmeier praises the WTO for creating the rules and environment needed for globalised trade. Sigrid Skarpelis-Sperk, however, says there are too few rules. She is a former SPD member of the Bundestag and used to head her party’s parliamentary working group on globalisation. Her assessment is: “World trade needs sanctions and penalties that re- In the eyes of many experts, the World Trade lagging behind. Nevertheless, the EU has ally hurt those who break the rules.” Organization (WTO) needs a stronger role in not changed course in trade policy, as Bread Bilateral trade deals concluded by regulating global trade. Instead, bilateral for the World, the Protestant charity, points the EU have human-rights clauses and a agreements largely determine trade relations out. Other civil-society agencies, including sustainability chapter. However, violations between rich industrial countries and the the globalisation-sceptic network Attac, mostly go unpunished. The human-rights developing world. Unless trade policies even accuse the EU of self-deception. The clauses allow signatories to take appropri- change, critics see no chance of achieving trade policy currently pursued by the EU, ate measures – including suspending the the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). they say, makes poverty in Africa worse and agreement – if the other party violates hu- drives up the number of people fleeing from man rights or democratic principles. Unfor- By Theresa Krinninger African countries. tunately, the clause is not included in every agreement, as an analysis done by Bread for In 2015, UN member states unanimously The WTO still matters the World reveals. Moreover, there is a lack adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable of mechanisms to register violations. Development and its 17 goals. Goal 17 is to “A lot needs to change,” said Karl Falkenberg The sustainability chapters tend to be boost global trade on fair terms. The exports at a panel discussion hosted by Bread for the similarly ineffective. The parties are sup- of developing countries should increase, and World in Berlin in February. A former deputy posed to respect and implement interna- companies based there should get tariff- and director-general of trade for the European tional labour standards and environmental quota-free access to the world market. Fur- Commission, he has played a significant role agreements, but no provisions are made for thermore, the WTO should do more to en- in shaping European trade policy since the sanctions in the case of violations. sure a level playing field, with the same rules 1980s. “We did not understand planetary and fair conditions applying to all parties boundaries,” he says. “In my case, I only start- Partnership agreements under fire involved. Better trade opportunities would ed to appreciate them in the past 15 years.” contribute to reducing poverty and thus sup- Today, he has become a sustainability Another controversial issue is the European port the achievement of other SDGs. expert and urges Europeans to reconsider Union’s increasing use of bilateral agree- What are the implications for trade issues such as consumerism, production ments, the so-called Economic Partner- policy, especially for that of the European and trade. It is more important than ever, he ship Agreements (EPAs). A common point Union? Examples like China and South says, to strengthen regional markets in Af- of criticism is that the EU forces partners Korea show that trade has lifted some de- rica and thus make them more competitive. who are in a weaker bargaining position to veloping countries out of poverty. Many “After we created the WTO, I should open their markets almost entirely to EU

others, however, especially in Africa, are have stuck with it rather than neglecting it,” products, while at the same time protecting Ph oto: kd

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its own market from imports from devel- tegration (see D+C/E+Z e-Paper 2016/12, In a developmental perspective, how- oping countries. African countries cannot p. 42 / print edition 2017/1-2, p. 36). Things ever, open borders are not the only thing compete with a powerful economy like Ger- are especially worrying in Southern Africa, that matters. Market protection can actu- many’s, and cheap EU exports inhibit local where some members of the Southern Afri- ally be healthy. Gunther Beger of Germany’s industry and agriculture. can Development Community (SADC) have Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation Some development economists disa- signed an EPA whilst another EPA is being and Development (BMZ) says: “It makes lit- gree, however. For example, Helmut Asche negotiated with the organisation’s other tle sense to use EU money to help agriculture argued in a study he wrote on behalf of members. and industry develop in Africa and then let Heinrich Böll Foundation in 2015 that the EPA negotiations have been held trade agreements undo everything again.” finalised EPAs focus on the trade in goods since 2002, after the foundation for them He points out that the East African and are geared to phased liberalisation. was laid in the Cotonou Agreement in 2000. Community (EAC) imposes duties on for- This approach, according to Asche, serves They are WTO compatible because the eign milk and meat products, and “the rate the interests of African countries (see D+C/ WTO is in favour of increasing regional in- is 50 % in the case of milk products”, where- E+Z e-Paper 2015/12, p. 5). More recently, tegration. The aim of EPA negotiations was as the Economic Community of West Afri- however, the same scholar has demanded to promote trade between the EU and the can States (ECOWAS), applies only zero to that the EU reconsider its EPA policies various regional organisations of 78 Afri- five percent tariffs. “The comparison shows because they are splitting regional organi- can, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, that East Africa produces significantly more sations instead of promoting regional in- which are former colonies of EU members. milk and meat.”

Anniversary pants grew significantly too. According to Kitschelt, the growth of EG follows a trend. The interest of society in development pol- Growing engagement icy has risen, he said, assuring that the gov- ernment will continue to support and – if necessary – defend civil society worldwide. The anniversary also marked the be- Five years of commitment were palpable in commitment to development in Germany. ginning of the year-long partnership of the Bonn’s Bundeskunsthalle on 9 February as We have achieved such commitment thanks City of Bonn and Engagement Global. Many leaders, staff and 450 partners from munici- to excellent cooperation with civil society events are planned in this context. “Engage- palities and civil society celebrated Engage- and municipalities.” ment starts locally,” Bonn’s Mayor Ashok ment Global’s (EG) fifth anniversary. The EG works on behalf of Germany’s Sridharan said and added that it must be agency works on behalf of Germany’s Fed- Federal Government and is financed by the fostered and supported. eral Ministry for Economic Cooperation and BMZ. Since 2012, the budget has almost tri- Development (BMZ) and has grown signifi- pled from around € 82 million to € 244 mil- Link cantly since its formation. lion. The number of employees doubled to Engagement Global: 380 in the same period, and the number of https://www.engagement-global.de/ By Katja Dombrowski project partners, programmes and partici- homepage.html

“Those who sow engagement will reap en- gagement”, Friedrich Kitschelt, the BMZ’s state secretary, said in his opening address. Development work concerns the whole of society, he insisted, and EG facilitates rel- evant contributions by civil society, mu- nicipalities, associations, foundations, churches and schools. The agency provides information, does awareness raising, advis- es individuals as well as groups and finan- cially supports development projects. D+C/ Moving the world E+Z are published on behalf of EG. forward – at the Jens Kreuter, the managing director of anniversary of EG, praised his employees’ good work and Engagement the partners’ commitment: “EG was estab- Global in the form

lished in 2012 with the mandate to foster of balloons. Ph oto: Engagement Global/Neil Baynes

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Corporate Atlas 2017 in the USA and the latter in the Nether- lands. The Corporate Atlas reckons that Controlling our food these corporations have enormous negoti- ating power since their combined share of the world market is 70 %. According to the Atlas, the ABCD traders provide cheap commodities to Supermarket chains large food companies including the likes destroy traditional of Unilever, Nestlé, Heinz, Mars, Kellog’s shops and markets. and Tchibo. These companies, in turn, are Supermarket in the top suppliers of supermarket chains. Mumbai, India. In Germany, four such chains account for 85 % of retail food sales. According to the authors, the supermarket managers are the gatekeepers – they determine what items make it onto the shelves and thus decide who produces the food and how it is pro- duced. The pressure on the supply chain is growing, according to the report, as food producers pay to get their products onto supermarket shelves. They pass on pres- sure, so farmers must work harder for less money. The Atlas points out that super- market chains are expanding fastest in middle-income countries like India, Indo- nesia and Nigeria. Regardless of where the The food industry is marked by a decreasing the USA in order to become the world’s larg- “supermarket revolution” occurs, it hurts number of ever larger players. Multinational est provider of agrochemicals. The US-based traditional shops and markets. mega-corporations dominate the world mar- corporations DuPont and Dow Chemical are The food industry claims to fight ket from the field to the supermarket shelf. A planning to merge, and ChemChina would world hunger by increasing food produc- recent publication sheds light on the matter. like to acquire the Swiss-based multination- tion. According to the Corporation Atlas al Syngenta. According to the Corporate At- 2017, however, the productivity of cultivat- By Theresa Krinninger las, three of these corporations will control ed farmland has not increased. In fact, mil- more than 60 % of the seed and agrochemi- lions of hectares of farmland are used to The Corporate Atlas 2017 highlights how the cal markets, and almost all will use geneti- produce animal feed and biofuel, and such development of the food industry is affect- cally modified plants. monocultures are destroying some 24 bil- ing everyone. It also shows that the weakest The more market power is concen- lion tons of fertile soil every year. The Cor- links in the supply chain are hit hardest be- trated in the hands of a few companies, the porate Atlas insists that the reason for 800 cause farmers and farm workers in emerg- more dependent consumers become. The million people being malnourished is not ing markets and developing countries are authors point out, however, that farms are the lack of food but its unfair distribution. entirely at the mercy of corporate powers. affected even more as corporations dictate The agencies that published the Cor- The report was published in mid-January prices for seeds and pesticides. poration Atlas 2017 want governments to by Heinrich Böll Foundation, Rosa Lux- The report notes that not only geneti- assume responsibility. They demand that emburg Foundation, Friends of the Earth cal engineering is changing agriculture. anti-trust legislation be improved in Ger- Germany (BUND – Bund für Umwelt und Digitalisation is doing so too. Agricultural many in order to protect consumers and Naturschutz), Germanwatch, Oxfam and Le enterprises increasingly depend on comput- farmers from corporate powers. Moreover, Monde Diplomatique. erised management systems which small- the agencies are in favour of environment- All along the supply chain, companies scale farms cannot afford. friendly agriculture, which they consider are getting larger. Since 2015, 12 mega-merg- Once wheat, maize and soybeans the only way to improve yields to the ben- ers have occurred in the food and agricul- are harvested, the so-called ABCD traders efit of farmers and consumers. ture industry. Today, seven corporations are come into play. The four letters stand for controlling the production of seeds and pes- four corporations that dominate the im- Link ticides worldwide, but their number is likely port and export of agricultural commodi- Konzernatlas 2017 (in German): to shrink to merely four by the end of 2017. ties: Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, Car- https://www.oxfam.de/ueber-uns/

Germany’s Bayer wants to buy Monsanto in gill and Dreyfus. The first three are based publikationen/konzernatlas-2017 Ph oto: Böthling/Photography

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Corruption Perceptions Index The populists, however, lack any in- tention to tackle the problem seriously. On the contrary, populist governments often Populism boosting corruption increase corruption, the author writes, cit- ing India, Italy, Slovakia and Hungary as ex- amples. In the case of Trump, Heinrich sees first signs for a “betrayal of his promises”. According to Transparency International (TI), For example, Mexico scores low in Turkey and Hungary have declined on the corruption, inequality and populism are the CPI and in the Social Inclusion Index, CPI since the election of populist leaders, closely related phenomena. Populist politi- indicating both rampant corruption and Argentina, which ousted a populist govern- cians often promise to end “the elite’s” cor- a high number of marginalised and ex- ment, has risen in the ranking. rupt practices. Once they are in office, how- cluded people. Denmark, on the other To break the vicious circle between ever, they actually fuel the problem. hand, tops the CPI and also performs well populism and inequality, TI urges govern- on the Social Inclusion Index. Correla- ments to By Katja Dombrowski tion does not necessarily mean causation ●● stop the revolving door between busi- though. A country’s level of development ness leaders and high-ranking government TI’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index could determine both, for example. How- positions, (CPI) is the most important corruption ever, Heinrich’s research indicates that so- ●● hold the corrupt to account rather measuring instrument, although it does not cial inequality influences corruption much than letting corrupt officials hide behind target corruption itself but the perception more than GDP per capita does. political immunity, of corruption in the public sector only (see While the finding is not new, Hein- ●● enforce greater controls on banks, sell- comment, p. 12). The recently published in- rich points to the fact that two very differ- ers of luxury goods, lawyers and real-estate dex for 2016 includes 176 countries and ter- ent political forces are currently making agents who help launder corrupt money and ritories. One finding is that corruption and it a core element of their campaigns. One ●● outlaw the use of secret companies inequality feed of each other, creating a vi- is the global movement against inequal- that hide the identity of the real owners. cious circle of corruption, unequal distribu- ity headed by NGOs such as Oxfam, while The overall finding of this year’s CPI tion of power and unequal distribution of the other is exemplified by populist politi- is worrisome. The index figures have been wealth. cians such as US-President Donald Trump, deteriorating for more countries than im- TI research director Finn Heinrich ­Poland’s former Prime Minister Jaroslaw proving. “Not a single country comes close compared the CPI with two indices calcu- Kascynski and French presidential can- to top marks, while over 120 countries score lated by the Bertelsmann Foundation: the didate Marine Le Pen. Heinrich points below 50 on the scale of 0 (highly corrupt) Social Inclusion Index for OECD countries out that the populists regularly complain to 100 (very clean),” TI states. The country and the Welfare Regime indicator for the about “corrupt elites”, interested only in that dropped most sharply in the ranking rest of the world. He states: “The data show enriching themselves and their support- was Qatar, whereas Afghanistan, a perennial a strong correlation between corruption and ers, and claim to defend the marginalised fixture near the bottom of the list, improved social exclusion.” people. the most.

