SULEIMAN NAMARA CDD TRAINING OF TRAINER WORKSHOP 7 TH – 13 TH TZ

1. CDD IN CONFLICT SITUATION-LESSONS FROM THE NOTHERN UGANDA SOCIAL ACTIONFUND, THE COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMME SULEIMAN NAMARA CDD TRAINING OF TRAINER WORKSHOP 7TH – 13TH TZ

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE OF PRESENTATION • Introduce participants to the perspectives of CDD in a conflict situation. • Highlight some of the mediation mechanisms in built in the Project

3. Structure of the Presentation • Justify CDD’s in conflict situations • Highlight CDD Project design and implementation considerations in a conflict situation • Highlight the mediation inbuilt and learnt to-date • Make Conclusions

4. About Northern Uganda Conflict • 18 years of political conflict • Inter tribal conflict in pastoral communities mainly about resources • The region is a host of refugee population from Southern Sudan

5. CONSEQUENCES OF CONFLICT IN THE NORTH AND JUSTIFICATON FOR CDD • Deepening levels of poverty in the region • For example, while the proportion of poor people below the poverty line declined from 56% of the population in 1992 to 44% in 1997and to 35% in 2000 through out the entire country, Northern Uganda experienced increasing poverty from 60% in 1997 to 66% in 2000. • Insecurity of life and property (private and public) and poor development opportunities • Abduction- 14000 people of whom 6000 children have never returned to their homes or villages

6. CONSEQUENCES OF CONFLICT IN THE NORTH AND JUSTIFICATON FOR CDD CTNED • Displacement, both internal (within the districts and outside the districts but within the country) and external. • More than 400 have been living in displaced people’s camps, the region is also home to about 200,0000 refugees from Sudan- Competition for resources • Destruction of way of livelihood; • Destruction of the social fabric, social relations, traditional individual and community copying mechanisms; • Socialization of young people into violence

7. CONSEQUENCES OF CONFLICT IN THE NORTH AND JUSTIFICATON FOR CDD CTNED • One can therefore conclude that besides the destruction of property, there is destruction of social capital and more importantly a sense of despair with the communities in conflict area • There is a generation of young people who have not only lost out in skills but also but also socialized into violence • There is a very big number of vulnerable people including women, youth, HIV/AIDS infected and affected population, IDPS, former rebels, veterans (gun drop outs) etc • Unprecedented levels of poverty

8. CONSEQUENCES OF CONFLICT IN THE NORTH AND JUSTIFICATON FOR CDD CTNED • Other factors justifying a CDD approach in a conflict area had to do with the lessons from the previous interventions. • The previous development approaches in the conflict environment in Northern Uganda had emphasized sectoral approaches especially infrastructure rehabilitation

9. CONSEQUENCES OF CONFLICT IN THE NORTH AND JUSTIFICATON FOR CDD CTNED • The US $ 100,million IDA financed Northern Uganda rehabilitation project (1992-1998) stands out as a major rehabilitation project in the North. Education, water and sanitation etc have also been implemented. • There was also the Community Action Programme which was a CDD implemented in the West Nile Region alongside NURP

10. CONSEQUENCES OF CONFLICT IN THE NORTH AND JUSTIFICATON FOR CDD CTNED • Various reports and evaluation missions came to the following conclusion. • With the exception of CAP and the sub-Project Component of NURP, neither Government staff nor donors were in a listening mode in determining priority investments in the region i.e. the designing was top-down

11. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES – Conflict minimizing mechanisms in the project • Understand in detail the project area • Undertake the project area profile to highlight resource and endowments. Other development initiatives, institutional weaknesses etc. This announces the project design process. • Undertake as many consultative workshops as possible to widen the consultative process and to conceptualize the project. The profile studies and the CNA feeds into the consultative processes • Involvement of civil society i.e. NGOs, traditional leaders, etc is key. • Include a community reconciliation and peace building component – Emphasis is on traditional mechanisms

12. INTERRACTION BETWEEN CDI, VG AND ID COMPONENTS UNDER NUSAF VG CDI CPBRM ID

13. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES CTNED • Undertake a community needs assessment to obtain community views and perspectives, problems and priorities, what they can do about them and how. • Find out about existing institutions that they prefer to work with, the role of external institutions, how they access information and how they learn about new developments around them. • Involve the donors as early as possible as the project is likely to affect their interventions in the same area. • Note that introducing new assets into a war zone through a project like this one is likely to exacerbate conflict.

14. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES CTNED • Note that areas affected by political conflict are sometimes on the opposition and may not necessarily be in support of the current government. As such, some politicians may not be in support of a good project in an area that does not support the current government. • At the same time, politicians on the opposition may fear that such a good project may undermine their support by swaying the people to the government side-Uphold the principals of a social fund-Apolitical

15. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES CTNED • Resource allocation criteria may be problematic amidst data scarcity. Even where household survey data exists, results may be in contrast with the observable trends by communities. Update the vulnerable survey results and review the resource allocation criteria in the midterm. • The needs of communities are so wide that the choice of the sub-project menu becomes a problem . CNA results become handy but flexibility is crucial.

16. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES CTNED • General Management and Coordination: there is a lot of pressure on the extent to which management is going down to the communities and how they relate with other donors. Indeed, management should be in the project area. • Decentralization and CDD conflict areas: District officials are reluctant to let go of the project resources. The argument is that communities are incapable of handling resources. Involve the district officials early and set benchmarks for deliverables.

17. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES CTNED • While conflict may be concentrated in certain areas, spill over effects normally cover a wide area. There is always pressure to expand the project coverage even during implementation. Undertake a poverty/vulnerability assessment prior and have a transparent criteria for choice of the project area.

18. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES CTNED • Shift from sectoral investments to building social capital- Due to high degrees of asset destruction, most stakeholders are reluctant to invest in social capital formation. They would prefer infrastructure investments which are visible- lobbying becomes essential here

19. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES CTNED • Weak Capacities of Institutions: In a conflict situation, both civil society and Government institutions are weak. In most cases, communities will prefer and feel secure with civil society organizations than Government Institutions.

20. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES CTNED • At the same time, government institutions may not trust civil society institutions- In build a capacity building component in the project and provide a forum for interaction of both parties but emphasize the use of civil society in implementation. Be clear on the deliverables and benchmarks.

21. CDD PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES CTNED • Facilitation process: The facilitators have to be neutral and highly skilled • IEC: This is important for raising awareness, clarifying roles, initiating demand, origin of good governance and capacity building- Concentrate only on project issues, send the right messages, use qualified staff and use communication channels known to the people

22. Mediation Skills • Process of assisted negotiations – communities finding solutions for their conflicts • The project facilitates reconciliation and peace building among communities • Key skills include - Neutrality of facilitators: Establishing a sense of safety –calm, conveying respect and belief in the disputants capacity to find a way forward - Supporting them to identify the key issues- giving both sides to tell their story and encouraging g both sides to reorganize the others point of view. - Encourage to find the way forward or at least new of ways of seeing the situation - Identify an activity through which reconciliation will continue to take place - Arrange regular meetings for the mediation team for de-briefing , and evaluation • The mediators have to a high sense of listening skills and must be trusted by the community. • Extended PRA methods are employed

23. CONCLUSION • CDD’s are possible and probably the best vehicles for delivering investment in a conflict environment • The implementation need to be seen as neutral as possible by the community • Civil society organizations and traditional leaders are the most trusted but their capacities need to be built and they need to work well with local authorities. • Transparency and accountability are essential, otherwise you breed more conflict • IEC must focus on project activities only

24. Thank you