Peacebuilding, the World Bank and the United Nations Debates and Practice in Burundi, Liberia and Nepal SUmmary of reSearch and emergiNg recommendations Sara Batmanglich and Monica Stephen August 2011 Understanding conflict. Building peace. About International Alert international alert is a 25-year old independent peacebuilding organisation that works with people directly affected by violent conflict to improve their prospects of peace. alert also works to influence the policies and ways of working of governments, international organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and multinational companies that operate in fragile and conflict-affected environments, to reduce conflict risk and increase the prospects of peace. We are one of the world’s leading peacebuilding non-governmental organisations Peacebuilding, the World Bank (Ngos), with more than 155 staff based in London and 15 field offices. and the United Nations About the International Institutions Programme this programme focuses on how international institutions such as the UN, the Debates and Practice in Burundi, Liberia and Nepal World Bank, the european Union (eU) and the african Union can strengthen their support for peacebuilding. Drawing on alert’s network of country programmes SUmmary of reSearch and emergiNg recommendations and expertise in peacebuilding, aid and governance, the programme brings together perspectives from ongoing field and headquarters-based research, analysis and dialogue processes to produce insights on international engagement and good practice. the programme seeks to facilitate reflection on institutional effectiveness and support institutional change processes. to learn more, visit: http://www.international-alert.org/institutions Acknowledgements We would like to thank the many people in Burundi, Liberia, Nepal, New york and Washington, Dc who contributed their experiences to the substance of this study. their input has informed and helped to shape not only this study, but also the development of international alert’s international institutions Programme. We would also like to thank the UK Department for international Development, which financed this study and continues to support international alert’s work on international institutions. the views expressed in this report are the sole responsibility of international alert and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of our donors, the institutions or our respondents. © international alert 2011 all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without full attribution. 2 International Alert Peacebuilding, the World Bank and the United Nations 3 Contents Abstract . The.following.research.findings.and.emerging.recommendations.are.the. product.of.a.year-long.study.and.represent.a.baseline.for.International. Alert’s.continuing.work.with.international.institutions.on.peacebuilding.. Abstract................................................................................................. 3 Broadly.speaking,.this.area.of.Alert’s.work.is.a.response.to.the.reality. Background............................................................................................ 3 that.years.of.international.commitments.to.supporting.peace.in.countries. affected.by.violent.conflict.and.fragility.have.yet.to.produce.commensurate. Three.Key.Issues..................................................................................... 5 sustainable.peacebuilding.results..The.study.seeks.to.shine.a.spotlight.on. 1).Engage.strategically the.behaviour,.systems.and.practice.of.international.institutions.charged. 2).Operate.responsively with.managing.and.delivering.aid..It.proposes.a.series.of.recommendations. 3).Structure.flexibly for.institutions.seeking.to.strengthen.their.role.in.supporting.peace,. development.and.prosperity.in.fragile.and.conflict-affected.countries..This. Summary.of.Research.Findings:.Five.Trends.......................................... 7 paper.is.a.summary.of.a.longer.Working.Paper.of.the.same.title. A).Governance:.Legitimacy.beyond.central.government B).Context:.More.than.the.starting.point Background C).Mandates:.Scope.for.responsiveness D).Comparative.advantage:.Harnessing.complementarity As.donor.governments.seek.to.tighten.their.budgets.and.legitimise. E).Operationalising.commitments:.Flexibility.where.it.is.needed spending.on.official.development.assistance,.greater.emphasis.has.been. placed.on.achieving.value.for.money.and.sustained.results..Fragile.and. Three.Emerging.Recommendations...................................................... 13 conflict-affected.countries.feature.prominently.on.the.international. 1).Engage.strategically agenda,.but.they.present.the.most.complex.challenges..Despite.extensive. 