Corruption Perceptions Index 2016 Source: Transparency International Source: Transparency

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Civil society Pakistani culture, values and interests and argues that these terms are too amorphous. What matters to him is that prudent regula- Inadequately regulated tion would facilitate interaction of state agen- cies with civil society. As things are, however, attempts to regulate NGO-state interaction are primarily seen as the expression of “one The governments of Pakistan and India like a recent essay, relevant data is not being col- party’s desire to exercise control and the oth- to argue that non-governmental organisa- lected systematically. All too often, Rana er’s desire to avoid it”, Rana concludes. tions (NGOs) need to be controlled so they writes, registration is “the first and last con- Rana’s essay was published in the do not undermine the national interest. tact between NGOs and the government Mumbai-based Economic and Political Recent research shows that non-govern- authorities responsible for their regulation”. Weekly (EPW), the most important social- mental organisations are indeed inade- One result is that nobody has a clear idea of science journal in South Asia. One of Rana’s quately regulated in both countries, but the how many NGOs there are in Pakistan and proposals is that Pakistan could learn some point is not the subordination of civil society. what exactly they are doing. lessons from India, where both the national So far, legislators have failed to ensure that Many NGOs are not registered, Rana and state legislatures have passed relevant NGOs live up to minimum standards of explains, and they are under no legal obliga- laws and where new institutional arrange- transparency and accountability. tion to become registered. Some NGOs are ments for NGOs have been defined. Such registered as societies, others as companies praise, however, does not mean that things By Hans Dembowski and yet others as trusts or voluntary social- are going well in India, as another essay in welfare agencies. Depending on their legal the same EPW edition shows. It assesses the Prudent laws can ensure that NGO govern- status, different duties apply. The relevant legal status of non-profit organisations and ance is in line with democratic principles. laws are from the colonial era. Rana argues was written by Rajesh Tandon, the founder- NGO leaders should give account of activi- they should be amended to fit contempo- director of the Delhi-based think tank PRIA ties and financing to members, clients, the rary social needs as NGOs have been playing (Participatory Research in Asia). general public and the state. Transparency “an increasingly important role in provid- According to Tandon, the Indian sce- is needed to confirm that funds are used for ing services and in lobbying for civic rights” nario is similarly confusing as the Pakistani an NGO’s mission for example. The effec- since the 1970s. one. Not all relevant non-profit organisa- tiveness and efficiency of civil society thus In the scholar’s eyes, the “indifferent” tions are registered, and, as in Pakistan, depends on good regulations. state is missing an opportunity to coordinate registration can be done with various defi- According to Muhammad Ahsan Rana government programmes with civil-society nitions according to laws that date back to of the Lahore University of Management activism in a way that would optimise service colonial times. In India too, the exact num- Sciences, Pakistan’s rules concerning NGOs delivery to the poorest citizens. Rana does not ber of organisations is unknown. Moreover, are outdated. As the scholar points out in endorse governmental aspirations to protect it remains unclear to what extent non-profit organisations are allowed to be involved in commercial activities. Like Rana, Tandon is not keen on giv- ing the government control of NGOs. He calls for better rules to safeguard the pub- lic goods. His conclusion is that “it is in the interest of Indian civil society to have a re- formed institutional and legal framework for registration, reporting and management of their organisations.”

References Rana, M. A., 2017: Perfect strangers – The state and NGOs in Pakistan. EPW, January 21, p. 93. http://www.epw.in/journal/2017/3/special- articles/perfect-strangers.html Tandon, R., 2017: The hidden universe of ­ non-profit organisations in India. EPW, January 21, p. 79. http://www.epw.in/journal/2017/3/insight/ More information on civil-society activism would be useful in both India and Pakistan: #missingirls hidden-universe-non-profit-organisations- hoto: dem is a Kolkatan artist’s campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking and child prostitution. india.html P

D+C e-Paper March 2017 8 Nowadays D+C correspondents write about daily life in developing countries

supplement the food ratio distributed Single refugee by UNHCR,” she says. The UNHCR is Imprint the UN Refugee Agency which supplies D+C Development and Cooperation relief goods in the camp. mothers Vol. 44, 2017 The refugee situation in Uganda D+C is published together with the German edition E+Z Internet: www.DandC.eu is getting worse due to the on-going D 12 107 ISSN 0721-2178 Thirty-six years old Elizabeth Atoch, a conflict in South Sudan. Because of mother of three, gets up as early as 4 o’clock unrest in South Sudan and the DR Published on assignment from: D+C Development and Cooperation is funded by Germany´s in the morning to start preparing breakfast. Congo, several big refugee settlements Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and She sells food to earn money and must have existed in Uganda for many years. commissioned by ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL. D+C does not serve as a governmental mouthpiece. Our mission is to provide a credible take care of her children. Atoch lost her Since July 2016, Bidibidi, a small place forum of debate, involving governments, civil society, the private husband in January 2014 in the civil war in in northern Uganda, is said to have sector and academia at an international level. D+C is the identical twin of E+Z Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit, the German edition. South Sudan. “My husband was killed by become the fourth-biggest refugee camp the rebels in a fight,” she says. in the world. ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL gGmbH Service für Entwicklungsinitiativen The young mother fled to northern According to the Real Medi- Tulpenfeld 7 Uganda and now lives in the Nyamanzi cine Foundation, which supports the 53113 Bonn Tel. (02 28) 2 07 17-0 refugee settlement. She felt devastated UNHCR, there were 469,737 new arrivals Fax (02 28) 2 07 17-150 by the events, but was determined to do in Uganda in the second half of 2016, www.engagement-global.de her best to raise her children. “If I were to and 272,206 of those refugees were sent Advisory board: wail in despair and mourn my husband to Bidibidi. The vast majority – 86 % – Thomas Loster, Prof. Dr. Katharina Michaelowa, Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner, Petra Pinzler, Hugh Williamson endlessly, my children would not have are women and children. experienced a real new beginning,” she says In the Ugandan refugee camps, Publisher: Frankfurter Societäts-Medien GmbH with a sombre voice. tens of thousands of exiled South Suda- Executive director: Oliver Rohloff A month after her arrival, Atoch nese are periodically given maize flour, Address of the publisher and editorial office: started a business. Her savings amounted beans and oil. There are health units run Frankenallee 71–81, D-60327 Frankfurt am Main, Germany to 50,000 Ugandan shillings (the equivalent by UN agencies, but refugees say that This is also the legally relevant address of all indicated as of about $ 15), and she had to think of a way the supply of pharmaceuticals is insuf- responsible or entitled to represent them in this imprint. to generate income. Now Atoch and several ficient. When children get sick, parents Editorial team: other women are running their businesses depend on private clinics for fast service Dr. Hans Dembowski (chief), Sabine Balk, Katja Dombrowski, in what is called the “main market”. It and better medication. Many are unable Sheila Mysorekar, Eva-Maria Verfürth, Dagmar Wolf (assistant) Phone: +49 (0) 69 75 01-43 66 consists of plastic tents and grass-thatched to pay, however. For single mothers Fax: +49 (0) 69 75 01-48 55 structures. Some women sell dry fire wood like Atoch, it’s hard to take care of their [email protected] they fetch from the nearby forest. Atoch children. Art direction: Sebastian Schöpsdau Layout: Nina Hegemann boils tea before sunrise and serves it to cus- “When I look at my kids, I see my Translators: M. Bell, C. Davis tomers with cake for a morning breakfast. husband,” says Atoch. “But I’m glad Disclaimer according to § 5,2 Hessian Law on the Freedom She must feed her children too, of they are healthy and happy children, and Rights of the Press: The shareholder of the company is course. “I have to buy meat, fish and oil to even in a refugee settlement.” Frankfurter Societät GmbH.

Advertising and subscription service: Links Frankfurter Societäts-Medien GmbH, c/o InTime Media Services GmbH UNHCR (United Nations High Postfach 1363 Commissioner for Refugees) D-82034 Deisenhofen, Germany Phone: +49 (0) 89 8 58 53-8 32 – Data: South Sudanese refugees Fax: +49 (0) 89 8 58 53-6 28 32 in Uganda. [email protected]

South Sudan http://data.unhcr.org/SouthSudan/ Opinions expressed by authors indicated in bylines do not country.php?id=229 necessarily reflect the views of ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL, the publisher or the editor and his team. Individual articles may be Real Medicine Foundation – Bidibidi reprinted provided the source is mentioned and two voucher copies Refugee Settlement, Uganda: are sent to the editor unless copyright is explicitly indicated. This does not apply to the photographs published in D+C Development http://www.realmedicinefoundation.org/ and Cooperation and E+Z Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit. The Uganda our-work/countries/uganda/initiatives/ editors request that no unsolicitated manuscripts be sent. However, they do welcome proposals along with abstracts that serve to Zimbabwe healthcare-implementing-partner-for- outline submissions. Harare unhcr-at-bidibidi-refugee-settlement/ Prices (incl. mailing charges): single issue: € 2.20 Philip Thon Aleu annual subscription, Germany: € 14.00 annual subscription, world: € 18.00 is a journalist and lives

in Juba, South Sudan. Printing: Westdeutsche Verlags- und Druckerei GmbH

Kurhessenstraße 46 [email protected] 64546 Mörfelden-Walldorf, Germany

D+C e-Paper March 2017 9 DebatE

G20 growing risk of environmental disasters such as droughts and floods, as well as the need to tackle the root causes of displacement. One world – our responsibility Also, what happened during the Ebola crisis showed us that the stability and re- silience of the international community’s health-care systems need to be enhanced. We want to remedy this on a very practical level by holding joint exercises to curb pandem- ics. And we feel it will be important to work together on tackling resistance to antibiotics. Furthermore, the G20 will also look at the rapid spread of digital technologies worldwide and the deep impact this is already having on how we do business and live our lives. Our aim must be to ensure that every- one – and in particular women in developing countries – can benefit from the opportuni- ties that digital technologies have to offer. Other key topics will be the exchange of infor- mation, equity in taxation, transparency and sustainable supply chains. A particularly important objective for Germany will be to foster a strong partner- “The stability and resilience of the international community’s health-care systems need to be ship between the G20 and Africa. During enhanced”: examining a pregnant woman at a hospital in Brazzaville. Germany’s presidency, we want to work with interested African partners with a view to boosting sustainable private-sector in- vestment in Africa. To achieve that, the gen- Germany’s Federal Government will put the lives in peace, dignity and freedom in an in- eral conditions prevailing in some African Sustainable Development Goals high on the tact environment. Its seventeen goals for sus- countries will have to become more attrac- agenda of this year’s G20 summit in Ham- tainable development combine the principle tive and reliable, and companies – including burg. Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, the parliamen- of sustainability with the three dimensions of German ones – will need to show willing- tary state-secretary to the federal minister development – namely social, ecological and ness to do business in Africa. for economic cooperation and development, economic development. The goals reflect the Governments, businesses and civil so- spells out what needs to be done. spirit of a new global partnership that, for the ciety will have to work together to meet these first time ever, calls upon all of the world’s challenges. Only if we all work together, will By Hans-Joachim Fuchtel countries – rich and poor alike – to work to- we be able to find solutions and carry them wards achieving these goals. through successfully. That is why practical Globally, we have achieved a great deal with The Group of Twenty leading industri- experience at grassroots level counts too: our development policy: absolute poverty has alised and emerging economies, known as every citizen in Germany can make a con- been reduced, more food is being produced the G20, will play a pivotal role in the realisa- tribution, discuss solutions and exchange worldwide, diseases are being combatted suc- tion of the 2030 Agenda. A first step in this ideas with others both at home and abroad, cessfully, and an increasing number of peo- direction was the adoption of an action plan thereby playing an active role in shaping our ple have access to education. Despite these at the G20 summit in China last autumn. This world. I have meetings with various interest successes, we need not only to continue but year, Germany holds the presidency of the groups and actors all the time, and I see again to step up our efforts to eradicate poverty, G20. It is a good opportunity to push ahead and again how committed people working at hunger and inequality once and for all, and to and quickly breathe life into the implementa- the local level are to achieving sustainable mitigate the effects of climate change. tion of the 2030 Agenda. development. We need to build on that! It was in response to the huge global It is our government’s intention, during challenges of our time that the international the German presidency, to boost the Group Hans-Joachim Fuchtel community decided at the UN summit in of Twenty’s role as a central forum for inter- is parliamentary state New York in September 2015 to adopt the national economic cooperation. Germany’s secretary to Germany’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. objective will be to ensure that the G20 coun- federal minister for The Agenda is like a pact on the world’s future tries work together to meet major interna- economic cooperation and and its goal is that, by the year 2030, every- tional challenges. These include the continu- development.

body in the world should be able to live their ing threat posed by climate change and the http://www.bmz.de Ph oto: Heine/Lineair/Image Broker

D+C e-Paper March 2017 10 Debate

Governance Kenya Kenya’s game of personality politics

African leaders have played the anti-western 2007/08, which left at least 1,100 dead and them, support them and develop their area. card, the tribal card and the jobs card, 650,000 displaced.” Tribal identities are old, and the British co- although only very few voters still fall for the Kenyatta and his vice president Wil- lonial power reinforced them in order to “di- last one. Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta liam Ruto were involved in those riots, vide and rule”. has played them all. What has not worked in though on opposing sides. The two men be- Kenya is also haunted by corruption. Africa is the anti-establishment card. The long to different ethnic groups, and the Whether funds are siphoned off in the Na- political elite tends to be hard to topple. clashes resulted from ethnic rivalry. tional Youth Service or Kenya’s Ministry of Once more, Kenyatta is an example. It is telling that Kenyatta managed to Health, one would expect the president to benefit from the turmoil twice. First, he be- assume some sort of responsibility. He does By Sella Oneko came finance minister in the government of not; he merely disassociates himself. To fos- his predecessor Mwai Kibaki, who was con- ter a sense of national unity, he emphasises At 55, he still appeals to the youth. He is firmed in office in 2007/08. Later, after forg- the fight against terrorism, in which Somali well-spoken and was groomed to follow in ing his alliance with Ruto, he mobilised Ken- refugees, ethnic Somalis in Kenya and the the footsteps of his father Jomo Kenyatta, yans against the International Criminal Court country’s Muslim minority have borne the Kenya’s first president. His chances of being which had started a case against them be- brunt. re-elected in August look good, but that cause of their alleged orchestrating roles in Kenyatta is not Kenya’s only scion of a does not mean that everything is fine in the violence. Kenyatta and Ruto argued that political dynasty. Raila Odinga, a former Kenya. the ICC was a neo-colonial institution. After prime minister, is the son of Kenya’s first vice Human Rights Watch, the internation- witnesses in Kenya were intimidated, the ICC president. And while his political life began in al NGO, sums up the situation as follows: had to drop the case for lack of evidence. activism against the former authoritarian re- “Kenya’s efforts to tackle its escalating secu- The tribal card has become difficult to gime, he has become part of the old guard in rity crisis have been marred by serious hu- play in Kenya nonetheless. The laws against Kenya’s game of personality politics. Odinga man-rights violations by Kenyan security hate speech have been revised, and a new ran against Kenyatta in 2013 and against forces, including extrajudicial killings, arbi- constitution was adopted which grants con- Kibaki in 2007. Today both he and Kenyatta trary detentions and torture. The govern- siderable power to the governors of sub- are among Kenya’s richest people. ment rarely investigates or prosecutes secu- national counties. The presidential elec- Kenyatta will probably cling on to rity officers for such abuse. (…) Kenya has tions in 2013 were peaceful. power in elections this year. The big ques- tried to restrict civil society and independ- However, ethnicity or tribe, clan and tion is what will happen in five years. An ex- ent media. There has been no tangible pro- family ties still matter – whether you want tension of the constitutional two-terms lim- gress on accountability for crimes commit- to get a job or win an election. People gener- it seems unlikely. The danger of the country ted during the post-elections violence of ally assume that only their kinsfolk will feed collapsing into utter chaos would be too great. He is young, so he can still run busi- nesses or take on honourable roles as a crisis negotiator in neighbouring countries. So as- suming Kenyatta wins this year, many Ken- yans hope he will not run again in five years. It is most unlikely, moreover, that any future government will prosecute Kenyatta for wrongdoings. Coalitions shift constantly in Kenyan politics and who, in the end, is Now we are not guilty? friends: Kenyatta (left) and Ruto at Sella Oneko a campaign event is a freelance journalist. shortly before the presidential

elections in 2013. Twitter: @sellaoneko Photo Ph oto: Curtis/picture-alliance/AP

D+C e-Paper March 2017 11 Debate

Corruption avoidance and tax evasion. Only an esti- mated 2 to 3 billion dollars result from cor- ruption in the sense of officials’ bribability, Misleading index as assessed in TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Tax havens facilitate the large outflow of potential tax revenues, and they are by no Police officers guard means limited to the Caribbean and Switzer- the entrance of land. According to the Tax Justice Network’s a bank in Panama Financial Secrecy Index, the USA ranks accused of money third, Germany eighth, Japan 12th and Brit- laundering by US ain 15th. A global network of “safe havens” officials. has evolved for the capital of international corporations and corrupt politicians.

