Official Sites Related Information August 3, 2006—Community Driven Development (CDD) can make a unique contribution to rebuilding countries ravaged by conflict. Not only can it provide essential services disrupted by war, such as roads, schools and water systems, it can also produce a “peace dividend” by helping to rebuild trust among devastated communities, says Daniel Owen, CDD Coordinator at the Bank. In Liberia, recovering from a lengthy war, some 30 projects are under way to provide new infrastructure and health and education services. A further 70 are planned. And the results in human terms are already apparent, says Ramses Kumbuyah, Director of the Liberian Agency for Community Empowerment, which oversees the projects. “The conflict was devastating and left deep wounds. Families were divided and property destroyed. But now, people are able to sit around a table or under a tree and decide what they want and have confidence in each other again. Communities are happier and able to work together more.” Joanna De Berry of the World Bank’s CDD and social development department, says the end of conflict can leave people eager to embrace change. “There is a real sense of people saying they are tired and that they want something better. This presents a real moment of opportunity. People can stand back and think about where problems arose in the past. They can talk about things that have not been talked about for a long time. They have a new ability to take control,” she says. Community Driven Development programs have been implemented in many recent conflict situations. In Aceh, Indonesia, where a one-year old peace agreement has held, the Government is using community-based mechanisms to help reintegrate former combatants, rebuild infrastructure and provide for broad-based reconstruction after the tsunami and conflict. The Support for Poor and Disadvantaged Areas (SPADA) project will work in seventeen districts affected by tsunami and conflict. It will provide improved infrastructure, access to justice, private sector development and health and education services through community-based mechanisms that link local community decision-making to district Government planning. The program was designed to be ‘conflict sensitive’ and will include conflict mediation training for all facilitators. The Government is also using the successful Kecamatan Development Program (KDP) network, which works in all rural villages in Aceh, to provide benefits to conflict-affected communities and victims. Over two years, every village in Aceh will provide a 'peace dividend' block grant. Throughout the conflict, KDP worked in some of the most conflict-affected areas of the province. Though KDP was not designed for addressing conflict, KDP was the only Government project in operation in many areas during times of fierce fighting. Some facilitators were kidnapped and even beaten and in many cases senior program staff had to negotiate for their release. Facilitators had to present before GAM (rebel group) commanders to allow them to continue with village meetings. Yet because KDP was seen as being beneficial to villagers at the local level, the project was able to continue and gave relief to poor villagers living in conflict-ridden areas. Victor Bottini, World Bank Resident Representative for Aceh and Nias said "It is clear that peace and reintegration go hand-in-hand with reconstruction. The Bank’s Multi Donor Fund-financed projects work throughout Aceh and Nias, supporting recovery from the dual disasters of the tsunami and the thirty-year old conflict, in line with the priorities of communities, local government and the policy of the reconstruction agency (BRR). Using approaches that have decision-making by communities at the center can help consolidate peace and recovery." In Afghanistan, the large-scale National Solidarity Programme begun in 2002 has focused on community participation through Community Development Councils that have begun a range of infrastructure projects such as irrigation schemes, electrification and water supplies. Similar programs have been introduced in Angola and Colombia. Such programs are essentially similar to CDD programs in peaceful situations. “What is fundamentally different is the urgency. There is more pressure on delivery to cement the break with the past and to show this amounts to real change. At the community level, things can be more fraught. There is more at stake if you get it wrong – you could worsen tensions that have led to violence in the past or entrench old hierarchies that you had the opportunity to undo,” De Berry says. She says CDD projects therefore must be implemented with skill and care, recognising the changing demands as a country moves from conflict to the immediate post-conflict situation and then onto stabilisation and consolidation. When a country is still in a conflict situation – and government’s ability to deliver services is often weak – a CDD project may emphasize quick service delivery. But it remains crucial to lay the foundations for improved governance and social outcomes, says De Berry. Involving local people in decision-making is essential from the outset. However, it often makes most sense to concentrate on mobilising local communities around a specific project such as rebuilding a school, De Berry says. As the country moves out of conflict and into an often delicate peace, it is possible to concentrate more on less tangible aims of CDD, such as improving the responsiveness and accountability of local government and building sustainable partnerships, Owen says. “In countries affected by conflict or its aftermath, communities face even stronger imperatives in rebuilding their social fabric and societies face complex challenges in restoring services and rebuilding systems of governance. Development approaches that empower and give voice to communities and support their local institutions are proving to be of critical importance.”
CDD has its limitations in conflict situations. Physical access to areas in need may be difficult or lack of security may make projects untenable. Countries may be concentrating on delivering food and other emergency aid to their population and be reluctant to initiate CDD projects that are, by their nature, longer term. But there is growing evidence that CDD can make a valuable contribution to a country’s reconstruction efforts by offering a mix of outcomes that distinguishes it from either humanitarian aid or large projects such as building a big road across the country. Success is not won overnight however, as Liberia has shown. Mr Kumbuyah said: “There are still pockets of disgruntlement and tension. You would not expect to get complete co-operation from all sides. We have to target our work towards these areas It is a gradual process.” |
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