2006, Kathleen Kuehnast, Joanna de Berry, Naila Ahmed / The World Bank
The goal of this study is to promote a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of community-driven development (CDD) in conflict-affected countries. Why study conflict-affected countries? Many of the world’s poorest countries are locked in a vicious circle in which the competition over limited resources leads to conflict, and conflict in turn increases poverty. Conflict is more common in poor countries—80 percent of the world’s 20 poorest countries have suffered a major war in the past 15 years. In addition, conflict and insecurity undermines the stability required for sustainable long-term development. The detrimental effects of conflict include the disruption of livelihoods and markets, high levels of displacement, loss of government capacity, the destruction of social networks, and the threat to psychological well-being. On average, countries coming out of war face a 44 percent chance of relapsing in the first five years after the conflict. Even with rapid economic and social recovery in a post-conflict context, it can take a generation or more to return to prewar living standards.
The impact of civil conflicts around the world has forced donors to respond more effectively and efficiently in assisting societies in the rebuilding of infrastructure, livelihoods, and governance structures. The World Bank has increasingly responded to conflict situations through the flexible and rapid application of resources in order to break cycles of conflict. Specifically, the Operational Policy on Development Cooperation and Conflict (O.P. 2.30) has enhanced the Bank’s capacity for strategic engagement in conflict-affected countries.
What are the development options for conflict-affected countries? During conflict, especially violent and protracted conflict, development work is more arduous and dangerous than in non-conflict contexts—and it requires greater flexibility and adaptability. Increasingly, donors recognize the need to sharpen recovery and reconstruction approaches in conflict settings as a means both of mitigating conflict and of minimizing the conflict’s impacts on poverty. The needs in a conflict affected environment are many and often dire, making it difficult to arrive at a development agenda that is clearly prioritized and systematic. The development options include technical assistance for regional trade and investment agreements, financial support for demobilization and reintegration programs, and natural resource management, as well as social development approaches such as community-driven development (CDD), community-based development, training in conflict management and mitigation, and support for judicial system reforms.
This study draws on 13 case studies of conflict-affected countries that specifically have incorporated community-driven development -CDD initiatives in their development effort. Through semi-structured interviews with the managers of these CDD programs, the report analyzes the impact of CDD as a development option. It also extends current knowledge of the application of CDD approaches in conflict-affected environments by identifying common challenges and opportunities, drawing lessons learned from these operations, and disseminating the findings among donors and client governments.