Bribery by foreign companies

A recent UN report sheds light on cases of cross-border corruption in Africa. In 99.5 % the cases involved non-African firms. This means that African companies active in neighbouring countries are not the main culprits who pay bribes to “host” govern- ments. Mostly multinational corporations do so. It is true, however, that the report only examined cross-border corruption, making no assertions concerning domestically paid bribes. Nonetheless, the report does expose another deficiency of the TI Index. It does Internationally, African countries are consid- The people surveyed share views and not include the predominantly internation- ered to be particularly corrupt. This reputa- information among one another, however, al financial actors that pay bribes, but only tion amounts to an immense oversimplifica- and they tend to adopt the perceptions of focuses on the public officials and politi- tion of a much bigger problem and partly their peers. This is especially so if they have cians who accept them. This one-sidedness results from questionable methods of meas- little personal experience of the country in makes “the Africans” appear more cor- urement. Tax avoidance by international cor- question. Such feed-back loops can boost rupt than multinational corporations even porations costs African governments far the perception of corruption in unjustified though the corporate money is what drives more money than the corruption of politi- ways. Moreover, media coverage of corrup- corruption in the first place. cians and civil servants. tion can similarly inflate the perception of corruption in African countries or Brazil for Nico Beckert By Nico Beckert example. The index is, therefore, a topic of is a freelance journalist. debate within TI itself. [email protected] The best-known instrument for measuring It matters that the international di- Blog: www.zebralogs. corruption is Transparency International’s mension of corruption does not get adequate wordpress.com (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (see arti- attention, even though corruption is often cle, p. 7). The index does not measure corrup- driven by western structures. The implica- Links tion directly, but rather compiles people’s tions of the corrupt behaviour of interna- The African Leadership and Progress Network: perception of corruption within a country. tional corporations must not be underesti- http://africanprogress.net/ The index is problematic in two ways: mated. African states lose more money due Tax justice network, 2015: Financial secrecy ●● It defines corruption as the bribability to tax avoidance by international corpora- index. of public officials and politicians, thus ne- tions than they receive as development aid. http://www.financialsecrecyindex.com/ glecting corrupt practices within the private The UN Economic Commission for introduction/fsi-2015-results sector. Africa estimates that illegal financial flows United Nations Economic Commission for ●● It does not rely on a survey of a coun- cost Africa around $ 50 billion per year. If Africa, 2016: Measuring corruption in Africa. try’s people, but basically uses information one takes OECD estimates as a basis, more The international dimension matters. provided by business people and so-called than $ 30 billion (or two thirds) stems from http://www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/

country experts. “commercial transactions”, including tax PublicationFiles/agr4_eng_fin_web.pdf Ph oto: Bolivar/picture-alliance/dpa

D+C e-Paper March 2017 12 Debate

Myanmar From euphoria to disillusionment

Hopes were high after Myanmar’s parliamen- tary elections on 8 November 2015. After decades of repressive military dictatorship, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a majority. A new era was supposed to begin. Today, however, the democratic trans- formation leaves much to be desired, and ongoing conflicts have actually intensified.

By Christina Grein Aung San Suu Kyi planting a tree during the opening ceremony of the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in January in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Before the election, Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the NLD and internationally cel- ebrated democratic icon, campaigned for a new, democratic and just Myanmar and high. The military demands that they disarm There has been little improvement in promised her government would listen to and demobilise. Doing so is risky, however, regard to civil rights and political liberty. all citizens. In particular, she wanted to pro- given numerous government military as- Some progress has been made. The so-called mote national reconciliation and the estab- saults on ethnic groups. Without prior gov- Emergency Provisions Act, which served to lishment of a federal democratic union. ernment concessions, not much will change suppress dissidents, has been lifted, and first The new government took office on in this regard in the foreseeable future. steps have been taken towards ending impu- 1 April 2016. Suu Kyi was appointed “state Recently, new skirmishes occurred, nity. However, under Suu Kyi’s leadership, counsellor” which makes her Myanmar’s de mainly in northern Kachin and Shan States, civil-society actors and journalists have come facto head of state. The military continues where a new alliance of ethnic militias has under pressure on numerous occasions. to hold a quarter of all parliamentary seats, formed. It calls itself the Northern Alliance- One must bear in mind, moreover, that however. Its blocking minority gives it tre- Burma. The fighting has led to the displace- the political power structures have hardly mendous influence on policymaking. Nev- ment of tens of thousands of people in the changed in Myanmar. According to the con- ertheless, hope and optimism were strong past few weeks. Many people have fled stitution, the military is not only beyond of initially that a real democratic transforma- across the Chinese border, and the authori- the government’s control but is even in charge tion would take place. ties are hampering the supply of humanitar- of the three most important ministries: home Increasingly, dissatisfaction and dis- ian aid in the conflict zones. The military affairs, defence and border affairs. appointment are becoming evident, howev- appears to want to put on a show of strength Suu Kyi and the NLD have very lit- er. The year 2016 saw old conflicts intensify. to boost its negotiating position. tle room for manoeuvre. The government Armed conflicts between ethnic groups and These events, however, have been should make every effort to steer the coun- the national army intensified. In particular, overshadowed by the dramatic develop- try on a path of democratic reform. It could tensions escalated in Rakhine State. ments in Rakhine State which have attracted bring about decisive progress by forming al- The peace process between Myan- international media attention (see D+C/E+Z liances with civil society this year. mar’s government and ethnic groups is e-Paper 2017/02, p. 6). State security forces stalling. The Panglong Conference, which have perpetrated numerous human-rights Christina Grein was initiated by Suu Kyi, was supposed to abuses after attacks on Myanmar’s border leads the Burma Initiative become a milestone – but it hasn’t made posts in October 2016, which have been at the Stiftung Asienhaus, much of a difference. Contrary to govern- blamed on an Islamist movement among a non-governmental ment promises, some parties to the conflict the Rohingya minority. To date, some foundation based in Cologne. were not invited to attend, and there was 70,000 people have fled to Bangladesh. The [email protected] virtually no space for open discussion and UN considers it likely that crimes against exchange of views. humanity were committed, including rape Link The price that ethnic militias must pay and extrajudicial killings. The government Burma-Initiative (in German):

for getting a seat at the negotiating table is has so far denied all accusations. http://www.asienhaus.de/burma Photo Ph oto: Aung Shine Oo/picture-alliance/AP

D+C e-Paper March 2017 13

Call for Papers and Inputs

Conference 2017

Understanding national inequalities and how to address them

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, NADEL – Center for Development and Cooperation, Zurich, Switzerland

11-12 September, 2017

The Poverty Reduction, Equity, and Growth Network (PEGNet) is committed to promoting dialogue between researchers, practitioners and policy makers and provides a platform for sharing exemplary pieces of research with implications for policy design and implementation as well as launching productive collaborations. For the 2017 annual conference, we call for contributions of papers and projects as well as applications for the Best Practice Award 2017 by outstanding initiatives of co- operation between research and practice.

The submission deadline is May 1, 2017. Please email your submissions to [email protected] in a pdf or Word file and indicate ‘PEGNet Conference 2017’ in the subject heading. The deadline for full paper submission and additional material for the Best Practice Award is August 1, 2017.

For more information on the conference and the detailed call please refer to www.pegnet.ifw-kiel.de.

Media Partner:

tribune

Resilience The rise of a concept

Survivors of Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines: their plight became a testing ground in 2013 for private investment and profit opportunities.

Resilience has become a buzzword in devel- ity as the core concern of humanitarian aid and “stressors”, not as root problems that opment affairs. All major actors have drafted and development cooperation. The focus is need to be prevented or overcome. People’s resilience concepts, and resilience orienta- no longer on the weaknesses and needs of desperate fight to survive in inhuman con- tion has become a yardstick for funding deci- people and communities; it is now on their ditions has been redefined as “resilience”. sions. In regard to security, climate change, strengths and their capacity to cope with natural disasters and terrorism, resilience is disasters and crises. Crisis as normality given an increasingly dominant role in crisis This shift has an emancipatory qual- management. According to the scholars Jer- ity, in that it directs attention to people’s This trend may have serious consequences emy Walker and Melinda Cooper, resilience and communities’ endurance and potential in a health crisis, as the international ex- has become “a pervasive idiom of global for self-help, emphasising survival strate- perts Stephanie Topp, Walter Flores, Veena governance”. gies, capacity for action, self-empowerment Sriram and Kerry Scott have argued. Build- and support networks. Funding decisions ing resilience rarely seems to involve a di- By Usche Merk increasingly depend on them. Critical NGOs rect examination of, and even less challenge have been calling for such an approach for a to, the structural conditions that contribute “The costs of humanitarian crises are esca- long time. to overarching health-system dysfunction. lating. There is an urgent need to help peo- The irony, however, is that with the Among the underlying reasons of dysfunc- ple and communities withstand and recover spread of the resilience notion, local capaci- tion, the authors list historical legacies, cur- from growing shocks and stressors – in other ties in crisis regions have been “discovered” rent trade and aid patterns, taxes and health words, to help them build resilience.” These as resources for crisis and risk management. insurance coverage. words from the current EU Action Plan for The focus has thus shifted away from the In their perspective, the rise of the re- Resilience in Crisis-Prone Countries 2013- need to prevent crises. In the technocratic silience notion means that debate on long- 2020 exemplify the trend. logic of resilience, floods, droughts, hurri- term visions is being preplaced by short- By 2010 at the latest, it was apparent canes, wars, expulsion, displacement and term action-oriented debate. As crisis is

that resilience had replaced vulnerabil- poverty are merely perceived as “shocks” accepted to be the normal state of affairs, Photo Photo: picture-alliance/AP

D+C e-Paper March 2017 15 tribune

the resilience concept is superseding the In humanitarian aid, the concept of relief organisations and government agen- sustainability concept. The latter was sup- resilience has thus triggered a paradigm cies such as USAID. Everything is for sale posed to restore a global equilibrium, while shift. For good reason, critics had been dis- – from vehicles and logistics products to the focus of the resilience discourse is on cussing whether it made sense to separate communications, security technology and managing an unbalanced world. humanitarian aid from development coop- pharmaceutical products. Disaster man- The Janus-faced quality of the resil- eration. They had also been pointing out agement has become a business model ience approach to disaster management that the lack of coordination between vari- with “resilience dividends”. is evident in the new “role” of individuals, ous humanitarian agencies compounded One NGO study shows in detail that communities and crisis regions in need of legitimacy problems. The problem is that reconstruction became a testing ground help. Crisis management is now largely their such arguments now serve to cast doubt for the profitability of private investments responsibility, with success depending on on the entire system, as is exemplified by after Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines their resilience. the EU’s Action Plan for Resilience in Crisis in 2013. The promise of reconstruction This notion can become a trap, as a Prone Countries. It redefines the extent of programmes was to “building back better”. case study by Mara Bernadusi shows. The humanitarian needs and, accordingly, the In fact, however, matters deteriorated dra- Italian researcher assessed resilience build- entitlement to aid. The consequence is that matically for many poor families, whereas ing in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. The a whole range of EU programmes that relate whole new business opportunities arose for result was, that, if local people are merely to risk management, disaster prevention, private companies in mining, farming and vulnerable, they fail to meet the require- climate change adjustment, social protec- tourism. ments for resilience-strengthening sup- tion and food security are now conflated The ascendancy of the concept of port. If they are too resilient, however, they under the cross-sectional principle of resil- resilience represents a turning-point in over-fulfil the requirements and risk being ience. As a result, budgets can be slashed. humanitarian aid and development coop- classed as not being in need. To receive aid, UN agencies, the EU and Germany’s eration. It must be about more than merely survivors had to consider carefully how Federal Ministry for Economic Coopera- boosting the “resilience” of people and much resilience they should show, Bernadu- tion and Development (BMZ) took part in a communities who are mobilising what they si pointed out. They had to be “just resilient recent humanitarian conference where del- can – including crisis strategies, capacities, enough” to be eligible for support, and at the egates heard phrases of the following kind: networks and creativity – in desperate at- same time, they had to appear to be “vulner- ●● “People and communities need to tempts to survive disaster. The local actors able enough” to deserve support. learn to overcome crises on their own and concerned need resources and support that get back onto their feet faster.” empowers them to make those who cause Monitoring tools and ●● “They need to become more drought- crises to contribute to crisis management. selection criteria resilient.” The resilience notion is not entirely ●● “How can need be reduced to curb wrong, but its proponents’ tendency to To find out how to make a community more costs?” co-opt and exploit the efforts of the people resilient, specific measurement instruments Such rhetoric indicates what the who are affected by disaster is irritating. have been designed. The European Union, “cross-sectional principle of resilience” Independent social activists must resist for instance, uses a resilience marker which means in practice. The responsibility for abuse, critically monitor impacts and pro- serves to assess the success of aid efforts managing crises is shifted onto the shoul- mote narratives that reject the logic of per- and can also be used to determine need. The ders of those who suffer the crises. manent crisis. US Agency for International Development (USAID) has designed sophisticated tools New scope for business This essay is an abbreviated version of an that enable it to define the need for aid with article to be featured in the medico publication increasing precision. Its “depth of poverty” At the same time, humanitarian aid is in- “Fit für die Katastrophe? Kritische measurements shows how much poverty creasingly being opened up to private en- Anmerkungen zum Resilienzdiskurs im can be tolerated without eroding resilience. terprise. The private sector is generally aktuellen Krisenmanagement” (Fit for The “moderate-to-severe hunger” indicator wooed as a fourth pillar of development disaster? Critical comments on the resilience defines the point at which a person actually cooperation alongside government, civil discourse in current crisis management), experiences hunger. The “global acute mal- society and academia. New scope for busi- which will be launched in May 2017 by nutrition” scale shows when malnutrition ness has been found in disaster prevention. Psychosozial-Verlag. exceeds the customary level. In 2015, 70 % to 80 % of new investment in One implication of this trend is that “disaster risk reduction” was made by pri- Usche Merk the quest for ever-greater resilience has vate sector entities. coordinates psychosocial become obligatory. Resilience building has International forums like the Global projects for medico become an issue of monitoring as well as se- Disaster Relief Summit put private inves- international, the Frankfurt- lection criterion for aid. The humanitarian tors in touch with UN agencies, the World based international non- principle that anyone in need must get sup- Bank, security consultants, financial ser- governmental organisation. port has thus been called into question. vice-providers, philanthropic foundations, [email protected]

D+C e-Paper March 2017 16 tribUne

ODA Cash transfers help the extreme poor

Illness has made the breadwinner (right) in this Cambodian family unfit for work.

