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The Worldview Fundamentalism Challenges for the Exchange of Personnel in Development

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The Worldview Fundamentalism Challenges for the Exchange of Personnel in Development Schweizerischer Association suisse pour Associazione Svizzera per lo Verband für Personelle l’échange de personnes scambio di persone Entwicklungs- dans la coopération nella cooperazione zusammenarbeit internationale internazionale Swiss association for Asociación Suiza para el Associação Suíça para o the exchange of intercambio de personas intercâmbio de pessoas personnel in development en la cooperación na cooperação cooperation internacional internacional THE WORLDVIEW FUNDAMENTALISM CHALLENGES FOR THE EXCHANGE OF PERSONNEL IN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION Report on the Mutual Learning Process of Unité 2013-2016 Raji Sultan, in collaboration with Josef Estermann (COMUNDO), Anne-Marie Holenstein (inde- pendent), Josefina Hurtado (Mission 21) et Nicolas Monnier (DM-échange et mission) 19/12/2016 CONTENT 1. Genesis ................................................................................................................................ 4 2. Process objectives ............................................................................................................... 4 3. Challenges and considerations for the process of mutual learning .................................... 5 4. Fundamentalisms................................................................................................................. 6 5. Survey of, and awareness-raising amongst, players in development cooperation via personnel exchange .................................................................................................................... 8 6. Fundamentalist players and their doctrines ....................................................................... 10 7. Factors ............................................................................................................................... 13 7.1. Global results ............................................................................................................. 13 7.2. Political factors ........................................................................................................... 14 7.3. Economic factors ........................................................................................................ 16 7.4. Social factors .............................................................................................................. 17 7.5. Psychological factors ................................................................................................ 18 8. Development of the fundamentalist trend in the context ................................................... 20 9. Impact of fundamentalisms on the project or programme ................................................. 21 9.1. Mapping ...................................................................................................................... 21 9.2. Risks to safety of persons and property .................................................................... 23 9.3. Differentiation between local personnel and expatriates ........................................... 23 9.4. Freedom of expression and action............................................................................. 23 9.5. Instrumentalisation ..................................................................................................... 24 9.6. Programme or project planning .................................................................................. 24 10. Specific impact on players in development cooperation via personnel exchange ........ 24 10.1. Volunteers and coordinators ...................................................................................... 24 10.2 partner organisations in the south.............................................................................. 25 10.2. Partner organisations in switzerland .......................................................................... 26 11. Measures to limit the negative impact of fundamentalisms ........................................... 27 11.1. Analysis of the context and adaptation of the security concept................................. 27 11.2. Awareness-raising ...................................................................................................... 27 11.3. Preparation ................................................................................................................. 27 11.4. Selection ..................................................................................................................... 27 11.5. Care with use of the term "fundamentalist" ................................................................ 28 11.6. Detachment with regard to fundamentalism .............................................................. 28 11.7. Promotion of peace and human rights ....................................................................... 28 11.8. Differentiated information ........................................................................................... 28 11.9. Team building and trust building ................................................................................ 28 11.10. Adaptation of the mode of cooperation .................................................................. 28 11.11. Self-censorship ....................................................................................................... 29 11.12. Youth support ......................................................................................................... 29 11.13. Capitalising on experience ..................................................................................... 29 12. Potential of the exchange of personnel ......................................................................... 29 2 13. Requirements ................................................................................................................. 30 14. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 31 15. Thanks............................................................................................................................ 31 16. Summary sheet .............................................................................................................. 31 17. Table des illustrations .................................................................................................... 34 18. Ideological fundamentalisms documents ....................................................................... 35 18.1. Examples – cases ...................................................................................................... 35 18.2. Concepts – definitions ................................................................................................ 36 18.3. Instruments - methods ............................................................................................... 37 18.4. Risks and potential of the exchange of personnel cooperation and worldviews ....... 38 3 1. GENESIS Globalisation has brought, and brings different worldviews together, which sometimes leads to confrontations. This has spawned a rise in awareness of Fundamentalisms in the 20th and 21st centuries. This global phenomenon has brought a challenge to the work of development cooperation agencies, particularly to those that deal with the exchange of personnel. Fundamentalist movements can be a threat to peace and hinder the exchange of ideas and the respective values, which are the core characteristics of the exchange of personnel in development cooperation. This is a form of cooperation in which neither money, nor technology is in the foreground, but rather the fruitful encounter of people who work together to improve living conditions in the South. The exchange of personnel and professional knowledge, ideas and values are therefore at the centre of development programs, the sending organisations’ projects, per- sons on assignment, coordinators and local partners. The quality of their work is therefore, compared to other forms of cooperation, particularly vulnerable to fundamentalism, whether the latter is religious, socio-political, ethnic, na- tional or economic. This increased risk of interference or manipulation by fundamentalism is even more marked when it comes to Faith Based Organisations. During a dialogue between the Institutional Partnerships Division (IP) of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Unité (Swiss association for the exchange of personnel in development cooperation), fundamentalism worldviews were identified as a crosscutting theme for mutual learning between member organisations, Unité and its partners. The working group that monitored the process of mutual learning within Unité comprised, in particular, the Swiss Salvation Army (Fernanda Gurzeler), COMUNDO (Josef Ester- mann), DM-échange et mission (Jacques Küng and Nicolas Monnier), Mission 21 (Jose- fina Hurtado) and an external consultant (Anne-Marie Holenstein). 2. PROCESS OBJECTIVES The key issues that were identified during the dialogue between SDC and Unité, which will be developed during the process are: a) What specific importance does fundamentalisms take on when it comes to the de- velopment cooperation in the field of personnel exchange? b) In general, what lessons are learned and how do the perspectives present them- selves? As part of its institutional program 2013-2016, Unité studied these questions with its mem- ber organisations, in coordination with other institutions active in development cooperation including Bread for All and Comundo (Romero Haus),
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