ID :
26264
Fri, 10/24/2008 - 00:40
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/26264
The shortlink copeid
Local actors should lead recovery process in conflict zones:UN
New York, Oct 23 (PTI) Efforts to promote economic
recovery in countries ravaged by war will not succeed, unless
they are based on a sound understanding of local dynamics and
are led by local actors, a new report released by the United
Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P.) said.
The U.N.D.P. report, "Post-Conflict Economic Recovery:
Enabling Local Ingenuity focuses on three critical factors –
the importance of local ingenuity to guide recovery, the
state's role in promoting this ingenuity, the policies needed
to rebuild war-torn economies and reduce the risk of sliding
back into conflict.
"At the end of the day, recovery has to domestically
driven," U.N.D.P. Administrator Kemal Dervis told a news
conference in New York as he launched the report.
The report states that local actors are the best placed
and have the strongest incentive to rehabilitate themselves
after war. "Post-conflict recovery policies that harness and
build on these local activities are more likely to be
successful and self-sustaining than those that offer an
imported solution.
"International development assistance must therefore be
designed to support and complement ongoing indigenous efforts,
as well as to lay the foundation for further locally grown
initiatives," the report adds.
Some of the major challenges in the period following the
cessation of hostilities include reconstructing social and
economic infrastructures, generating employment and
livelihoods, reintegrating ex-combatants, reconstituting
institutions and social capital, and mobilising financing for
recovery.
"The challenges are huge. We don't have all the answers.
But I think the report points to some key factors while being
careful to underline that one size does not fit all," Dervis
said.
The report highlights examples of success, such as
Mozambique, a country that has sustained "remarkable" rates of
economic growth in the 15 years since hostilities ceased, he
noted.
At the same time, there are also examples of countries
that have been "trapped into long-term, post-conflict,
low-growth situations," he added.
In the latter group is Afghanistan, which, after a quarter
of a century of protracted conflict, stands as one of the most
impoverished, conflict-prone States in the world, and ranks
near the bottom of all human development indicators.
Dervis noted that sustained external support is also
necessary, but stressed that such support should focus the
main points outlined in the report. It is very important that
external support does not create "a long-term dependency
on aid processes and international mechanisms that do not
support the domestic dynamics."
Kathleen Cravero, Assistant Administrator and Director of
U.N.D.P.'s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery,
highlighted four specific recommendations in the report
relating to the involvement of women in post-conflict economic
recovery.
First, the end of a conflict can offer a very important
window of opportunity to redress pre-war inequities, including
gender discrimination.
"It is a time when we can build back better," she said,
noting that for example, the property rights of women can and
have been advanced in a number of recovery processes.
Secondly, women can and should be drivers of their own
recovery.
"Time after time women have proven their resilience and
resolve in war-torn environments, forming collectives that
tackle everything from family reunification to micro-credit
associations," Cravero said.
"These informal groups provide essential services that
their governments have ceased to deliver and they build trust
within and among communities. It's a powerful step in the
peace-building process," she added.
Thirdly, issues that affect women must be integrated in
all post-conflict policies and programmes. "Ensuring that
girls and women have equal access to employment opportunities,
education, health and finance is not only a moral imperative,
it makes good economic sense," Cravero remarked.
Finally, women should be afforded equal participation in
peace processes, she stated, noting that of the 12 peace
agreements that have been reached between 1991 and 2001, only
four – El Salvador, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste –
have included a provision directly related to women.
"Our experience on the ground confirms that women need to
be seen as problem-solvers and decision-makers in achieving
both economic recovery and lasting peace," she added.
recovery in countries ravaged by war will not succeed, unless
they are based on a sound understanding of local dynamics and
are led by local actors, a new report released by the United
Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P.) said.
The U.N.D.P. report, "Post-Conflict Economic Recovery:
Enabling Local Ingenuity focuses on three critical factors –
the importance of local ingenuity to guide recovery, the
state's role in promoting this ingenuity, the policies needed
to rebuild war-torn economies and reduce the risk of sliding
back into conflict.
"At the end of the day, recovery has to domestically
driven," U.N.D.P. Administrator Kemal Dervis told a news
conference in New York as he launched the report.
The report states that local actors are the best placed
and have the strongest incentive to rehabilitate themselves
after war. "Post-conflict recovery policies that harness and
build on these local activities are more likely to be
successful and self-sustaining than those that offer an
imported solution.
"International development assistance must therefore be
designed to support and complement ongoing indigenous efforts,
as well as to lay the foundation for further locally grown
initiatives," the report adds.
Some of the major challenges in the period following the
cessation of hostilities include reconstructing social and
economic infrastructures, generating employment and
livelihoods, reintegrating ex-combatants, reconstituting
institutions and social capital, and mobilising financing for
recovery.
"The challenges are huge. We don't have all the answers.
But I think the report points to some key factors while being
careful to underline that one size does not fit all," Dervis
said.
The report highlights examples of success, such as
Mozambique, a country that has sustained "remarkable" rates of
economic growth in the 15 years since hostilities ceased, he
noted.
At the same time, there are also examples of countries
that have been "trapped into long-term, post-conflict,
low-growth situations," he added.
In the latter group is Afghanistan, which, after a quarter
of a century of protracted conflict, stands as one of the most
impoverished, conflict-prone States in the world, and ranks
near the bottom of all human development indicators.
Dervis noted that sustained external support is also
necessary, but stressed that such support should focus the
main points outlined in the report. It is very important that
external support does not create "a long-term dependency
on aid processes and international mechanisms that do not
support the domestic dynamics."
Kathleen Cravero, Assistant Administrator and Director of
U.N.D.P.'s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery,
highlighted four specific recommendations in the report
relating to the involvement of women in post-conflict economic
recovery.
First, the end of a conflict can offer a very important
window of opportunity to redress pre-war inequities, including
gender discrimination.
"It is a time when we can build back better," she said,
noting that for example, the property rights of women can and
have been advanced in a number of recovery processes.
Secondly, women can and should be drivers of their own
recovery.
"Time after time women have proven their resilience and
resolve in war-torn environments, forming collectives that
tackle everything from family reunification to micro-credit
associations," Cravero said.
"These informal groups provide essential services that
their governments have ceased to deliver and they build trust
within and among communities. It's a powerful step in the
peace-building process," she added.
Thirdly, issues that affect women must be integrated in
all post-conflict policies and programmes. "Ensuring that
girls and women have equal access to employment opportunities,
education, health and finance is not only a moral imperative,
it makes good economic sense," Cravero remarked.
Finally, women should be afforded equal participation in
peace processes, she stated, noting that of the 12 peace
agreements that have been reached between 1991 and 2001, only
four – El Salvador, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste –
have included a provision directly related to women.
"Our experience on the ground confirms that women need to
be seen as problem-solvers and decision-makers in achieving
both economic recovery and lasting peace," she added.