At home, Germany and other industrialised As recently as 2011 and 2012, the Bun- month to poor households with school-age states consider social protection very impor- destag, Germany’s federal parliament, re- children in the Philippines meant that almost tant and spend a lot of money on the matter. jected proposals that would have provided all children in extreme poverty were sent to But when it came to development assis- social cash transfers to poor people in part- school in the years 2012 to 2015. The national tance, the idea of social transfers to the ner countries. In June 2016, however, the school enrolment rate rose from 92 % to 98 %. needy was next to taboo around the world discussion opened up anew. For the first In Pakistan, social cash transfers are now the for a long time. Things are changing – and time, the Bundestag explicitly called for third priority in the national budget. that may help put an end to extreme poverty. stronger German involvement in social pro- tection in developing countries. The new ap- Creating acceptance By Frank Bliss proach should include (temporary) social cash transfers, but it is too early to assess the Providing social assistance to the extreme A new trend has been building up for about decision’s impact. It is very unlikely, howev- poor will significantly shape development a decade. In a number of countries, support er, that Germany will buck the trend towards aid in the future. There are many questions, has been provided to set up health insur- supporting social protection in ODA efforts. however, concerning how such aid will be ance schemes, for example. The focus, how- Other donors, for instance the UK, distributed. The first challenge is to identify ever, was primarily on technical insurance have been taking this approach with vigour the poor. This is easer said than done in issues rather than financial contributions. for years (see E+Z/D+C e-Paper 2017/01, countries with weak logistical capacities In recent years German official devel- p. 38). The Asian Development Bank (ADB), and serious governance problems. The opment assistance (ODA) has contributed to moreover, has been supporting social-pro- methodology used by Pakistan’s govern- providing extremely poor target groups with tection programmes for a long time in coun- ment costs more than $ 120 million, which is health care vouchers. However, the Federal tries like the Philippines and Pakistan. certainly too expensive for most countries. Ministry for Economic Cooperation and De- These programmes serve primarily to boost And since poor people’s circumstances tend velopment (BMZ) and its agencies remained school attendance among poor children. In to fluctuate considerably, poor households sceptical in regard to cash transfers to the both cases, ADB loans worth about $ 400 must be identified more often than only poor, even when such transfers were linked million have triggered national efforts that every five to seven years. to conditions such as children’s regular cost ten times as much. Cambodia’s “ID Poor” programme, school attendance. With only few excep- The impact of such measures needs to which was designed in part with German tions, including a programme in Malawi, be assessed. One evaluation showed that support, can serve as an economical and par-

Germany did not support such schemes. making conditional payments of about $ 15 a ticipatory model. The programme identifies Photo: kd

D+C e-Paper March 2017 17 tribUne

poor people through a relatively transparent conditional payments to poor households German ODA will likely devote more process and allows families who have not are the only option. attention to these questions from now on. been categorised as poor to gain insight into Yet another issue is widespread cor- The upshot is that German aid may help to why others are considered to be poorer than ruption. According to official policy, for -ex lift the poorest of the poor above the pov- they are. This approach boosts acceptance of ample, one third of the people of Tajikistan erty threshold by 2030 without leaving the cash-transfer scheme even among those in Central Asia have been getting compensa- any­one behind. That is what the Sustaina- people who do not benefit personally. tion transfers for rising energy prices in re- ble Development Goals (SDGs) demand. The people who have been categorised cent years, but investigations have shown Moreover, a fundamental decision will as poor are given an ID card and thus get that hardly anyone has actually received have to be made concerning the provision access to free health care, for example. The such benefits. of a basic income to approximately 250 programme is run by the Health Equity In the future, social cash transfers million people worldwide who cannot help Fund, a national agency, which gets a part of could be made by mobile phone, and that themselves because they are too old, too its funding from Germany’s KfW Develop- would reduce the scope for fraud at the young or too disabled to work. For obvious ment Bank. Another strong point of the grassroots level. Kenya has been using the reasons, self-help-oriented ODA will al- Cambodian system is that poor people can M-Pesa service to this end with great success ways bypass these people. be covered by the health programme even if for ten years. Other models are being tested they do not have an ID Poor card, provided all over the world. It will, however, take time Frank Bliss they fill in a short questionnaire. to find the right solution for every situation. is a professor of social We must bear in mind, for example, that the anthropology at Hamburg Conditional or unconditional most important indicator of a family’s ex- University and is currently treme poverty today is that it does not have a investigating how state One contentious issue is whether cash trans- mobile phone. development cooperation can better reach fers should be linked to conditions. There is Another challenge is to determine who extremely poor, vulnerable and food-insecure no easy answer. In Chad, for example, it exactly should get the monetary transfers in people as part of a research project run by would not make sense to require expecting order to achieve the strongest anti-poverty INEF (Institute for Development and Peace at mothers to regularly visit health centres or impact. Should “the household” be paid, or Universität Duisburg-Essen) and Germany’s children to regularly attend school. The rea- perhaps just mothers, who would then use Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and son is that doing so is not possible every- the money primarily to provide food for Development (BMZ). where in the country. In such settings, un- their families? [email protected]

X + Please visit our www.dandc.eu website www.DandC.eu Practicing non-violent politics in Mazar-e- Sharif, Afghanistan: a young woman slips into the role of the UN general-secretary and gives a TV interview.

Peace requires civil engagement Making and safeguarding peace is easier said than done. One reason is that acts of violence can shatter trust in a second, but it takes a long time to build trust. Lasting peace depends on people’s confi dence that confl icts will be resolved in a non-violent way. For that to hap- pen, they need non-violent means for pursuing their interests. Armed security forces matter, but they are ultimately unable to inspire the needed sense of trust in society. Their author- ity hinges upon their weapons, after all. Civil engagement and responsive institutions are needed – both to prevent violent confl ict and stabilise society in post-confl ict scenarios. Photo: GIZ/ZFD Promoting peace

Why did you join the feminist organisation “This is the transition Ruta Pacífica de las Mujeres? I am a teacher by profession, but a human- rights advocate by conviction. In 1996, the from war to peace” first women’s march for peace took place in the north of the country; that was the begin- ning of Ruta Pacífica. In 1997, we cooperated with Father Jiménez on organising a re- After more than half a century of civil war, Amanda Lucía Camilo Ibarra interviewed by gional meeting of women in the south of the a peace agreement has been concluded in Sheila Mysorekar country, where we live. I thought that was Colombia. Guerrilla groups, paramilitary a good way to promote human rights and organisations and the government are now Why did you start campaigning for peace? women’s rights. Since then – that is, for the discussing how to implement disarmament After completing my training as a teacher, I past 20 years – I have been a coordinator for and bring about reconciliation. Colombia’s left the capital, Bogotá, for my hometown in the organisation in Putumayo. rural regions have been particularly hard hit by Putumayo. My daughter was born, but as a the civil war and the illegal drug trade. Far from young child she became ill because she was How does Ruta Pacífica promote peace? the capital, local actors hold sway, and it will given an expired vaccination. She was left The full name of our organisation is: “Ruta be difficult to take steps towards peaceful paralysed on one side. Health care was very pacífica de las mujeres por la trámitación coexistence. For two decades, Ruta Pacífica poor in our region. I began campaigning to política de los conflictos en Colombia y la de las Mujeres, a women’s rights organisation, improve living conditions so this would never visibilisación de las violencias contra las has been campaigning for peace. Amanda happen to another child. In our little town, mujeres” (“The peaceful way for women to Camilo Ibarra understands the issues well. Puerto Caicedo, a group was promoting peace find a political solution to the conflict in She is a teacher and represents Ruta Pacífica and justice. It was led by Father Alcides Jimé- Colombia and raise awareness of violence in Putumayo, in the south of the country, where nez Chicangana, who was later murdered. I against women”). The name reflects our pro- fighting was fierce. joined them and became involved. gramme. Our peace work has the following order: ●● incident, ●● investigation, ●● public education, both formal and in- formal, ●● mobilisation, ●● knowledge generation and ●● empowerment of women, leaders and their organisations. Everything is based on the principles of feminism, pacifism, anti-militarism, non- violence and dialogue.

Have you or your organisation ever been threatened? Many people oppose peace. All of our top people have been threatened. I have been stalked constantly and put under pressure by the paramilitaries. In 2009, they forced their way into my house and started shoot- ing. They killed one of my neighbours and injured my brother-in-law. I happened to be away from home that day. Another time, a paramilitary group kidnapped one of my brothers. I searched for him in the mountains and fortunately found him alive. Many women have been murdered; others have left the movement out of fear. We have a radio show called “Mujer, Cami- Many women fought nos y Futuro” (Woman, Paths and Future)

with the FARC. and we have frequently been put under pres- Photo: Christian Escobar Mora/EFE/picture-alliance/dpa

D+C e-Paper March 2017 20 Promoting peace

It can be done if the state truly cooperates with communities and involves people in Colombia strategies for social development. The citi- Bogotá zens must be informed about the implemen- tation of the peace process. With regard to the justice system, there has to be a process of transitional justice and some kind of cleans- ing of the judicial apparatus.

Is reconciliation possible in a village where everyone knows who killed whom? Yes, but the preconditions are that truth is confronted honestly, justice is served, repa- rations are distributed and a guarantee is made that this kind of thing will never hap- pen again. We need training to promote rec- onciliation. Memorial events can serve to prevent forgetting and impunity.

What are your personal expectations for sure to discontinue this. Another threat ru- tutions are not yet prepared for the post- peace? ral people must live with are anti-personnel conflict era. But the overwhelming major- I want people to be able to once again live mines, munitions depots and improvised ity of former FARC guerrilleros support the with dignity, and I want to be able to live in explosive devices, which are still buried peace process. my beloved village without fear. That is what everywhere.­ I want for myself and for all other women too. How can people live together peacefully How did the armed conflict affect your vil- who, until recently, wanted to kill each other? Is this the true end of the war? lage? That’s a good question! The answer lies in Well, we must bear in mind that the peace It was terrible. About half of the residents making forgiveness a central pillar of our deal only heralds the transition from war to were displaced. People disappeared one nation’s reconciliation. We also need strate- peace. Peace is a collective effort. It is every- after the other, particularly women. There gies for peace education and measures for one’s right and duty. I will continue to work were threats, rapes, massacres, arbitrary trust building. for it. detention, power struggles between differ- ent armed groups and narco-terrorism. The How will disarmament work? How does the younger generation see the state was completely absent. Its only inter- It won’t be easy, but it isn’t impossible. The future? vention was to spray our fields from the government has to uphold its agreements Young people do not see themselves as the air with glyphosate in an alleged effort to and safeguard the reintegration of the rebels future of the country, but rather as its pre- destroy coca plants. Paramilitaries forced into civilian life. A pardon could give for- sent. They are demanding an active role in young girls from our village into prostitu- mer FARC guerrilleros security. But there’s the peace process. The student and youth tion. A friend of mine was murdered and no question that they will have to surrender movements have been very engaged on this her genitals were mutilated. The paramili- their weapons. front. In December 2016, a national meet- taries cut out the tongue of an indigenous ing was held in the city of Medellín, where woman and then killed her. The victims’ What challenges do you foresee? a youth agenda for peace in Colombia was families were often not allowed to collect Implementation must begin as soon as pos- drafted. My daughter, who is now a universi- the bodies and bury them in the Christian sible, and it must be adequately funded. It ty student, was there too. I was very pleased! way. Father Jiménez was murdered in 1998 should stay under control of local commu- while he was celebrating mass. nities, which must be well prepared for the task. The trust of the people must be earned. Amanda Lucía Did people in this area vote in favour of the But there are a variety of obstacles, includ- Camilo Ibarra peace deal? ing the fact that we will soon have elections is the coordinator of the Yes, the vast majority did. and that we still have to deal with high levels civil-society peace of corruption, patriarchal relations, massive organisation “Ruta Pacífica What do people in rural areas expect now? social inequality and an economic crisis. Putumayo”. She lives in Puerto Caicedo, They expect the government and the Putumayo, Colombia. guerrilleros to stick to their agreement. Fear How can trust in the state and the justice [email protected] and distrust are still widespread. Our insti- system be regained? http://rutapacifica.org.co/

D+C e-Paper March 2017 21 PROMOTING PEACE

From guerrillero to peace activist

Sabas Duque is a former com- batant of the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia), the oldest guerrilla movement in Colombia. He now is director of the “Centre for Reconciliation” in Suba, a poor neighbourhood of Bogotá, Colombia’s capital city. His life story is typical of many former guerrilleros in Colombia. Born in 1968, Sabas Duque grew up in poverty on the Caribbean coast. Like his 22 siblings, he could only attend school long enough to learn how to read and write. At the age of 15, he and a dozen other young boys were Sabas Duque, a former FARC combatant, is now the director of a Centre for Reconciliation in bogotá. selected by a FARC commander to maintain order in their vil- lage as militiamen. “My great- Then Duque got an at- I couldn’t keep working for the the FARC and the paramilitary est dream came true when I was tractive off er. He was invited FARC,” he says. In 2004 he fi nal- outfi ts, as well as victims of the given my fi rst gun,” he recalls. to work in the FARC logistics ly turned his back on the guer- confl ict and other neighbour- Where he lived, only people division and to organise deliv- rilla organisation. hood residents can meet. Many with guns had authority. Mem- eries to the “Caribbean Block”. Together with other in the area consider Duque bership of the FARC earned The good pay was tempting, so ex-combatants, he founded a role model, both because of his Duque respect. The son of poor he took the job. Over the years, a committee for reconciliation warmth and his commitment to farmers would not have been he rose through the ranks and and reparation in Bogotá. He a peaceful Colombia. able to achieve that kind of sta- ultimately became the head of has been working for the Foun- tus in civilian life. logistics for the Caribbean. In dation for Reconciliation for MAYA PERuSIn Duque married during his this time, he and his wife had the past nine years. The Foun- MYSoREKAR time with the FARC. One after- two more children. One day, dation is an international civil- is a student and noon, when he was away from while delivering a weapons society organisation that off ers has worked for home, one of his comrades shipment, Duque was captured training to promote a culture of the “Fundación raped his wife. The guerrille- by the military and handed forgiveness and reconciliation. para la Reconciliación” in bogotá. ros punish this kind of off ence over to the paramilitaries. They The Foundation runs several [email protected] severely. His commander gave tortured him, demanding in- centres of reconciliation, and Duque the permission to kill formation on behalf of the mili- Duque directs one in Bogotá. LInKS the rapist. “I killed him, but tary. “I spent a year in prison He says he wants to make Foundation for Reconciliation: I was haunted by what I did,” until my commander bribed it easier for former FARC com- https://www.insightonconfl ict. he says. “After that, I retreated a judge. The FARC needed me batants to reintegrate into so- org/confl icts/colombia/ from the FARC. I wanted a legal to keep working in logistics.” ciety. To that end, his centre peacebuilding-organisations/ existence.” The couple moved Six months after his re- cooperates closely with the fundacion-para-la-reconciliacion/ to the city of Barranquilla, lease, Duque became the victim Colombian Agency for Re- Colombian Agency for where Duque found work in a of an assassination attempt. integration. The centre off ers Reintegration: factory, and they had their fi rst “I was lucky to survive, but I was a space for peaceful coexistence, http://www.reintegracion. child. left paralysed and almost deaf. where former enemies from gov.co/en Photo: Maya Perusin MysorekarF oto: Photo: Maya Perusin xxx

D+C e-Paper March 2017 22 Promoting peace

Help in times of crisis

Civil conflict resolution can help to facilitate peaceful coexistence among people in cri- sis zones, including refugees and returnees. Above all, work matters at the grassroots level. Outbreaks of violence are prevented by analysing conflicts, bringing all parties involved to the negotiating table and devel- oping non-violent solutions. Conflict parties at a ceremony celebrating a settlement of conflict.

