February 4, 2010
United Nations Children's Fund

Abstract:

The Humanitarian Action Report is UNICEF's only publication dealing specifically with the needs of children and women in emergencies. It spotlights crises that require exceptional support, and additional funding, to save lives and protect children from harm in an increasingly challenging humanitarian environment. This year's report – subtitled 'Partnering for children in emergencies' – says the world is seeing crises exacerbated by larger trends, such as climate change and the international financial downturn, that are beyond the capacity of any one agency to address. The report appeals for nearly $1.2 billion in international donor funding for emergency-response efforts in 28 countries covering six regions – from Eastern Europe to Africa to Asia to Latin America. The funding will be used to support a greater emphasis on emergency preparedness, early warning, disaster risk reduction and rapid recovery....

February 3, 2010
International Alert

Abstract:

Gold and various metals of the tin group (cassiterite, coltan, niobium and tungsten) have been mined in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the beginning of the 20th century. The mining sector was heavily affected by the disintegration of the Congolese state, by widespread corruption and by the destruction of local infrastructure. The national mining companies in the eastern DRC (OKIMO, SOMINKI) collapsed during the 1990s, leaving the way open for informal artisanal mining, in which thousands of miners were employed. The wars waged in North and South Kivu and Ituri between 1996 and 2003 strengthened the illegal character of artisanal mining and fueled the formation of militias who exploited their control of the mines in order to raise the funds necessary for their own economic survival and arms purchases. In a situation where insecurity and illegality fed on each other, the mining economy became a particularly opaque conflict economy (“conflict minerals”). The eastern DRC became an area of uncontrolled extraction of raw materials, organised by local and regional interests operating with actors in the international market....

February 3, 2010
International Alert

Abstract:

The question of the “refugees” in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is complex. With recent allegations of the return of thousands of Congolese refugees from Rwanda, and with the recent request of the Rwandan government to implement a cessation clause with regards to the refugee status of all Rwandan refugees, the situation has become yet more fluid. We are thus in a situation that concerns two types of refugees: 1. Congolese refugees in Rwanda who are present in three refugee camps (other Congolese refugees are in Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi). More refugees are living in “host” villages in Rwanda. 2. Rwandan refugees in DRC – particularly in the east (other Rwandan refugees are present in the sub-region and in Congo-Brazzaville, and in some western countries). The refugees in eastern DRC are not living in camps. This paper discusses the first issue: that of the return of the Congolese refugees from Rwanda. Inter-ethnic tensions in North Kivu, and in particular the petit nord area, have been present for many years, and involve closely linked questions such as identity, nationality, and land access and these issues go to the core of the current conflict....

February 3, 2010
International Alert

Abstract:

This second issue of International Alert, Uganda’s Investing in Peace briefing paper series reviews the current status of oil exploration, plans for production, and the policy environment for managing oil in Uganda. Its focus is on the potential for oil to trigger or exacerbate violent conflict in Uganda at different levels: national, local and cross-border with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Alert’s research suggests that conflict risks associated with oil have to date been overlooked. Yet even at its current early stage of pre-production, oil has already contributed to an increase in tensions. Moreover there is every danger that this could intensify as the sector moves into production and as new blocks are explored in the future. In order to contribute to the broader effort of harnessing Uganda’s oil for peace and development, this report promotes greater understanding of such conflict risks as an essential first step towards mitigation. It is Alert’s view that with a “conflict-sensitive” approach to developing the industry, any future conflict related to oil can be avoided....

January 29, 2010
Households in Conflict Network // Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex

Abstract:

We use experimental data from 35 randomly selected communities in Burundi to examine the impact of exposure to conflict on social-, risk- and time preferences. These types of preferences are important as they determine people’s propensity to invest and their ability to overcome social dilemmas, so that changes therein foster or hinder economic growth. We find that conflict affects preferences. Individuals that have been exposed to greater levels of violence display more altruistic behavior towards their neighbors, are more risk seeking, and have higher discount rates. Adverse, but temporary, shocks can thus alter savings and investments decisions, and potentially have long-run consequences....

