2005年-世界发展银行全球_Toward_a_Conflict-Sensitive_Poverty_Reduction_Strategy___Lessons_from_a_Retrospective_Analysis_75页_543kb

Toward a Conflict-Sensitive Poverty Reduction Strategy

Summary of Lessons from Retrospective Analysis

This report, Report No. 32587, presents a retrospective analysis of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) experience in nine conflict-affected countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina (BIH), Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Georgia, Nepal, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Sri Lanka. The goal is to explore how conflict and poverty are interrelated and how poverty reduction strategies can be made more conflict-sensitive to better address the root causes of violence and its consequences.

Core Content

Inter-relationship between Conflict and Poverty

• Conflict and poverty are deeply intertwined. Poor countries are more prone to conflict, and conflict-affected countries often face higher poverty levels.
• Violent conflict leads to the destruction of economic and human capital, damaged infrastructure, reduced employment, and increased capital flight.
• It also increases military spending, reduces public spending, and weakens the government's capacity to collect taxes and manage revenues.
• Group-based inequalities (ethnic, regional, or social) often exacerbate conflict, especially when ethnicity is politicized and social capital is weakened.

Main Findings and Lessons

Conflict Factors Identified

• Governance challenges: Weak institutions and lack of democratic structures.
• Economic performance: Reduced growth and investment due to conflict.
• Regional disparities: Inequality within countries.
• Social divisions: Ethnic, religious, and clan-based tensions.
• Access to land and resources: A key source of conflict.
• Militarized society: Persistent security issues.
• External impacts: Subregional politics, refugee flows, and diaspora influence.

Key Lessons from the PRSP Process

• Participation:

  • In countries with weak state capacity, the PRSP process opened space for greater inclusion and domestic accountability.
  • Participation was often limited to national levels, with local and community-level involvement being weaker.
  • Conflict-sensitive participation requires engagement with civil society organizations (CSOs), which depend on economic literacy and representation capacity.
  • Strategic communication through media and traditional mechanisms can enhance participation and trust.

• Poverty Diagnostic:

  • Most PRSPs used a multi-dimensional approach to poverty, recognizing social, human, and structural aspects.
  • However, systematic conflict analysis was rarely integrated, limiting the understanding of how conflict and poverty interact.
  • Donor support can help in collecting data and building capacity for more comprehensive diagnostics.

• Policy Actions:

  • All nine countries included policy actions aimed at addressing conflict consequences.
  • Security was a key focus, but integrated security strategies were rare.
  • There was limited attention to conflict prevention in policy design, despite the potential for such actions to reduce future violence.
  • Policy actions often failed to systematically address conflict sources or consider their impact on the conflict situation.

• Institutional Arrangements:

  • Weak institutions often relied on peace accords and donor support to initiate development and social cohesion.
  • Reconciliation commissions and ombudsmen were seen as important for promoting justice and trust.

• Donor Behavior:

  • Donors played a key role in supporting the PRSP process, but their engagement was often not fully aligned with conflict-sensitive approaches.
  • Donor harmonization and collaborative working groups (e.g., in Sri Lanka) were seen as positive steps toward more effective support.

Recommendations for Conflict-Sensitive PRSP Development

1. Ensure country ownership by involving war-affected groups in policy and socioeconomic dialogues.
2. Develop unique collaboration and reconciliation models for each country.
3. Build trust through respect for freedom of association and access to information.
4. Leverage traditional mechanisms to promote communication and collaboration among groups.
5. Strengthen parliaments to improve PRS oversight and constituency representation.
6. Engage youth in policy processes, especially where they are at risk of recruitment.
7. Use media and strategic communication to disseminate PRSP information and collect feedback from conflict-affected communities.
8. Support capacity building for domestic accountability and post-conflict participation.

Conclusion

The report emphasizes that conflict sensitivity is essential for effective poverty reduction in post-conflict settings. It calls for a more holistic and integrated approach to PRSP formulation, one that recognizes the interplay between conflict and poverty, and involves diverse stakeholders, particularly those most affected by conflict, in the process. The findings highlight the need for systematic conflict analysis, inclusive participation, and policy actions that address both poverty and its underlying causes.