By Martina Rieken

“Our experience shows that civil conflict resolution gets people off the path of vio- The initiative is successful. One hun- huila. “We get death threats, we are assault- lence. So, in cooperation with local part- dred youngsters or so are involved, and ed, and we are threatened with weapons.” ners, we promote peace on the ground,” they have launched numerous non-profit In the face of such threats, it is hard to says Martin Vehrenberg, spokesman of the initiatives. For instance, they have ar- keep up the courage required for carrying Civil Peace Service (CPS) Consortium. “We ranged events for International Women’s on. However, international support, lob- help to put an end to people being forced Day, helped refugees in Mazar-e-Sharif and bying and training in threat management to leave their homeland against their will. visited hospitalised victims of violence. enable human-rights defenders to work in And if they have to flee from violence, we A number of young people found jobs with relative safety. The mere presence of inter- help to mitigate the consequences for all non-governmental organisations or state national experts such as those deployed by parties concerned and prevent further vio- agencies. Their training and their commit- the CPS protects them. lence.” The following examples from the ment made them attractive candidates. work of the CPS (see box, p. 24) show how Lebanon: Making asylum possible this can be achieved. Mexico: Safeguarding human rights Bar Elias is a small town in Lebanon on the Afghanistan: Creating prospects People on the run are defenceless and de- Syrian border. The community has taken pend on the help of others. Many become in a large number of refugees, but the town Even after years of international military victims of violence. Since former President struggles to cope with the influx. There presence, Afghanistan is still haunted by Felipe Calderón declared war on the drug is too little accommodation and a lack of conflict, violence and dire human-rights vi- cartels in Mexico, the country has experi- jobs, day-care facilities and schools. Other olations. About 64 % of all Afghans are un- enced tremendous violence. Human-rights problems include energy and water supply der 25. Unemployment is high, and many violations occur daily, even within the as well as waste management. The atmos- young people face an uncertain future. Lo- criminal justice system. Migrants pass- phere is tense. cal civil-society organisations help them to ing through Mexico to the United States To reduce tensions between local improve their lives and their environment. are particularly vulnerable. An estimated residents and refugees, projects to pro- The aim is to get young Afghans to assume 400,000 people a year undertake that haz- mote civil conflict resolution have been responsibility for their fates, their society ardous journey. They receive help at the launched. Individuals are selected from and their country. They should play an ac- few migrant hostels along the route, which all relevant groups. They are trained to tive role in shaping the future. dispense humanitarian aid as well as psy- do community work and are instructed in In Mazar-e-Sharif, for example, the chological support and legal assistance. non-violent conflict resolution and other New Leaders Platform trains young people Such support, in itself, is a form of civil things. In constant dialogue with all par- for half a year in civic awareness, leader- conflict resolution. ties, they create opportunities for locals ship skills and non-violent conflict resolu- The hostels are run by local groups, and refugees to discuss problems and fears. tion. “The Platform enables young people who campaign for refugee rights and docu- They also identify ways to improve coexist- to solve their own problems and those of ment human-rights violations. Such activ- ence and help to follow up ideas with ac- others around them,” says Andreas Selme- ism is dangerous. “Anyone working with tion. ci, the CPS programme coordinator in Af- migrants in this country runs the same risk One proposal that has been imple- ghanistan. “We strengthen young people’s as the migrants themselves,” says Alberto mented, for instance, is a recycling proj­ ability to network and stand up for their Xicotencátl, manager of the migrant hostel ect in which Lebanese people cooperate

own interests and the rights of others.” in Saltillo in the north-eastern state of Coa- with Syrian refugees (see D+C/E+Z e-Paper Photo: WFD

D+C e-Paper March 2017 23 PROMOTING PEACE

2016/06, p. 26 ). The project puts them in Nibayubahe, director of MI-PAREC, a CPS Nyanza Lac Peace Committee stepped in. touch, and they get to know each other’s partner, reports: “The returnees – many Negotiations were restarted and a solution views. This approach does more than fa- of whom belong to the second generation was found that both families could live cilitate peaceful coexistence; it paves the – want to get back the land that was left with: the land was divided between them. way for discussing confl icts and identify- behind, but that land has since been taken A basis for peaceful neighbourly relations ing ways to resolve them. The project also over and cultivated by people who stayed. was created. generates fi nancial profi ts, which benefi t This is at the root of many – and often se- the community. vere – confl icts. Local peace committees are sup- MARTINA RIEKEN burundi: fACiLitAting repAtriAtion ported by CPS experts. They bring people coordinates public relations involved in a dispute to a negotiating table for the Civil Peace Service Refugees returning home must face perpe- so peaceful settlement can be reached. The Consortium. trators of former violence, wrecked homes committees succeed, as an example from kontakt@ziviler- and uncertain prospects. In many cases, Nyanza Lac in southern Burundi shows. friedensdienst.org they are resented by those who stayed When the Nyabenda family fl ed to Tanza- behind. Since gaining independence, Bu- nia, the Mpigiyeko family took over a piece rundi has been beset by violent confl icts of their abandoned land. In 2015, the Nya- LINKS which have regularly resulted in waves bendas returned and demanded their land, Civil Peace Service: of refugees. People have been displaced but the Mpigiyekos refused to hand it over. https://www.ziviler-friedensdienst.org and repatriated. Such movements typi- Even the Land Rights Commission was un- http://www.facebook.com/ZivilerFriedensdienst cally cause land confl icts, as Emmanuel able to settle the dispute. At that point, the http://www.twitter.com/zfdnews

Preventing violence, promoting peaceful coexistence

Civil confl ict resolution is a currently active in 43 coun- The CPS promotes tool for lowering tensions in a tries. peaceful community, balancing inter- In many cases, the CPS coexistence: ests and building peace. It is experts work with people af- a cultural festival at the heart of the work of the fected by displacement and in Faizabad, Civil Peace Service (CPS). migration (see main article). Afghanistan. The CPS is a programme Civil confl ict resolution is of for preventing violence and a preventive nature, avoiding promoting peace in crisis violence and allowing people zones and confl ict regions. It to live together under diffi - protection and respect for hu- confl ict resolution can help is funded by Germany’s Fed- cult conditions. If people are man rights all matter. resolve confl icts between re- eral Government and run by forced to fl ee nonetheless, When people need to turnees and those who stayed nine German peace and devel- civil confl ict resolution can take refuge, civil confl ict reso- behind. It can also mediate opment agencies. Since 1999, signifi cantly help mitigate lution promotes constructive between perpetrators and the CPS has been striving to the eff ects of displacement by coexistence between local victims. In such situations, it contribute to a world in which providing non-violent assis- residents and refugees. Once also has a potential to prevent confl icts are resolved without tance to refugees and every- the situation in the refugees’ new outbursts of violence. It violence. Approximately 300 one concerned. Psychosocial homeland stabilises and the lays a foundation for a shared

international CPS experts are support, legal aid, physical displaced return home, civil future. F oto: Ph GIZ xxx

D+C e-Paper March 2017 24 Promoting peace

velopment. Yet another challenge is that, due Restoring trust in society to high military spending, governments tend to be indebted after conflicts. It takes time to rebuild the systems of transport and commu- nication, banking, health care, education and agriculture. High nominal growth rates are not enough, since development must benefit the people in general.

Local empowerment

National elections and other formal proce- dures are detached from everyday life, and so are newly established national institutions. Dominance of government agencies, moreo- ver, does not serve long-term peace, but em- powering civil society at the local level can contribute to changing repressive structures. Many relevant grievances can only be tackled at the local level, so local capacity building is needed. Human development helps to build civil society and serves community survival.

Social reconstruction Water carrier in Terakeka, South Social stability can be enhanced by strength- Sudan, with ening community networks and cultural jerricans of Nile traditions that promote peace and justice. water on sale. Coordination is necessary at national and community levels. Antagonistic relation- ships can be improved by social recon- Peacebuilding is a multi-faceted challenge. fered violence repeatedly need a new sense struction designed to reduce inequalities. The following dimensions must be consid- of security, and that requires a social foun- The notion of broad-based participation is ered, according to Peter Tibi, an experienced dation. For ordinary life to resume, paranoia important in social and economic develop- mediator from South Sudan. and irrational behaviour must be dealt with. ment. Adequate decision-making power has The ability to trust depends on the re-estab- to be given to individuals and groups who By Peter Tibi lishment of morality. It was undermined by were previously alienated. betrayal, apprehension and outrage. Without As argued in last month’s edition, South reconciliation, antagonism and distrust are Human rights Sudan slipped back into violent conflict likely to thwart any formal political process. because the peace process was not imple- Improving the human-rights situation is mented well (D+C/E+Z e-Paper, 2017/02, Economic development a major component of building civil society. p. 15). Success depends on paying sufficient Public confidence will not be gained unless attention to the following five issues: To heal the wounds of war and stem lingering fundamental rights are guaranteed. Human feelings of resentment, economic recovery is rights are needed to deal with injustices and Reconciliation essential. Development has to improve a so- oppression that are often linked to authoritar- cial reality that has proved incompatible with ian religious, political or military doctrines. Violent conflicts destroy normal values and human well-being. Post-war economic re- networks of social interaction. They cannot construction must alleviate unjust socio-eco- Reverend Peter Tibi be repaired without reconciliation. Envi- nomic conditions, which are the main caus- is an experienced peace sioning a new future is impossible without es of war. Getting economic development mediator. He heads acknowledging past abuse. Lack of familiar- started is difficult after conflicts, however, Reconcile International, ity and outright distrust in routine interac- because there is a lack of human capital, and a faith-based resource tion foster dysfunctional relations. Personal physical infrastructure has been destroyed. centre for civil leadership in Yei, South Sudan. fears must be overcome so communities Environmental degradation is a typical, im- [email protected]

can be rebuilt. Communities who have suf- pact of war, and it too blocks economic de- http://www.reconcile-int.org/ Ph oto: my

D+C e-Paper March 2017 25 Promoting peace

diers have contributed to several abducted Uganda has benefited children returning home. Over 22,000 child soldiers and com- manders responded to the appeal and aban- from peace journalism doned the rebellion, significantly weak- ening the LRA. In short, the LRA conflict could only be ended after the intervention of peace journalism. Uganda has a history of conflict and violence. reporting, talk shows and public service an- Today, the LRA has retreated into the In particular, the strife caused by the Lord’s nouncements. Central African Republic. The Ugandan Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda army is still using the come-back-home ra- from 1995 to 2004 made peace efforts nec- Successful approaches dio format, as Innocent Aloyo, host of Mega essary. At the time, a strong foundation for FM’s Kabake programme, reports. The host peace journalism was laid. Its principles are From 1999 to 2002, Britain’s Department is flown into the CAR to interview child sol- of lasting relevance in view of unrest in bor- for International Development (DFID) fully diers there. der regions and the refugee population backed the use of persuasive radio pro- Since the LRA was defeated in Uganda, which is growing due to civil war in neigh- grammes to urge rebels to abandon fight- local community radio stations have been bouring countries. ing. DFID funded the establishment of Mega reaching out to the public through peace FM radio in Gulu. The station went on air in reporting with a focus on development. The By Gloria Laker Aciro August 2002, covering parts of Uganda as next crucial step is for media houses to adopt well as of southern Sudan and eastern DR in-house policies and guidelines. Many ra- After years of failed military interventions and series of futile peace talks, the Ugandan army opted for peace journalism in order to try to reach out to LRA insurgents. In 1998, the first peace radio was established in Gulu, a town in northern Uganda. It was called Ra- dio Freedom. The army used it to commu- nicate not only with displaced people, but even the rebels, inspiring hope among child soldiers that demobilisation might be pos- sible. After the media highlighted atrocities collectively, international attention turned to the LRA conflict. Donor agencies started to consider radio programming and pro- Peace journalists fessional media work as a way to promote from Uganda and peace and later to reduce tensions in the South Sudan. post-conflict situation. Important principles of peace journal- ism are to avoid hate speech and involve voices from all sides of a conflict. Balance, Congo. It broadcasts general information on dio hosts in rural areas are not aware of what fairness and factual accuracy matter very conflict and development as well as specific peace journalism requires, and even some much. The idea is to convey an understand- items geared to conflict resolution and pro- who are aware have proven unable to handle ing of a conflict’s reasons, history and possi- moting the peace process in the region. people who call in by phone to incite hatred. ble non-violent solutions rather than to fan In a surprising innovation, Ogena International agencies that promote the flames. Attention must be paid not only Lacambel, the host of Mega FM’s flag- media development such as Internews and to acts of violence, which are easy to report, ship programme Dwog Paco (which means DW Akademie have trained hundreds of lo- but also to longer term developments in so- “come back home” in Luo), invited former cal journalists in peace reporting. The im- ciety, which are harder to cover. child soldiers to share their stories on ra- pact of trainees on the peace process has Effective peace reporting does more dio. They were assured free passage. Today, been assessed. A number of community than merely report events. It puts them in Mega FM still has several peace-building radios were set up with a commitment to context by engaging communities. Vari- programmes including Kabake (“commu- peace journalism and are still active today. ous approaches matter, including social nity dialogue”) and Teyat (“stakeholders’ Today, the sensitive issue in Uganda is media, local discussions and drama perfor- debate”). Open dialogue and call-ins with reporting about refugees. Even though the

mances. They all serve to enhance the news community members and rebel LRA sol- country hosts thousands of refugees, the Ph oto: my