February 8, 2010
International Center for Transitional Justice

Abstract:

Efforts underway to address the 2008 Kenyan post-election crisis and the conditions that caused it have provided the country with a unique opportunity to address its long history of human rights violations. From the unspeakable atrocities of the pre-independence State of Emergency period, to the dark years of the repressive one-party state, to the emergence of state-sponsored ethnic violence in the 1990s, Kenya’s democratic institutions and its framework for human rights enforcement have tended to be unable to stem the tide of human rights problems. In some cases, democratic institutions, such as the police and the judiciary, have even been co-opted into the service of repression. The post-election crisis has brought into sharp focus the urgent need to fundamentally review the entire edifice of governance in Kenya as it relates to security, human rights, the rule of law, and democracy. The cornerstones of this ongoing reform process are the interlinked issues of transitional justice and constitutional change. While transitional justice refers to the set of activities and processes that can bring closure to the memory of past injustices and atrocities, constitutional change speaks to the need to create a new, democratic and human rights-responsive framework of governance. The two processes are now running concurrently as stipulated by Agenda IV of the Agreement on the Principles of Partnership of the Coalition Government (popularly known as the National Accord), which brought an end to the post-election violence (PEV). [...] This briefing paper is a synthesis and analysis of the eight presentations and the ensuing debate which took place among the broader group of 25 participants. It explores several questions among them: What is the state of security and the security sector in Kenya? What have been the outcomes of SSR measures undertaken so far? What approaches for security sector transformation are desirable for Kenya and how might they be pursued? What kind of linkages are policy-makers making between SSR and other issues in the governance realm?...

February 8, 2010
Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre

Abstract:

Despite the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 9 January 2005, which formally ended the 22-year civil war in Southern Sudan, the frequency and severity of local conflicts increased during 2009. These conflicts are threatening the stability of the South, and ultimately the peace process itself. Widespread insecurity will also make it difficult to hold the planned national elections in April and the 2011 referendum on secession. Land and natural resources are increasingly contested in Southern Sudan and these issues trigger and fuel local violence. The return of internally displaced persons and refugees is also a source of controversy. In addition, partially incompatible interpretations of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army policy of “land belongs to the people” combined with institutional fragmentation further complicate the situation. The underlying drivers of the increased insecurity in Southern Sudan are: a tense political setting; a highly militarised society in terms of access to weapons and a lowered threshold for using violence to settle disputes; and finally, lack of institutional capacity to provide security and to prevent, contain and solve conflict in Southern Sudan. This situation foments the use of violence as a means to further the interests of groups and individuals. The solution lies in a two-stage process starting with short-term robust interventions (combining military deterrence and local systems of negotiation), and effective planning of long-term measures (such as disarmament, land legislation and reform) addressing the underlying factors to this predicament. Only when this first stage is finalised will long-term measures have the desired effect....

February 4, 2010
United Nations Children's Fund

Abstract:

The Humanitarian Action Report is UNICEF's only publication dealing specifically with the needs of children and women in emergencies. It spotlights crises that require exceptional support, and additional funding, to save lives and protect children from harm in an increasingly challenging humanitarian environment. This year's report – subtitled 'Partnering for children in emergencies' – says the world is seeing crises exacerbated by larger trends, such as climate change and the international financial downturn, that are beyond the capacity of any one agency to address. The report appeals for nearly $1.2 billion in international donor funding for emergency-response efforts in 28 countries covering six regions – from Eastern Europe to Africa to Asia to Latin America. The funding will be used to support a greater emphasis on emergency preparedness, early warning, disaster risk reduction and rapid recovery....

February 3, 2010
Norsk Utenrikspolitisk Institutt // Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

Abstract:

The changing nature of armed conflict has resulted in increased need to safeguard civilians, including humanitarian personnel, which is reflected in the emerging protection of civilians agenda. This report considers to what extent the issues raised in the recently updated OCHA Aide Memoire reflect the security needs of aid workers on the ground, by examining the case of Darfur. By performing a within-case analysis, this study portrays the humanitarian workers’ own perspective of the micro-dynamics of security in Darfur. It argues that the principles of humanitarian action, such as neutrality, impartiality and independence, provide protection and are pivotal for humanitarian security. However, these principles do not protect against all threats and need to be supplemented by other strategies such as protective walls, unarmed guards, barbed wire and security training. On the other hand, relying too heavily on such measures may diminish security as aid workers are alienated from the local population. This is because proximity to the population is perceived as the most important measure for security. On the backdrop of these findings, the Aide Memoire should focus more on the principles of humanitarian action. In cases where UN peacekeepers are not perceived as neutral, such as Darfur, UN forces should focus more on area protection rather than protecting humanitarian convoys. In addition, the Aide Memoire should stress the importance of mandatory security training for all aid workers, and should outline more clearly the repercussions for host governments that deliberately fail to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access....

