1 / 32

Links Between Conflict and Hunger

War and Poverty . Links Between Conflict and Hunger . What is conflict ?. “Conflict : The differences and clashes between needs, interest, perceptions and activities of actors which are part of social life” — Verstegen , 2001 Embedded in society - It is MAN MADE

dillon
Télécharger la présentation

Links Between Conflict and Hunger

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. War and Poverty Links Between Conflict and Hunger

  2. What is conflict ? • “Conflict : The differences and clashes between needs, interest, perceptions and activities of actors which are part of social life” —Verstegen, 2001 • Embedded in society - It is MAN MADE • Can be violent or non-violent

  3. What is conflict ? • Poverty and hunger can be both a cause and consequence of conflict • Hunger and violent conflict —> Famines • Runs through various stages of escalation: • Stable peace • Unstable peace/latent conflict • High tension • Open conflict

  4. What can cause conflict? • Opposing interests • Usually aggravated by socio-cultural differences • Religion, class, ethnicity, language, and political views • Socio-economic and political inequalities • Power imbalance - concentration of power in the hands of very few people • Coercive state power • Competition for resources • Fertile land • Energy resources • Water

  5. Who does conflict involve and affect? • Often caught up in the midst of conflict • Political groups • Ethnic, religious or language groups • Regional or class groups • Vulnerable groups (those w/o power...) • Women, children, the poorest of the poor • Children of war -> Child Soldiers • Victimization of Women • Poor people without any options

  6. What can trigger conflict ? • Perception of: • Opportunity • Threat • Injustice • Fear is a powerful weapon • The use of media and education to promote socio-cultural difference with ill intentions

  7. Links between Hunger and Conflict • War and conflict destroys a country’s assets • Land and water • Biological resources • Human Capital (the people), e.g. Cambodia • Government expenditures: • Lower investments in education, health, agriculture and environmental protection (e.g. buying guns vs. building schools)

  8. Links between Hunger and Conflict • Food and economic insecurity • Natural resource scarcity — can itself be a source of conflict • When dominant groups seize the land and food resources from marginalized portions of the population => often leads to violence. (e.g. Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia)

  9. Breaking the link between hunger and conflict? • What comes first? hunger or conflict? • Conflicts can lead to hunger and reduce food production (e.g. Zimbabwe) • Hunger and lack of access to food often times leads to violent conflicts (e.g. Food riots in Haiti) • Fighting hunger will require both: • Prevention and resolution of violent conflicts • Re-building war-torn societies

  10. How can conflict lead to food insecurity? • Massive numbers of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and refugees • People losing their assets (e.g. homes) • Destruction of markets • Workplace inaccessibility—specially true for farmers (no farmers, no food!) • Government instability • More corruption. • Diversion of donor assistance...

  11. “Food Wars” and “Food as a Weapon” • “Includes the use of hunger as a weapon or hunger that follows from destructive conflict” -Messer, Cohen, D’Costa, 1998 • 1980 and 1990 famines in Africa, Asia, Central and South America • Post-conflict economies = lack of resources • Chronic food underproduction • Food insecurity • E.g. Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Mexico • Today’s examples include: • Zimbabwe • Sudan (Darfur) • Sierra Leone • Afghanistan • Iraq

  12. Delivering Food Aid in Conflict areas • Aid must be delivered in ways that prevent competition leading to conflict • Food in the hands of women • Distributing the aid in ways that do NOT prolong the conflict • Food to non-combat population

  13. Food Aid in conflict areas • The UN and other humanitarian agencies provide aid to civilian population to prevent famine deaths • Food aid is very difficult • Combats will hijack the aid and use it as means of war to reward supporters, starve opponents, and keep the conflict alive • Aid workers are also victims of the violence • Hard and expensive to recruit people working on this line of work

  14. Delivering Food Aid in Conflict areas • Accountability from those delivering the food • Ensure the food gets to those who need it • Help with reconstruction assistance • Food for work . Building social capital by working with communities

  15. The Aftermath of War • Land mines have to be removed • Destroyed infrastructure most be re-built (roads, bridges, water systems, etc) • Housing re-built

  16. The Aftermath of War • Agricultural systems and food markets have to be restored • Communities revitalized • Children back to school • Parents back to work • Deal with psychological consequences of war

  17. Prevention and Resolution • Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy! • Conflict early warning systems that include social, political, and economic factors • What are the major groups involved? What are their claims? Which groups are most vulnerable ? • Bolivian separatist conflict. Possible civil war.

  18. Prevention and Resolution • Contingency planning • Pre and post war aid • International Intervention when it is really needed (e.g. Rwanda—the international community failed)

  19. Conflict can affect everybody regardless of race Europe: • Former Yugoslavia: Ethnic cleansing. • In the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict between the three main ethnic groups, • the Serbs (Orthodox Christians), Croats (Catholics), and Albanians (Muslims), • resulted in genocide committed by the Serbs against the Muslims in Bosnia.

  20. Examples • Colombia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uxEP7C4wxk Zimbabwe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ubJp6rmUYM Sudan: Foreign Aid Workers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe7r65XebAA

  21. http://video.app.msn.com/watch/video/un-rep-hears-tales-of-rape-in-congo/6we1oy4http://video.app.msn.com/watch/video/un-rep-hears-tales-of-rape-in-congo/6we1oy4

More Related