D+C e-Paper March 2017 26 PROMOTING PEACE

countries live in Uganda, confl icts spread to do for their country is to promote peace, not the border region. infl ame passions and hatred, by seeking to SOUTH SUDAN It therefore makes sense for Ugandan present accurate and impartial news.” In his and South Sudanese journalists to cooper- experience, good reporting reduces confl ict. UGANDA ate on covering refugee issues. Speak FM, a He maintains that peace reporting is in line small community radio in Gulu, is doing just with “the principles of good journalism”. that. Station manager Jane Angom says that “exiled South Sudanese journalists contrib- ute important information about the refu- LINKS gee community in northern Uganda, which Peace Journalism Foundation East Africa: our radio otherwise would not be able to ac- https://pjfeastafrica.wordpress.com/ cess”. Language matters, after all. Center for Global Peace Journalism: In 2005, the media were a key player http://www.park.edu/center-for-peace- in the Juba peace talks that led to the sign- journalism/ matter is under-reported. The point of view ing of a cessation of violence and hostilities of the refugees is rarely included. When agreement (CPA) in South Sudan. Tradition- GLORIA LAKER ACIRO Chris Obore, a well-known journalist, high- al leaders who were active in the peace and is a former war reporter lighted the plight of a Burundian refugee reconciliation eff orts point out that peace and now heads the girl, his reporting changed the girl’s life for journalism as a tool was “useful in mobilis- Peace Journalism Foundation the better. ing people and reaching out to rebels”. of East Africa. She lives Peace journalism must give marginal- Professor Steve Youngblood heads the in Uganda. ised people a voice. Moreover, these eff orts Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park [email protected] must transcend national borders. Since ref- University in Missouri in the USA. He says Twitter: @GloriaLaker ugees from South Sudan, the DRC and other that “the best thing Ugandan journalists can Blog: http://www.pjfeastafrica.wordpress.com

election. They now help to me- supports mothers and war vic- Balance and fairness diate and resolve land confl icts tims, has moved to use social for example. media as a tool in sharing life in daily reporting Social media have been stories of young mothers in becoming more infl uential northern Uganda. According all over the world. In terms of to Sam Lawino, a media trainer As a peace journalist, I was peace clubs was simple: “With- peace journalism, platforms with CCF, “when the girls and asked to help to monitor hot- out peace, you will not run your like Facebook and Twitter are war victims share their story on spot districts known for elec- business or live happily with playing positive as well as nega- the website, they feel connect- tion violence in 2011. I assisted your family, so protect peace by tive roles in Uganda and neigh- ed, thus addressing issues of in the establishment of commu- listening to radio and report any bouring countries. Unverifi ed, stigma and trauma. This visibil- nity peace clubs to watch over hate speech.” aggressive posts can prove quite ity also helps our staff to learn Ugandan broadcasters as they The goal was to boost good harmful, even though many how to evaluate the impact of covered the 2011 general elec- reporting and thus contribute people do not have access to the skill work they are giving to tions. It was nice to see that they to a peaceful election. Peace internet. Peace Direct, a civil- these young mothers,” Lawino indeed had a positive impact on reporting is basically good jour- society organisation, argues points out. the election. nalism. Balance, fairness and that social media has been “in- Today, a number of Ugan- We asked representa- factual accuracy are essential if strumental in fuelling violence dan media houses are partner- tives of community leaders to one wants to reach all parties in- leading to suff ering” in South ing with community-based monitor the election reporting volved in a confl ict rather than Sudan. Peace journalists in NGOs like women’s groups, in their locality and alert radio merely add to the tensions by Uganda off er counter-narrative peace advocates and cultural managers of any hate speech providing only one perspective reports and present facts. institutions. They want to pro- that was aired. The manager on the issue at stake. Social media can be used mote non-violent methods of would then take action to re- In view of their proven in peace-promoting ways too. confl ict resolution, regarding a duce the likeliness of violence. usefulness, the peace clubs Organisations like the Christian broad range of issues from gen- Our message to community were not dissolved after the Children’s Fund (CCF), which der relations to land disputes.

D+C e-Paper March 2017 27 Promoting peace

by opposition leader Raila Odinga – are out- Hate speech unchecked spoken and engage in hate speech openly. Moses Kuria, who belongs to Jubi- lee, has called for the assassination of Od- inga, for instance. On the other hand, Millie Odhiambo of CORD caused a stir when he insulted Kenyatta. “Who does he think he is, he does not even compare to me, leave alone Raila Odinga, tell him he can take me to court,” Odhiambo said, “he is extremely stu- pid and my conscience tells me so.” Impunity is the norm. Legislation has not effectively stemmed hate speech. Only one case has been successfully prosecuted. A university student was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting the president on the social media site Facebook, but he was soon released. The government has cautioned poli- ticians, their supporters and media owners against misusing digital platforms to stoke ethnic tensions in the upcoming elections. However, its action to de-escalate the situa- tion remains half-hearted. In a highly sensational first episode of Guideline for callers its kind, eight politicians from both CORD of community radio and the Jubilee Party were arrested in mid- in Kisumu, Kenya. June 2016. They were accused of alleged hate speech and incitement to violence. The lawmakers spent a night behind bars. Upon An incident in early January showed that hate well understood, however, that it often pre- release they made a short-lived pledge to speech is likely to surge in Kenya because of cedes violence. Aggressive rhetoric is com- “travel the country on a peace caravan to elections that are due in August. A short mon at public rallies and political meetings, preach peace and conciliation”. That com- audio clip went viral in social media plat- and sometimes it is contained in song lyrics. mitment never materialised, however. forms and eventually made national news. According to observers like Willy Mu- Apparently, a prominent politician was stok- tunga, Kenya’s former chief justice, the coun- Anti-social use of social media ing resentment. Kenyan media reported try is at a dangerous precipice. Mutunga has a “national outrage” and condemned the warned of “drumbeats of possible violence in Facebook and Twitter are proving to be fer- remarks. the next elections,” referring to “signs of poli- tile ground for hate speech expressing tribal ticians inciting people along ethnic lines”. stereotyping and contempt. Kenya’s Commu- By Isaac Sagala In a similar vein, civil-society activ- nication Authority estimates that 85 % of the ists have noticed simmering undercurrents citizens have internet access and mostly use In the recording, a voice is heard calling for of provocation and incitement. They argue social media. On Twitter, Kenya is the fourth the mobilisation of youth, with violence that the current political atmosphere is most active African country, according to the if necessary, to stop a certain community similar to what preceded the post-election PR company Portland Communications. from registering as voters in the politician’s violence in 2007/08, when up to 1,300 peo- Ordinary Kenyans launch vitriolic at- constituency. The voice is similar to the one ple were killed and more than 600,000 dis- tacks relating to the issues of the day and re- of Aden Duale, the leader of the majority in placed (see comment on p. 11). flecting political loyalties. They deride each Kenya’s parliament. Hate speech is expected to increase as other with ethno-insults, some of which are In mid-February, the authenticity of the the hunt for votes intensifies. Political rivals extreme. Arrests and prosecutions are rare, recording had not been verified, and Duale openly refer to each other as “enemies”. They and perpetrators seem to know that legis- denied responsibility for the inflammatory attack each other openly, stoking emotions lation is weak. They take full advantage of remarks. According to him, the audio was and animosity among their supporters. Some loopholes. fabricated by “political enemies”. politicians from the two main political camps Kenya’s police accuse the courts of In Kenya, hate speech remains largely – the ruling Jubilee Party led by President not punishing those who are responsible for

unchecked during election campaigns. It is Uhuru Kenyatta and the CORD coalition led hate speech. Stringent sentencing could in- Ph oto: my

D+C e-Paper March 2017 28 Promoting peace

Social media sites also use vernacular lan- ment agencies, civil-society organisations, guages for doing so. religious establishments and traditional Kenya The NCIC has recently launched in- leaders all have a role to play. Success will vestigations of a local vernacular FM station depend on coherent action and cooperation. Nairobi associated with President Kenyatta. A voter Shitemi Khamadi, a prominent blog- registration advertisement had stirred con- ger, has made some suggestions. He does not troversy. In the 90-seconds recording, the want the media to rebroadcast statements presenter urges the Kikuyu community to when politicians have used hate speech. The come out in large numbers to defend their reason is that such rebroadcasts are divisive. “throne”. Kenyatta belongs to the Kikuyu Moreover, the media should insist on politi- community, and he is the forth president to cians clarifying dubious statements. Finally, do so. Khamadi wants the media to deny airtime to political leaders known for fanning ethnic What needs to be done tensions and using hate speech. deed serve as a deterrent. The National Co- The Communication Authority of Ken- hesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), Victor Bwire of the Media Council of Kenya, ya says it is investing $ 19 million to acquire moreover, seems to be incompetent and a self-regulatory statutory body, says mat- equipment to monitor online and offline com- overburdened. Its duties include dealing ters should improve: “The indiscipline of munications during the election campaign. It with hate speech, but its budget is tight. vernacular radio and TV stations must be is to be hoped that it will use the equipment Kenyan media houses must bear some dealt with without fear or favour.” In his well. The country’s peace may depend on it. of the blame for perpetrating hate speech. eyes, the relevance of political contributors Especially in an election year, their appe- must be vetted in regard to whatever topic is Isaac Sagala tite for sensational political stories on prime being discussed, but ethnic identity as such is a journalist and media time news is not helpful. Vernacular radio should not be considered important. trainer. He lives in Nairobi. stations, moreover, are known to broadcast Experts agree that it will take sustained coded messages against other communities. efforts to deal with hate speech. Law-enforce- [email protected]

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dles. But there are other actors in the public Empower, support arena that obstruct processes.

Why is the law for the elimination of violence and provide resources against women not really implemented? Rasuli: Non-implementation of the EVAW Law (elimination of violence against wom- en) is evidence for the lack of political will to Medica Afghanistan is one of a few non-gov- Affairs is not supported, and challenges in mainstream women’s rights in the policy ernmental organisations for women who the recruitment of women for higher ranks and procedures of the government. Other have experienced sexualised violence, and in the civil service grow day by day. reasons for the poor implementation of the the NGO also fights discrimination against law are systemic barriers to women’s access women. Humaira Rasuli, the director, and What are the main problems women face in to justice, a lack of understanding of the Saifora Paktiss, her deputy, explain how they Afghanistan? types and extent of violence, a weak judici- work, what they have achieved so far and Rasuli: The main problems for Afghan wom- ary system, corruption, nepotism and a lack where they see future challenges. en are lack of security, insufficient involve- of public understanding of the law and its ment in the reconciliation process, lack of purpose, thus its misinterpretation. Humaira Rasuli and Saifora Paktiss inter- access to an unbiased justice system and le- viewed by Sabine Balk gal representation while the traditional jus- How does the work of Medica Afghanistan tice system prevails. Women have inade- look like? How does the situation in Afghanistan look quate access to basic health services and Paktiss: We focus on direct services for survi- like today, especially for women, 15 years schooling. They are systematically discrimi- vors of sexualised gender based violence after the Taliban were overthrown? Humaira Rasuli: The change is obvious, and progress is measurable. The participation of women in the public domain is prominent – may it be in the education and health sector, in sports, in social media as well as in deci- sionmaking. Women were appointed as min- isters, governors, ambassadors and members of the High Peace Council. Some were elected for parliament. Others serve as doctors, teach- ers, lawyers, judges, journalists or human- rights activists. Nevertheless, we witness ris- ing violence against women. As an example, I would like to highlight the case of Farkhunda, a girl that was falsely accused of having burnt a Quran and brutally killed on the spot in Ka- bul in 2015. Not all perpetrators of that hei- nous incident were sentenced. Some sentenc- Rally against es were changed after their appeal. The public sexualised gender is still waiting for a re-evaluation of the ver- based violence and dicts by the Supreme Court. for women’s rights in Kabul in 2013. Saifora Paktiss: There are further incidents: women working in the security sector are harassed, female students are attacked with acid and poisoned on their way to school, fe- nated against and are experiencing various (SGBV) in Kabul, Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif. male journalists and lawyers are targeted forms of violence: physical, economic, psy- Our legal assistance serves to empower, sup- and killed. The maternal mortality rate is in- chological and sexual. We observe the lack of port and provide resources for women to creasing again and pushed Afghanistan back political will to accept women as one half of claim their rights through the formal justice to the second last place in the world ranking society and the lack of will to involve them in system. We try to address barriers to wom- just ahead of Sierra Leone. Laws related to the revival of Afghanistan as a progressive en’s access to justice by direct advocacy with women’s rights are challenged in parlia- country. The Afghan president, the First government authorities. Through our stress- ment, gender budgeting is not mainstreamed Lady and some cabinet members are fully and trauma-sensitive psychosocial support,

by the government, the Ministry of Women supportive and work on removing the hur- we help women to rediscover their strength, Ph oto: Medica Afghanistan