February 3, 2010
International Alert

Abstract:

This second issue of International Alert, Uganda’s Investing in Peace briefing paper series reviews the current status of oil exploration, plans for production, and the policy environment for managing oil in Uganda. Its focus is on the potential for oil to trigger or exacerbate violent conflict in Uganda at different levels: national, local and cross-border with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Alert’s research suggests that conflict risks associated with oil have to date been overlooked. Yet even at its current early stage of pre-production, oil has already contributed to an increase in tensions. Moreover there is every danger that this could intensify as the sector moves into production and as new blocks are explored in the future. In order to contribute to the broader effort of harnessing Uganda’s oil for peace and development, this report promotes greater understanding of such conflict risks as an essential first step towards mitigation. It is Alert’s view that with a “conflict-sensitive” approach to developing the industry, any future conflict related to oil can be avoided....

February 5, 2010
United Nations Security Council

Abstract:

A top United Nations official today urged a comprehensive, cohesive and broad-based strategy to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia, noting that the continued spread of the scourge points to the limits of a solely sea-based approach. In recent years, pirates operating from Somalia have been hijacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and holding their crews and cargo for ransom. Charles Petrie, the UN's Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, told a meeting of the Contact Group on piracy off the coast of Somalia that improved coordination between the international maritime community and military forces in the region, among other elements, has contributed to a decline in the rate of successful pirate attacks and raised the cost of pirate operations. “And yet piracy continues to expand further out to sea, at times more than 1,000 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia,” he told the meeting at UN Headquarters. Mr. Petrie added that the rising costs of these attacks are met by ever more innovative financing mechanisms, including the establishment of stock exchanges which allow local investors to earn returns on their ‘investment’ in piracy operations. “These developments highlight the limits of an exclusively sea-based approach and emphasize the need for the international community to continue to deal with the issue of piracy in a comprehensive, cohesive and broad-based approach. “The United Nations remains committed to addressing the problem of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia holistically, in close coordination with the international community,” he added. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a report issued last November, called for an integrated approach that would strengthen the capacities of the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on land....

February 5, 2010
The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement

Abstract:

On January 12, the Brookings‐Bern Project on Internal Displacement organized a roundtable discussion on the changing security context in Somalia and its implications for humanitarian action. Panelists were Michael O’Hanlon (Brookings Institution), Lauren Ploch (Congressional Research Service), and Walter Kälin (Representative of the United Nations Secretary General). Elizabeth Ferris (Brookings Institution) moderated the discussion. During the panel presentation, some of the main themes that emerged included the growing “education” of extremist groups based on the lessons they have taken away from similar groups in Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, the lack of governance, security, and the rule of law have contributed to the increase in piracy and displacement in a climate of impunity. Finally, despite the deteriorating humanitarian situation on the ground, humanitarian assistance has been decreasing....

February 4, 2010
Conciliation Resources

Abstract:

For many people Somalia is synonymous with violence, warlordism, famine, displacement, terrorism, jihadism, and piracy. Nearly two decades of foreign diplomatic, military and statebuilding interventions have failed to build peace in Somalia. To date none of the governments that have emerged from internationally-sponsored peace processes have succeeded in establishing their authority or broad legitimacy among Somalis. Since 2001 international engagement has deepened the humanitarian and political crisis in southern Somalia, leaving more than three million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance at the end of 2009. But Somalia is not an entirely lawless and ungoverned land. Over the past 20 years Somali people have used their own resources and traditions of conflict resolution to re-establish security and governance in many communities. Somali-led initiatives have succeeded in building viable political and administrative arrangements to manage conflict and provide security and law that have proved durable. Somali entrepreneurship has also revitalized the economy in many places. This publication examines the multiplicity of international and Somali-led peace initiatives of the past two decades. Violence has intensified in south central Somalia during the lifetime of this project, begging the question whether there has been any peace to study. It is a reflection of the pernicious violence that three authors in this publication requested anonymity. Nonetheless, there are important lessons to be drawn from experiences of Somali peacemaking. The hope is that this publication can help to inform the development of more complementary and effective peacebuilding strategies. This report includes over 30 articles, from interviews with Somali elders and senior diplomats with the AU, IGAD and the UN, to contributions from Somali and international peacemaking practitioners, academics, involved parties, civil society and women’s organizations....

