| |
Contributions from
the Column
Monitor
Challenging guidelines
Afghanistan: NGOs adopt code of conduct
AIDS drug:
Brazil achieves price reduction
US Congress slows down
Millennium Challenge Account
German development
budget 2006
Pro-poor growth in practice
Military intervention hardly helps
G8 summit disappoints NGOs
GTZ attracts
international funds
Generic pharma
factory in Kabul
New EU trade
preferences
Privatisation dispute misses the point
Scant participation
by civil society
8-9/2005
|
|
[ Conflict management ]
Challenging guidelines
In future, Germany’s Federal Government wants to monitor the influence of development policy on conflicts in partner countries more closely. Germany is the first major donor country to introduce a conflict-identification system for all development projects. The identification is intended to provide information on whether crisis prevention, conflict management and peace building are a measure’s primary objectives (identification “K2”) or secondary objectives (“K1”). Measures which have other goals but are nonetheless designed in a conflict-sensitive manner will be labelled “K0”. If, on the other hand, there is no need for a review of conflict-sensitivity because the measure is not being carried out in a conflict or post-conflict country, measures will be categorised under “K–”. This system is part of the new cross-sectoral concept of crisis prevention, conflict management and peace-building, which the Development Ministry (BMZ) presented in June.
The concept is meant to ensure that the opportunities that development cooperation offers for conflict prevention and management are made full use of. A second objective, in line with the “do no harm” approach, is to prevent development cooperation from exacerbating conflicts. As the BMZ paper spells out, practical experience shows that measures themselves are not the only relevant issue in this context. It also matters how they are implemented. The development ministry sees the greatest potential for development programmes in the areas of reducing structural causes of conflict and stabilising post-conflict countries. For example, conflict could be prevented by strengthening the analysis and reaction capacities of the partner countries as well as by encouraging the capacity for dialogue of societal groups.
After violent conflicts have come to an end, development cooperation can help to stabilise political and legal frameworks, rebuild infrastructures and improve security (by demobilising troops, for example). The paper stresses that a careful situation analyses should be carried out before getting involved in any conflicts or instable settings. Among other things, all relevant actors should be thoroughly examined in order to decide on what approach to take.
The Development Ministry paper is well conceived and a challenging guide for practice. It takes account of fundamental insights into the links between development cooperation and conflict. The document makes it clear that development policy itself does not resolve conflicts but can merely support those affected in doing so. (ell)
Internet:
http://www.bmz.de/de/themen/dokumente/krisenpraevention.pdf (in German only)
|