D+C e-Paper March 2017 30 Promoting peace

abilities and resources. During counselling, about her rights. She decided to separate they learn to use their own protection and from her husband through mediation. When Afghanistan coping mechanisms to improve their well- this failed, she addressed the family court. being. We offer psychosocial services to cli- With the help of a lawyer, the court decision Kabul ents individually in five government-sup- was in favour of her, and she was divorced. A ported hospitals and in groups in women social worker of Medica Afghanistan re- prisons, in the Women’s Garden in Kabul ferred her to a literacy course. and in shelters supported by women-run non-governmental organisations. In addi- What are your main goals? tion to direct services, we offer training for Paktiss: Our main goal is to raise awareness national and international NGOs on the and build capacities for women’s rights in the ramifications of violence against women, fields of health, education and law. To that trauma and consequences, mediation and end, it is also about sensitising men to the self-care. We address mullahs, police officers key issues of SGBV and including them in or judges in order to raise their awareness on finding solutions. For example, Medica to rural areas where women are suffering women’s rights and persuade them to change Afghanistan offers advanced professional even more from domestic violence than in the their attitude and behaviour. We provide trainings to male and female lawyers, attor- cities. Due to the security situation we cannot training on our stress- and trauma-sensitive neys, doctors, social workers, religious lead- easily invite international consultants to im- approach for staff in hospitals and for other ers and police personnel on the impact of vio- prove the quality of our work. As an NGO, our service providers, such as women protection lence against women. We also address the sustainability depends on the continuous centres on SGBV. It is our goal to explain Af- traumatic impacts of all forms of violence flow of funding for our projects. We fear that ghan women their rights and to change their against women upon survivors, families, in- international donors might lose interest in lives. These are situations where all other stitutions and society. By lobbying for change funding Afghanistan due to frustration with key players remain silent. in structures and policies in order to create the situation and the unknown future of the better quality of life for women and girls we country. The delivery of direct services as well Can you give tangible examples of your also promote a more equitable and peaceful as our advocacy work for women’s rights face work? Afghanistan. We encourage exchange and daily hurdles. Our commitment, however, is Rasuli: I would like to present two examples cooperation between women from different strong and will last. of our interventions. N. (an alias) was the countries, cultures, social backgrounds and third wife of her husband. She faced several conflicting parties and thus contribute to Is your work dangerous for you? kinds of violence by her husband and his a process of reconciliation and peace. Rasuli: We are credited with prominence first wife and even lost her unborn child due within our society for our work, and this to an act of violence. After three years of What has Medica Afghanistan already prominence brings both prosperity and marriage her husband left her, and her in- achieved? threats in a conflicting environment like Af- laws consequently kept her locked up. A for- Rasuli: On the “advocacy front”, Medica Af- ghanistan. Our work represents pure service mer client of Medica Afghanistan drew our ghanistan was the leading organisation that to women, with the ultimate goal to bring attention to her case, and we took it up. Her fought successfully against child marriage hope, peace and serenity to our society. Un- husband was eventually sentenced to three and demanded the mandatory registration fortunately, we continuously receive threats months imprisonment and agreed to a di- of marriages at the courts. We were in the from those who are opposed to our ideas vorce. forefront for the ratification of the family and work, and who fear that they are going law and in campaigns for the protection and to lose control and power. As to the second example: L. (an alias) implementation of the EVAW law. Other was forced to marry a man with obvious achievements of our work are group cam- mental problems when she was 12 years old paigns for the establishment of EVAW courts Humaira Rasuli because her brother wanted to marry that and EVAW prosecution units. We are one is the director of the man’s sister. She spent 18 years with her hus- amongst a limited number of NGOs that women’s-rights organisation band and suffered from violence by him and regularly record the analysis of cases that Medica Afghanistan. her in-laws. The only reason she didn’t ask are followed by their lawyers, cases of wom- [email protected] for a divorce was her son. In June 2016, en that have been indicted based on EVAW Medica Afghanistan on Facebook: when she again faced a serious act of physi- law implementation. Providing relief to the https://www.facebook.com/Medica- cal violence, she went to the provincial di- sorrows and healing traumatic sufferings of Afghanistan-150729171747064/ rectorate of the Ministry of Women Affairs. the survivors of SGBV are certainly further They referred her to the mediation centre of striking successes. Saifora Paktiss Medica Afghanistan. As she was in a bad is the deputy director of psychological condition, we referred her to What are your main future challenges? Medica Afghanistan. our psycho-social health programme coun- Paktiss: Our main challenges will be safety sellor, and one of our lawyers informed her and security. We cannot expand our services

D+C e-Paper March 2017 31 PROMOTING PEACE

consequences of sexualised war context. The security situation The fi ght against violence in Bosnia and Herze- is fragile, many people live in govina. One result was that the great poverty, and women’s sexualised violence symptoms of PTSD persist if the rights are violated. Women de- persons concerned perceive the pend on male family members societal conditions as unsafe, in social and economic terms. In April 2002, the German wom- in conversations with rela- stigmatising and unsupportive. Disentangling themselves from en’s rights organisation medica tives. Furthermore, the experts Many of the surveyed violent relationships is thus a mondiale began a new project assessed workshops with the women consider the services of huge challenge. in Afghanistan: Medica Afghani- Medica Afghanistan employees Medica Afghanistan a turning The Medica Afghanistan stan. It is the only organisation as well as feedback from govern- point in their lives. “I am bet- employees describe their work- in the country that off ers psy- mental and civil-society actors. ter now. The more often we go ing conditions as diffi cult and chosocial and trauma-sensitive The goal of the evaluation was to Medica Afghanistan, the less potentially burdensome. Nev- counselling to women who have to understand the physical and pain we have. (...) The psycholo- ertheless, only a small number survived violence. At the end of emotional wellbeing of Medica gists are good, and they under- indicated in the evaluation that 2010, Medica Afghanistan be- Afghanistan’s clients and their stand us,” one woman said. The they were exhausted, and 90 % came an independent NGO. satisfaction with the NGO’s psy- report especially praises the self- of them considered their work to From 2012 to 2015, Medica chosocial programmes. help groups. It found that they be fulfi lling and were very happy Afghanistan supported 1,357 vic- The main fi ndings are anchor support in the communi- with it. The authors of the evalu- tims of violence in the cities of as follows: 83 % of clients be- ties in a lasting way. The groups ation consider this to be due to Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Her- lieve that they can infl uence or provide the women with a spe- the team’s culture of care and the at. They all survived sexualised change something, and 78 % of cial sanctuary, in which they can availability of further training. violence and availed of the non- women consider themselves exchange ideas and strengthen Despite the overall posi- governmental organisation’s self-confi dent. They know their one another, according to the tive assessment, the evaluation psychosocial services. In 2016, rights, moreover, and are aware report. The reason is that social does reveal some weaknesses. It the organisation implemented of what institutions they can ties counteract the impact of recommends that more should an evaluation of three projects turn to if they need help. How- traumatic experiences. be done to ensure that counsel- from the years 2012 to 2015. Ex- ever, almost all of the surveyed The evaluation also ling sessions remain confi den- ternal specialists conducted the women exhibited signs of post- showed that Medica Afghani- tial. On the other hand, there evaluation using quantitative traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). stan enjoys a high level of re- should be more feedback op- as well as qualitative methods. At fi rst glance, this result spect among both civil-society portunities for clients. They included 296 representa- may seem paradoxical. However, organisations and governmental The evaluators’ conclu- tive surveys and 14 in-depth in- it confi rms a study from 2014. In agencies. Furthermore, the eval- sion is that the work of Medica terviews with clients of Medica it, medica mondiale and Medica uators pointed out that the work Afghanistan contributes deci- Afghanistan. They also engaged Zenica examined the long-term is done in a most challenging sively to stabilising Afghan so- ciety and making it more peace- ful. The recommendation is that the women’s-rights organi- sation should expand its activi- ties to other cities and regions. Mechthild Buchholz, medica mondiale

LINKS Summary of the evaluation report on Medica Afghanistan: http://bit.ly/2iSEcnl Two doctors and ”We are still alive”– Research a psychosocial on the long-term consequences counsellor of war rape and coping strategies discussing in of survivors in Bosnia and Rabina Balkhi Herzegovina:

hospital in Kabul. http://bit.ly/2jwHP4y oto: Ann Jones/medica mondiale Ph F oto: xxx

D+C e-Paper March 2017 32 Promoting peace

Carnival for peace

An annual event shows what the Iraqi people The idea for the carnival was born a The event itself is not the only thing want most of all: peace. Young people in few years ago when a group of young ac- that matters. The young people are aware Baghdad organise a major street carnival to tivists googled images of their city. Every of the months of preparation uniting them set positive images against the daily news of picture that came up was of war or destruc- for a common goal. They want to build a violence and war. The event has also given tion. Determined to create new images of better society and promote a more peace- rise to regular participation in civil society. their city, the activists founded the Bagh- ful way of life. Their engagement starts on dad City of Peace Carnival. a small scale – getting volunteers to coop- By Eva-Maria Verfürth The event was launched on a small erate – and ranges up to active participa- stage in Al-Zora Park in 2011. Young bands tion in social affairs. Iraq is a divided country haunted by vio- played traditional Iraqi music, and young “The volunteer meetings strengthen lence. A political solution seems a long way artisans sold arts and crafts at small stalls. social cohesion, which is very important off. On UN World Peace Day, 21 September, The three-hour event was organised by 30 for our society,” Alwardii explains. “There Baghdad hosts the City of Peace Carnival volunteers and attended by around 300 is a lot of resentment between people of – a major event. According to its organis- visitors. different cultural, ethnic and linguistic ers, it attracted around 15,000 in 2015 and “Many people say it’s crazy to cel- backgrounds in Iraq. We teach young peo- 23,000 people last year. In 2016, 500 volun- ebrate peace in the current situation. They ple to respect one another.” teers contributed to make it happen. ask: ‘What peace?’” But Alwardii and his fel- In the youngsters’ lives there are only The spectators span all generations low campaigners will not be discouraged. few settings in which girls and boys come and ethnic groups. Broadcasted live on They see peace as more than the absence together on equal terms. The volunteer TV and radio, the event features music of armed violence. Peace, to them, is a life meetings are one such setting. The media and dance performances, play areas for marked by fundamental rights, including team – which was led by Alwardii last year, children, art and craft stalls and discus- the freedom of expression and movement, was made up of an equal number of girls sion groups. Everything is put together by and with peaceful interaction in society. and boys. The volunteers need to work hundreds of young organisers in months of The carnival is supposed to promote this no- hard to secure parents’ permission. “Par- hard work. Qayssar Alwardii is one of them. tion: “Our dream is to make the city of Bagh- ents often come along to the first meetings He says: “The Peace Carnival is a symbol of dad a better place and help to create a better because they are worried,” Alwardii re- hope, especially for young people.” society for future generations.” ports. “We talk to them on those occasions.

Ten thousands of people come together at the Baghdad City of Peace Carnival to celebrate peace. Photo: Alwardii

D+C e-Paper March 2017 33 Promoting peace

Fortunately we manage to persuade most ganisers looked for sponsors and raised of them to let their children get involved.” money for IDPs. The organisers, moreover, want to In 2015, they continued in the same Iraq establish a new culture of responsibility. vein, promoting peaceful coexistence with Baghdad “In Iraq, people like to stay in the same the slogan “Peace begins with our diversi- job – whether they are in business or poli- ty.” The point was to convince people that tics,” Alwardii says. At the peace carnival, diversity is the solution, not the problem. things are different, and participants must “We have lived in a mixed society for dec- assume new responsibilities. A new organ- ades,” says Alwardii, “the real problem is ising team is put together each year, and how to accommodate so many more people anyone who worked in the coordinating in one single city.” team the year before can only take part in In 2016, the motto was: “Youths are an advisory capacity. “The idea is to show future leaders.” The point was to empha- young people the benefits of reassigning sise the view of young people in regard to roles. After a few years, you have a whole creating opportunities and fostering de- new generation of carnival organisers.” velopment. Alwardii says that the young The carnival has also given rise to a generation must have an “unstoppable, number of youth groups, which are active unique power”. throughout the year. They include small Today, the City of Peace Carnival can many of them, the commitment has paid associations, bands and breakdance col- even rely on government backing. In 2014, career dividends. The band Project 904 lectives but also social action groups. For the youngsters received an official offer of performed at the first carnival and now has example, one group was formed by medi- support from the ministry for youth and a regular slot on daily social media news. cal students who demand improvements sport. Iraq, it seems, has moved on since the It is known nationwide. Other volunteers of public health care. days when politicians took a sceptical view have found jobs with international or- The carnival volunteers have gained of any kind of youth movement. Alwardii re- ganisations or major telecommunications a strong voice in civil society. They use ports: “They were afraid because youth pro- companies. Their experience impressed their event to raise awareness of society tests triggered the Arab spring in countries recruiters. issues. The Baghdad carnival has a differ- like Egypt and Tunisia. But we showed them “Being a City of Peace Carnival vol- ent motto each year. In 2014, when grow- that we do not want to protest – we simply unteer has become a recommendation for ing numbers of refugees fled ISIS and came take matters into our own hands.” employers,” Alwardii reports. He himself to the city from the civil-war zones and For a number of years, the City of works as a professional for the Internation- neighbouring provinces, the motto was: Peace Carnival has only been funded by al Organisation for Migration (IOM), a UN “Peace begins with rights for the internally small non-governmental organisations. agency. At the age of at 25 years, he is by displaced people (IDPs).” Alwardii recalls: The event now has private sponsors, in- far the youngest member of his team. “My “We wanted to help displaced people be- cluding a major telecommunications com- colleagues appreciate my experience.” He cause they receive no care and attention.” pany and famous restaurants, but it still is also volunteers for the UN Development During the carnival preparations, the or- organised exclusively by volunteers. For Programme. “To work for the UN, you need a good CV and good contacts. I acquired all that over the last four years at the City of Peace Carnival.”

The organisers of the Baghdad City of Peace Carnival wish to network with peace activists in other countries and they welcome support. Anyone interested is invited to contact Qayssar Alwardii: [email protected].

Link Baghdad City of Peace Carnival: https://iqpeace.com/

Eva-MAria Verfürth The Baghdad City is a member of the editorial of Peace Carnival team of D+C /E+Z. is organised by

volunteers only. [email protected] Photo: Alwardii

D+C e-Paper March 2017 34 Promoting peace

acterised by hostility. The proposed peace Resolving conflicts park could serve as an incentive for peace- ful cooperation. The idea was to create it on the Sea of Galilee and give Syria formal over land and water sovereignty over the Golan Heights and the north-eastern coastline. Israel would thus get water and regulated access to land, while Syria would get land and regulated The Middle East and North Africa, or MENA, It was established in 1932 and is located in access to water. is arguably the world’s most turbulent region. the Canadian province of Alberta and the US Muna Dajani (2011) identified some With the civil war raging in Syria and instabil- state of Montana. problems however. Israeli opposition to ity in Iraq, Libya and other North African According to Adrian Martin et al. Syrian presence in the Golan Heights and countries, prospects for peace appear grim. (2011), peace parks bring about several ben- sharing of water resources must be ex- Establishing peace parks could be a first efits: pected to continue. As long as Israeli wa- step towards improving matters. Such an ini- ●● environmental protection as the in- ter policies emphasise the dogma of water tiative was proposed for the Golan Heights vestment in environmentally sustainable security, a peace park will not be viable. In as early as 2002. ventures will help to prevent the degrada- 2008, two thirds of Israelis opposed plans tion and depletion of natural resources, to return the Golan to Syria, and that atti- By Lisdey Espinoza Pedraza ●● economic benefits as institutionalised tude will hardly change in view of Syria’s and Markus Heinrich transboundary cooperation will support brutal civil war. economic growth, For the time being, Syria plainly does Peace parks are transboundary initiatives to ●● peaceful development as political ten- not have a government that might promote protect nature. The precise definition is still sions will be defused, promoting regional peace. In the long term, however, the peace being debated, but it is generally accepted security and reconciliation between con- park in the Golan Heights may become vi- that the approach serves peace, cooperation flicting parties, and able. In the meantime, it would make sense and natural resource management. ●● empowerment of civil society as a to consider how peace parks might con- One goal is to contribute to resolving sense of civic responsibility towards the en- tribute to national reconciliation in post- conflicts between countries concerning ac- vironment will be fostered and spaces for conflict situations. The point, after all, is cess to territory and water. Sustainable, long- more interaction between all strata of soci- to engage parties to a conflict in the joint term solutions are obviously needed. More­ ety will be created. pursuit of the common good – and that is over, peace parks offer opportunities for other In the MENA region, a peace park much needed all over the Arab region. joint ventures, including business projects. was first proposed for the Golan Heights The Waterton-Glacier International in 2002. Since Israel was created in 1948, References Peace Park is the world’s first peace park. its relationship with Syria has been char- Dajani, M., 2011: Dry peace: Syria-Israel and the water of the Golan. International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, London. Martin, A., Rutagarama, E., Cascao, A., Gray, M., and Chhotray, V., 2011: Understanding the co-existence of conflict and cooperation: Israeli tanks during a training exercise on the Golan Heights near the Syrian border. Transboundary ecosystem management in the Virunga Massif. Journal of Peace Research, 48(5).