February 4, 2010
United Nations Children's Fund

Abstract:

The Humanitarian Action Report is UNICEF's only publication dealing specifically with the needs of children and women in emergencies. It spotlights crises that require exceptional support, and additional funding, to save lives and protect children from harm in an increasingly challenging humanitarian environment. This year's report – subtitled 'Partnering for children in emergencies' – says the world is seeing crises exacerbated by larger trends, such as climate change and the international financial downturn, that are beyond the capacity of any one agency to address. The report appeals for nearly $1.2 billion in international donor funding for emergency-response efforts in 28 countries covering six regions – from Eastern Europe to Africa to Asia to Latin America. The funding will be used to support a greater emphasis on emergency preparedness, early warning, disaster risk reduction and rapid recovery....

February 3, 2010
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi

Abstract:

Piracy is one of the oldest and most lucrative illicit professions. It is an aggressive and often violent means to embezzle goods and capital, with the possibility of providing temporary but effective acquiescence from the stakeholders. Opportunities for attack and escape, be it in harbor or on the high seas are aplenty in the maritime arena and it usually takes the collective effort of nation states to crack down on what is essentially a trans-national criminal activity. This essay compares the origin and evolution of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia against the Malacca strait on the South China Sea. While both these indispensable maritime routes have been plagued by piracy, it is only the Southeast Asian littoral states that have been able to contain the beast. Apart from the dearth of strong stable governance, there are other factors including the differing progression of piracy as well as the existing infrastructure and laws in the two regions, which contribute to the current circumstance. Pirates are essentially businessmen. The maritime arena is a highly material world where both the marauder as well as the marauded is looking for the most cost efficient means of doing business. Piracy is a complex problem that cannot be solved overnight nor entirely done away with in the near future. It can however be contained to the extent that it is a marginal concern as opposed to a looming menace. This essay looks into various political, legal and regional issues and challenges....

January 26, 2010
African Centre for for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes // African Journal on Conflict Resolution

Abstract:

This paper examines the democratisation agenda laid out by Western governments for the North African region vis-à-vis their Realpolitik conflict containment approach towards the Western Sahara conflict. Western policymakers conceive the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara as a safety net that contains tension in the region and enables geo-strategic and economic partnerships with Algeria and Morocco. This paper underlines that the international community could play a greater role in promoting the long-term stability of the North African region by pursuing innovative policies geared towards addressing the root causes of the Western Sahara conflict....

January 21, 2010
United States Institute of Peace

Abstract:

This extensive paper examines the complex nexus between democratic change and U.S. security interests, with a principal focus on Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Yemen. It sets out a set of general and country-specific findings and recommendations for a long-term strategy by which “political liberalization” can enhance the stability and legitimacy of governments, thus strengthening security and peacemaking in the region. This report offers a set of general and country-specific findings and recommendations to assist the Obama administration in its efforts to tackle escalating security challenges while sustaining diplomatic, institutional and economic support for democracy and human rights in the Greater Middle East. The working group recognizes that addressing threats from terrorist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda, as well as stemming conflicts arising from the persistence of regional conflicts in the Middle East and South Asia, must be a top priority. But, as the case studies of Yemen, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon amply demonstrate, long-term political stability, economic development and security also requires a continued and even enhanced U.S. commitment, in both words and deeds, to fostering democratic transformation, human rights and effective governance. The architecture of security and peacemaking must be accompanied by a revived focus on democratic reforms. Absent such an effort, this study group believes that the already wide political, social and ideological gap between states and societies will further expand, thus making regimes, and even entire states vulnerable to internal and external shocks. It is the task and challenge of genuine reformers in both the regimes and oppositions of the Arab World and South Asia to chart an exit from the cul-de-sac of arbitrary rule and state-managed political reform by defining a common vision of substantive “democratic transformation.”...