2).Operate.responsively international.commitments,.undertaken.with.good.intentions,.sustainable. 3).Structure.flexibly impacts.on.long-term.peace.are.still.elusive.... The.policy.debate.on.these.challenges.has.moved.forward.considerably,. most.recently.with.the.release.of.the.paradigm-shifting.2011.World. Development.Report.on.conflict,.security.and.development..However,. while.many.areas.for.improvement.have.been.identified.–.including.the. need.for.greater.context.specificity,.conflict.sensitivity,.coordination.and. coherence.–.for.the.most.part,.these.issues.continue.to.be.spoken.about. in.the.abstract.and.focused.at.the.policy.level..This.does.not.equate. to.changed.behaviour.and.practices.in.the.field..Furthermore,.specific. interpretations.and.concerns.about.what.these.issues.mean.for.practice. 4 International Alert Peacebuilding, the World Bank and the United Nations 5 vary.considerably.within.institutional.headquarters,.between.the.field.and. Three Key Issues headquarters,.as.well.as.between.different.international.institutions... This.study.focuses.on.how.two.major.international.institutions.–.the.World. Bank.and.the.UN.–.have.sought.to.support.peacebuilding,.by.examining. Three.key.issues.emerged.from.our.research..These.issues.also.form.a. their.engagement.in.three.fragile.and.conflict-affected.countries:.Burundi,. framework.for.our.emerging.recommendations. Liberia.and.Nepal1..International.Alert’s.understanding.of.peacebuilding.is. broadly.defined.as.building.the.capacity.within.society.to.manage.conflicts. 1 Engage strategically non-violently,.while.making.equitable.and.sustainable.development. progress..In.other.words,.our.approach.is.based.on.the.commonly.held.idea. Peacebuilding,.statebuilding.and.development.in.fragile.and.conflict- of.building.“positive.peace”,.rather.than.just.the.absence.of.violence.. affected.countries.are.deeply.political..Yet,.in.Burundi,.Liberia.and. Nepal,.the.World.Bank.and.the.UN.work.first.and.foremost.with.central. There.are.no.easy.answers.to.these.complex.issues,.but.in.this.study.Alert. government..Depending.on.how.this.primary.relationship.is.managed,.it. has.sought.to.understand.systemic.obstacles.to,.and.possibilities.for,.UN. can.crowd.out.parliament,.local.government.and.other.voices.as.national. and.World.Bank.institutions.to.better.enable.and.support.peacebuilding.. priorities.are.being.negotiated.and.agreed.upon..As.a.result,.critical.and. By.presenting.examples.where.the.current.system.is.robust.in.responding. complex.peacebuilding.issues,.such.as.reconciliation.and.land.conflict,. to.peacebuilding.needs,.as.well.as.areas.that.can.be.reinforced.and. tend.to.fall.off.the.agenda..Simultaneously,.the.opportunity.to.support. strengthened,.we.propose.priorities.for.changes.in.how.institutions.function. the.development.of.a.culture.of.inclusion,.participation,.transparency.and. and.deliver.programmes..The.changes.proposed.are.pragmatic.in.their. accountability.between.central.government.and.citizens.–.crucial.to.long- aspirations.–.they.are.rooted.in.an.examination.of.international.engagement. term.peace.and.stability.–.is.lost. in.target.countries.through.the.lens.of.the.country.context.and.inclusive.of.a. broad.spectrum.of.local.civil.society.perspectives..Nonetheless,.the.proposed. changes.remain.cognisant.of.dynamics.within.international.institutions. 2 Operate responsively and.the.difficulties.they.face.in.translating.commitments.and.strategies.into. effective.operations.on.the.ground. In.Burundi,.Liberia.and.Nepal,.multiple.internationally.supported. plans.set.out.competing.sets.of.priorities.often.focused.either.on. peacebuilding.or.development..A.lack.of.coherence.between.plans. makes.it.difficult.for.both.government.and.international.institutions. to.play.their.respective.roles.to.the.greatest.effect.and.indicates.a. 1 The study is the result of desk research and interviews that took place in all three lack.of.rootedness.in.the.local.context..The.opportunity.for.plans. countries, with officials from the UN and the World Bank, governments and civil society. and.programmes.to.produce.impacts.that.are.more.than.the.sum. interviews were also held at UN and World Bank headquarters. outcomes were further informed by consultation workshops held with key stakeholders in Bujumbura, Kathmandu of.their.parts.is.lost..This.is.compounded.by.the.lack.of.a.widely- and monrovia, to discuss initial findings.t he methodology employed means that this is employed.conceptual.understanding.of.long-term.peacebuilding.within. not an evaluation of peacebuilding, but rather a perceptions-based study of institutional international.institutions.–.the.will.to.interlink.initiatives.around.a. behaviour