Lisdey Espinoza Pedraza is an international relations lecturer and PhD candidate at the University of Aberdeen. [email protected]

Markus Heinrich is an international relations researcher and an MA graduate from the University of Leicester.

[email protected] Ph oto: Safadi/picture-alliance/dpa

D+C e-Paper March 2017 35 Promoting peace

No justice without remembering

Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime collapsed in January 1979. It left deep marks, having claimed an estimated 1.7 million lives. Thirty- eight years later, people are still seeking jus- tice. To learn from history and cope with the trauma, Cambodians need documentation, memorialisation and reparation.

By Sun Narin

Cambodians continue to suffer the impacts of their country’s violent and traumatic his- tory. Under dictator Pol Pot, who ruled the country from 1975 to 1979, most people be- came victims in one way or another. Many were executed; others starved. Forced labour and forced marriages were common. Masses Skulls at the killing field Choeung Ek near Phnom Penh, which is now a memorial. of people were separated from their families. In 1997, after years of inaction, the Cambodian government asked the UN to assist its efforts to put senior Khmer Rouge leaders on trial. Many hurdles had to be tak- for the UN-backed court. He also points out was taken to a killing site, beaten with an axe en, and the Extraordinary Chambers in the that the special court serves capacity build- until he was unconscious and then dumped Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) were only estab- ing and institutional reform in the sense of into a well. Nonetheless, Yun survived. “In lished in 2006. Cases are still being heard. promoting national reconciliation and reaf- the well, I saw many dead people all around The Khmer Rouge Tribunal – as it is firming the rule of law. me. Their bodies were swollen and with commonly known – offers survivors the op- In November last year, the court worms,” he recalls the past. portunity to seek truth and justice by holding upheld life sentences for two former top The Khmer Rouge soldiers threw a perpetrators accountable for their crimes. Khmer Rouge leaders. Ninety-year old Nuon grenade into the well, he says, to silence the The goal is to ensure remembrance and pre- Chea and 85-year old Khieu Samphan were people who were not dead and screaming for vent the recurrence of a genocidal regime. found guilty of crimes against humanity. In help. The grenade did not injure Yun, and “The tribunal facilitates reconciliation­ and another trial, both are accused of genocide he managed to escape by piling dead bod- at the same time provides an opportunity of ethnic Vietnamese and Muslim minori- ies on top of each other. “I asked the souls of for Cambodians to come to terms with their ties, forced marriage and rape. the dead in the cave to help me get out and history,” says Neth Pheaktra, a spokesman So far, only one other Khmer Rouge promised to seek justice for them,” says Yun. leader has been sentenced. Kaing Guek Eav, Now, he is involved in the court cases as a civ- alias Duch, was the chief of the notorious il party with similar rights as the prosecutors. S21 prison in the capital Phnom Penh and Some ask whether the conviction of a oversaw 14,000 prisoners’ death. He too was handful of leaders is sufficient in the eyes sentenced to life imprisonment. of the victims. Chhang Youk, director of Cambodia Some key leaders have died and thus the Documentation Center of Cambodia, escaped justice. “Brother Number One” admits that the tribunal does not provide Phnom Penh Pol Pot died in 1998. Ieng Sary, the former a comprehensive solution, but he consid- minister of foreign affairs and his wife Ieng ers it an “important mechanism” which Thirith, the former minister of social affairs, reminds people of the need to respect hu- died in 2013 and 2015 respectively. man rights. “Cambodia is still haunted by the Khmer Rouge disaster. We are the chil- “Important mechanism” dren of both perpetrators and victims,” he says. Chhang has spent 30 years collecting Yun Bin, who is 62 years old, only narrowly and archiving documents pertaining to the

escaped death under the Khmer Rouge. He murderous regime. Ph oto: kd

D+C e-Paper March 2017 36 Promoting peace

The Documentation Center is run by an international non-governmental organi- sation (NGO). Its mission is to raise aware- ness and disseminate information about the Khmer Rouge. The Center is also the place to look for information concerning lost fam- ily members. According to Chhang, it has collected around 1 million names. “We are reaching out to people in the provinces who are still looking for lost family members and find it hard to travel to the city,” he says.

Trauma and healing

Bin has been diagnosed with trauma due to his past sufferings. “I still remember every- thing, and it seems to appear in front of me all the time. I cannot forget it, and it makes me sick,” he says. “I take medicines every- day.” Yun gets help from the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO), a local The witness Beit NGO, which is supported by GIZ’s civil Boeurn testifies peace service (see article on p. 23). before the Trial TPO has been working closely with Chamber of the the Khmer Rouge Tribunal since 2007. It Khmer Rouge supports witnesses and civil plaintiffs who Tribunal in Case are affected by trauma. TPO sees trauma 002/02 against Nuon recovery and reconciliation as long-term Chea and Khieu processes that require more than just re- Samphan. tributive justice. Bun Lemhuor, the NGO’s clinical psy- chologist, explains how TPO helps witness- es deliver testimony: “We provide help to relieve their psychological pressure. We also The VSS also coordinates reparation knows how long the proceedings will take. accompany witnesses to court if they have seeking through legal and non-judicial It depends on how much time investigators strong emotions when giving testimony.” measures. “We also work with them to need to collect evidence, how many more There are self-help groups for peo- design and implement projects of repara- people are put on trial, how many wit- ple affected by trauma. “We let them share tions and non-judicial measures that ben- nesses are called and how many appeals their suffering and use some methods to re- efit them and the young generation.” The are made. Cambodia’s government has an- lieve their trauma,” Bun says, adding that VSS only provides moral, collective repa- nounced it will establish a Legal Documen- religion can also help to find peace. “They rations, not individual ones. It works with tation Center as a “repository”, where soft pray to Buddha for the dead, asking not to both government agencies and civil-soci- and hard copies of the court documents take revenge.” According to Bun, the tribu- ety organisations to establish memories, will be kept. nal recognises TPO groups as one way of compiling stories of survivors and building Chhang hopes that once the Tribunal rehabilitating and compensating victims. memorials. concludes its work, the King as representa- “What the tribunal is doing is re- tive of the Cambodian people will cremate Collective compensation garded as a healing process rather than an the bones of the Khmer Rouge victims. It ultimate solution,” Hang says. “The court would be a major national ceremony. “And The court has a Victims Support Section alone cannot make transitional justice per- there should be a day for national com- (VSS). It facilitates Khmer Rouge victims’ fect.” In his eyes, healing must be holistic memoration. That would be a big symbol meaningful participation in the legal pro- and has many aspects, including psychol- after the court finishes its work,” he says. ceedings. According to Hang Vannak, who ogy, education and health. heads the VSS, some 4,000 civil parties Initially, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal Sun Narin and 4,000 complainants are involved in was meant to last only a few years. Cur- is a Cambodian journalist Case 002 which concerns Nuon Chea and rently, Case 002 is still ongoing, and so and lives in Phnom Penh. Khieu Samphan. “We inform them in fo- are Case 003 and 004 in which four other

rums, workshops and training,” Hang says. Khmer Rouge leaders are accused. Nobody [email protected] Ph oto: ECCC/Sok Heng Nhet

D+C e-Paper March 2017 37 Promoting peace

Crucial knowledge

In most cases, why conflicts erupt and how One of the oldest databases belongs than the total amount of global direct for- they develop are very complex matters. The to the Swedish Uppsala Conflict Data Pro- eign investments. Only two percent of con- issues are emotionally charged and clouded gram (UCDP). The UCDP attributes the flict-related spending served peacebuilding in divergent narratives. If third parties want to increased number of conflicts, in part, to and peacekeeping missions in 2015. contribute to a peace process they need to the involvement of non-state actors. It reg- interpret those narratives prudently. istered more internal conflicts than in the Understanding the people past. The yearbook of the Stockholm Inter- By Karoline Caesar national Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Qualitative data is key to interpreting and publishes UCDP findings and other data. classifying quantitative data in sensitive The year 2015 produced an unprecedented According to SIPRI, some variable com- and complex conflicts. Far many reasons, number of violent conflicts, as is evident pound problems. One is external interfer- purely statistical estimates – of the num- in the international conflict databases ence in internal conflicts through military ber of victims of sexualised violence in the that publish annual statistics on armed or logistical involvement. Democratic Republic of Congo, for exam- conflicts. The data is compiled in indices The Global Peace Index emphasises ple – can be very hard to establish. One rea- that give insights into the duration of con- the high costs of war. It is published by the son is that interviewing victims of violence flicts, underlying issues, fatalities, mili- Institute for Economics and Peace, which is is difficult, not least because of the risk of tary spending and diseases. Because of the based in Australia and the USA. The index retraumatising them. methods used, the indices enjoy high cred- shows that violence cost $14.6 trillion world- Qualitative studies, moreover, can ibility. wide in 2015. That was eleven times more help to explain issues and help to assess

International aid workers – as pictured here in Rwanda – should have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the country and its

people. Photo: Lissac/GODONG/Lineair

D+C e-Paper March 2017 38 Promoting peace

what impact proposed solutions will have. places haunted by violence, such lack of Autesserre argues that the small mi- The interesting question is how civilian awareness causes deep frustration. Rotat- nority of international aid workers who peacebuilding personnel staff use such ing foreign experts from country to coun- maintained close and productive relations data. try compounds problems because the with local people worked more effectively It matters what kind of knowledge experts concerned become even more al- in intervention areas. Relationship build- they bring along on missions in crisis coun- ienated from the target groups. ing, communication, friendship, mutual tries. In an ethnographic study, Sévérine Autesserre points out that it is hard learning and trust facilitate the success of Autesserre of Columbia University has ad- for experts to get a clear picture of the international interventions. People from vanced the theory that, in conflict countries overall situation. Different cultural back- conflict countries all over the world regu- all over the world, a war is being waged be- grounds and ideologies may result in total- larly reported that they were able to build tween locals and foreigners over knowledge ly contradictory reports. Because interna- real relationships with those foreigners “jurisdiction”. Her book is based on five dif- tional experts rarely leave the capital of a who spent time in the field and made an ef- ferent databases plus more than 600 inter- crisis country, they have little understand- fort to get acquainted. The important thing views. According to Autesserre, the dispari- ing of how data is and should be collected was credible, intrinsical motivation. ty of how reality is read in conflict countries in the field. They are mostly unaware of the Autesserre advises foreign aid results from the members of international likeliness that their own assessments may workers to spend years in one and the missions relying on distorted information be based on flawed information. same country, learn the local language, and misconceptions. She doubts that west- become familiar with the customs and ern peacebuilding projects are effective and Mistrusted outsiders make friends with people in different so- does not believe that the local community cial groups. Peacebuilding organisations regards them as relevant and credible. Autesserre writes that local grass-roots ac- should review their policies accordingly The author describes an imaginary tivists told her about changing their stories, and revise recruitment procedures, project place called “Peaceland” and the daily life supplying false information or concealing design and training programmes. Doing of peacebuilders there. Peaceland could be critical data because they mistrusted out- so would serve to leverage staff’s thematic the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Af- siders or wanted to protect themselves or competence. Prudent assessment of quali- ghanistan, South Sudan, Bosnia or Burun- their family. This is particularly common tative information would enhance the effi- di – anywhere where civilian and military in conflict countries, where intimidation cacy of peacebuilding. personnel’s task is to contribute to a peace and use of force are among the “problem- process. Autesserre considers daily rituals, solving strategies” in widespread use (also standards, norms and behaviour, noting note “Take agencies by their word” in D+C/ Links how staff create a bubble of self-referential E+Z e-Paper 2016/12, Page 31). Autesserre Institute for Economics and Peace (2016): knowledge, thus engendering resistance came across numerous reports stating that The Global Peace Index 2016. within the local community. She reports data were modified to keep foreign super- http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/ how local experts with “local knowledge” visors happy moreover. resources/GPI%202016%20Report_2.pdf compete with international experts who International workers are often ig- Stockholm International Peace Research have “technical knowledge”. The local ex- norant of cultural codes because they lack Institute: SIPRI Yearbook 2016. perts know places and people and have a local expertise. Rwandans, for instance, https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/YB16- deep understanding of history as well as distinguish public from private. Burun- Summary-ENG.pdf political, social and cultural dynamics. The dians consider it impolite to contradict Uppsala Conflict Data Program (2016): external peace workers, on the other hand, someone, whereas Europeans and North http://www.ucdp.uu.se have a detailed professional knowledge of Americans assume they will be told if they things like conflict management, humani- make a wrong assumption. tarian aid or project management. Many international workers live book According to Autesserre, local com- apart from the target communities and Autesserre, S., 2014: Peaceland. Conflict munities are prone to rejecting international thus have little or no personal experience resolution and the everyday politics of interventions if foreign experts outrank local of life on the ground. Peacebuilding or- international intervention. Cambridge experts and are better paid. Foreign organi- ganisations, moreover, tend to underesti- University Press NY. sations are accountable to donors, but do not mate the complexity of conflicts because http://www.severineautesserre.com/research/ report sufficiently to local communities. In they all consult the same people for advice. peaceland/ many crisis regions, foreigners are perceived Foreign aid workers are generally unaware as arrogant outsiders trying to impose their of making mistakes because they all use ideas on locals. These perceptions are not the same data sources and references. The Karoline Caesar so much shaped by what is communicated, author claims that the international inter- acted as a consultant on however, but by the way it is communicated. vention network in crisis areas thus cre- a Civil Peace Service (CPS) Autesserre, moreover, claims that ates self-referencing bubbles. Narratives mediation project in Burundi many foreign peace workers are unaware are subconsciously selected on the basis of from 2011 to 2015. of their actions’ symbolic significance. In personal affinities and sympathies. [email protected]

D+C e-Paper March 2017 39 X www.twitter.com/forumdc

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