January 18, 2010
Amnesty International

Abstract:

In 2009, the Kingdom of Morocco celebrated the 10th anniversary of the accession of King Mohamed VI to the throne. The official discourse marking the occasion emphasized the progress made since the rule of King Mohamed VI in a numbers of fields including democratic governance, economic development and human rights. In the past decade, the human rights situation in Morocco and Western Sahara witnessed some improvements. However, the Moroccan authorities’ prevention of a weekly to distribute an issue carrying a census on the popularity of the King in the wake of celebrations - albeit demonstrating a favourable opinion of the ruler- was a grim reminder that some issues remain taboo and that red lines continue to exist and to be enforced against those who dare to transcend them.1 There is no doubt that the human rights situation in Morocco and Western Sahara today has much changed since the “years of lead” (les années de plomb)- a period under the rule of King Hassan II marked by widespread political repression and grave violations of human rights. While the whole period between Morocco’s independence in 1956 and the death of King Hassan II in 1999 was characterized by serious human rights violations, it is between the 1960s and early 1990s that human rights violations reached their highest level. Violations were particularly rampant when the Moroccan authorities felt under internal or external security threat from opponents of the status-quo such as in the aftermath of the attempted military coups and during the armed conflict with the Polisario Front2. Systematic use of torture or other illtreatment, the enforced disappearance of hundreds of individuals and the arbitrary detention of thousands characterized this dark period....

January 13, 2010
German Institute of Global and Area Studies // Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

Abstract:

Algeria’s intrastate war in the 1990s, during which militant Islamists and the state fought fiercely against each other, still raises questions concerning the decisive factors leading to its onset and escalation. This paper uses the resource curse approach and the rentier state theory to understand the impact resource wealth could have had on the outbreak of this violent conflict, then goes one step further, adopting a context‐sensitive approach. This approach attempts to juxtapose those conditions directly linked to the resource sector with the general conflict‐fueling conditions diagnosed in Algeria. It takes into account conditions both within the country and in the international context. The application of a context matrix allows us to examine the interplay of resource‐related factors and other conflictdriving forces, such as socioeconomic, demographic and ideological changes. Such an approach not only broadens the general understanding of the resource‐violence link but also enhances our understanding of the eruption of violence in Algeria....

December 1, 2009
The Elcano Royal Institute // Real Instituto Elcano

Abstract:

The UN Strategy for North Africa can contribute to a recalibration of counterterrorism efforts in the region and to a stronger cooperation among regional stakeholders and between the region and external partners such as the EU, the UN and the US. Despite the considerable efforts by governments in North Africa, many of which pre-date the attacks of 11 September 2001, the terrorist threat there remains acute. The rapid growth of entwined transnational terrorist and other criminal networks operating between North Africa and the Sahel may be one of the most immediate causes of instability in the region. After providing an overview of the terrorist threats and vulnerabilities confronting North Africa, as well the region’s capacities to address the threat and obstacles to cooperation, this policy brief will highlight the potential significance of the UN Strategy for the region. Among other things, it will explain how this UN instrument could contribute to a recalibration of counterterrorism efforts in North Africa and to a strengthening of cooperation both among regional stakeholders and between the region and external partners including the EU, the UN and the US....

February 4, 2010
United Nations Children's Fund

Abstract:

The Humanitarian Action Report is UNICEF's only publication dealing specifically with the needs of children and women in emergencies. It spotlights crises that require exceptional support, and additional funding, to save lives and protect children from harm in an increasingly challenging humanitarian environment. This year's report – subtitled 'Partnering for children in emergencies' – says the world is seeing crises exacerbated by larger trends, such as climate change and the international financial downturn, that are beyond the capacity of any one agency to address. The report appeals for nearly $1.2 billion in international donor funding for emergency-response efforts in 28 countries covering six regions – from Eastern Europe to Africa to Asia to Latin America. The funding will be used to support a greater emphasis on emergency preparedness, early warning, disaster risk reduction and rapid recovery....

January 27, 2010
Global Witness

Abstract:

The will and the capacity of the United Nations (UN) and Member States to deal with natural resource fuelled conflicts is weak. In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), civilians die on a daily basis because of a war that is stoked by the international trade in minerals. The conflict’s economic dimension and the identity of those fuelling it have been known for many years; yet increased awareness of the problem has not triggered effective action. When the UN Security Council passes resolutions concerning DRC – on targeted sanctions for example – Council members and other governments decline to implement them. Global Witness believes that these failings on the DRC reflect the lack of a coherent and committed international approach to tackling natural resourcefuelled conflicts. For two decades, the UN, other intergovernmental bodies and individual governments have been forced to respond to these kinds of self-financing wars in countries such as Angola, Cambodia, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire. Different policies have been tried, with varying degrees of success, but no serious attempt has been made to distil from these experiences a common understanding of the problem and a strategy for dealing with it. Reviewing these cases, we find that the international peace and security system is poorly equipped to deal with the challenges they pose. When considered together, the four key entry points for international action – sanctions, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding – should offer the basis for effective action. However, despite progress in some areas, the overall picture is one of ad hoc decision making and yawning gaps in institutional capacity and coordination. Global Witness is calling on the UN to establish a High Level Panel to draw up a comprehensive strategy for tackling self-financing wars. This High Level Panel should review existing international experience of responding to such conflicts. It should also examine potential threats in countries such as Guinea, Somalia and Central African Republic....

December 17, 2009
Forced Migration Studies Programme // University of the Witwatersrand

Abstract:

From 14-17 November 2009, De Doorns, a farming area in Breede Valley Municipality, Western Cape Province, was the scene of violence that resulted in the forceful displacement of an estimated 3000 Zimbabweans and the destruction and looting of their dwellings by their South African neighbours. This policy brief provides a summarised analysis of causal factors, police responses and solutions adopted and/or proposed in relation to this violence. For assessments of the humanitarian support provided to the displaced, see regular situation reports by UNHCR and CoRMSA. Our research suggests that many current analyses miss critical causal factors behind the violence and that proposed responses and solutions may be neither appropriate nor durable. Beyond helping to find immediate solutions, this report suggests that the De Doorns violence has broader significance in terms of national patterns of violence against foreign nationals....

December 10, 2009
Aids-Free World

Abstract:

In the weeks immediately after the June 2008 presidential elections in Zimbabwe, AIDS-Free World received an urgent call from a Harare-based organization. The human rights activists were overwhelmed with reports from women associated with the opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), who had been raped by members of President Robert Mugabe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF, in a vicious campaign to intimidate voters and emerge victorious in the presidential election. In response, AIDS-Free World undertook a series of investigative trips to the region with teams of lawyers to interview survivors of this violence. What emerged from the testimony was a brutal, orchestrated campaign of rape and torture perpetrated by Mugabe’s ZANU-PF youth militia, agents of Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organization (CIO), and people who identify themselves as veterans of the liberation war (known as war veterans) affiliated with ZANU-PF. The exceptionally violent rapes, as described by women from every province of Zimbabwe, were often nearly fatal. Survivors’ terror was prolonged by fears that their attackers were among the 15% of adults infected with HIV in Zimbabwe. The women’s disturbing accounts, told to the AIDS-Free World legal team over the course of more than 300 hours of interviews and detailed in this report, demonstrate that the rape campaign waged by ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe was both widespread and systematic. Every victim supported the MDC, and in every attack the perpetrators were clearly identifiable as ZANU-PF youth militia and war veterans. Striking patterns recurred throughout the testimonies of the seventy survivors and two witnesses and cannot be coincidental....

December 1, 2009
Overseas Development Institute // Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Abstract:

Providing cash transfers to poor households to alleviate poverty has been popular in many middle-income countries, and is an emerging programme approach for a number of low-income countries. As their popularity grows among donors and governments, much is being learnt about the politics that drive cash transfers, as well as important design and implementation issues. The evidence informing cash transfer design has to date been drawn largely from stable and peaceful countries. There has been little discussion however about the role of cash transfers in post-conflict or fragile contexts. This Project Briefing draws on emerging evidence on the experience of cash transfers in fragile and post-conflict states. It highlights specific examples from two case studies on cash transfers in Sierra Leone and Nepal, countries recovering from ten year civil conflicts. It focuses on three aspects of cash transfers in post-conflict contexts: the lessons of existing cash transfer experiences; how much cash transfers contribute to poverty reduction; and the role of cash transfer programming in the context of new state development and social cohesion in a fragile peace process. The case studies were part of a three-year study on cash transfers by ODI, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation....

February 5, 2010
Center for Global Development

Abstract:

Can brief, foreign-funded efforts to build local institutions have positive effects on local patterns of governance, cooperation, and well-being? Prior research suggests that such small-scale, externally driven interventions are unlikely to substantially alter patterns of social interaction in a community, and that the ability of a community to act collectively is the result of a slow and necessarily indigenous process. We address this question using a randomized field experiment to assess the effects of a community-driven reconstruction (CDR) project carried out by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in northern Liberia. The project attempted to build democratic, community-level institutions for making and implementing decisions about local public goods. We find powerful evidence that the program was successful in increasing social cohesion, some evidence that it reinforced democratic political attitudes and increased confidence in local decision-making procedures, but only weak evidence that material well-being was positively affected. There is essentially no evidence of adverse effects....

February 5, 2010
United Nations Security Council

Abstract:

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), and the French forces supporting it, for another four months to help support the staging of free, fair and transparent elections in the West African nation. Originally intended to be held as far back as 2005, the polls have been repeatedly postponed. Last scheduled for November 2009, they are now slated for March. The Council, in a unanimously adopted resolution, urged the relevant Ivorian actors “to ensure the publication of the final voters list, to announce the official date of the first round of the presidential election and to meet their commitments in full.” UNOCI’s mandate was also extended through 31 May. To reinforce security ahead of the elections, the 15-member body expressed its intention to raise UNOCI’s current troop level of 7,450 by up to 500 additional personnel for a limited period of time when the final voters list will be made public. Last week the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Côte d’Ivoire, Choi Young-Jin, told the Council that the publication in November of the provisional electoral list was among the significant gains made in recent months towards holding the elections....

February 5, 2010
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi

Abstract:

There have been 63 United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions since the UN’s inception in 1945. The number of operations has increased steadily over the years and at present almost 116,000 personnel are serving on 17 peacekeeping operations led by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UN DPKO). In addition to these missions, there are also 15 special political and or peace-building missions under the management of the UN’s Department of Political Affairs. This paper seeks to evaluate the UN approach to peacekeeping and peacebuilding in post-conflict environments. This will be done by looking at three case-studies; the UN missions in Timor-Leste, Nepal and Liberia. These case studies provide an insight into the UN approach in both an Asian and an African context. All three countries being considered are emerging from prolonged periods of political instability and armed conflict. Despite their geographical polarity and the fact that the situation in Liberia is particularly complex, they face very similar challenges. This paper also looks at possible alternatives to UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions with a view to establishing if there are organizations or other interested parties, which may be more effective than the UN in terms of bringing stability to post-conflict environments. The issue of sovereignty will also be considered with the aim of assessing whether the international community’s current stance on this issue is hampering the UN’s ability to fulfill mission mandates...

February 4, 2010
United Nations Children's Fund

Abstract:

The Humanitarian Action Report is UNICEF's only publication dealing specifically with the needs of children and women in emergencies. It spotlights crises that require exceptional support, and additional funding, to save lives and protect children from harm in an increasingly challenging humanitarian environment. This year's report – subtitled 'Partnering for children in emergencies' – says the world is seeing crises exacerbated by larger trends, such as climate change and the international financial downturn, that are beyond the capacity of any one agency to address. The report appeals for nearly $1.2 billion in international donor funding for emergency-response efforts in 28 countries covering six regions – from Eastern Europe to Africa to Asia to Latin America. The funding will be used to support a greater emphasis on emergency preparedness, early warning, disaster risk reduction and rapid recovery....

January 29, 2010
Benetech // Human Rights Data Analysis Group

Abstract:

This report documents the death of prisoners inside Chad's Direction de la Documentation et de la Securite (DDS) prisons between 1982 and 1990, and the extent to which former Chadian president Hissene Habre and senior ocials within his government are responsible for human rights violations committed by the DDS. The report presents evidence which is consistent with the hypothesis that the policies and practices of Hissene Habre and senior DDS ocials, whom Habre appointed, contributed to deaths in custody on a level substantially higher than the adult mortality rate of Chad at the time. The analysis tests the hypotheses that Habre had a superior-subordinate relationship with senior DDS ocials and had knowledge of their actions, which resulted in substantial deaths in custody. The available evidence also suggests Habre's failure to act" in his lack of action to prevent these deaths or reprimand his subordinates who were charged with day-to-day oversight of DDS prisons. The conclusions of the report are developed by analyzing ocial records of the DDS and other government departments, which were recovered by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 2001 from the abandoned DDS headquarters in N'Djamena, the Chadian capital....