Refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo line up for food portions at the Nyakabande Transit Centre in Kisoro District, Uganda, last month. FILE
By Mike Eldon
IN SUMMARY
These are people trying their best to do good in the most difficult situations.
For some time now I have been working with professionals in the development community who have chosen to throw themselves at the most challenging opportunities of all in their field: these are the heroes who try so very hard to make a difference in what are called “Conflict and Fragile States.”
I offer no prizes for guessing which countries qualify for such a label, and you won’t be surprised that neighbours of ours like Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan are among them.
Others include Chad, DRC, Eritrea, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and Zimbabwe in Africa; and beyond this continent Afghanistan, Nepal, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Palestine and others – nearly 40 countries in all.
At the best of times being in the development world is like pushing a big rock up a steep hill, so just imagine heaving the biggest and roughest boulders up the steepest and roughest of mountains.
Indeed one of the challenges they face is that many sober people —not excluding some of their development colleagues — believe the task is so hard there’s no point even having a go.
“Why bother trying?” others wonder. “Why throw good money after bad?’ they are asked, by some whose job is to allocate the permanently scarce resources available. Providing emergency humanitarian assistance is universally, uncontroversially supported.
But trying to revive failed institutions (or to build them from scratch) and to promote good governance, the rule of law and human rights is just too ambitious, goes this not uncommon school of thought.
Is it? That’s what these people strain to achieve. However slowly, however imperfectly, among many risks, uncertainties and setbacks. And that’s not all. How do you plan in such environments? How do you even build enough understanding of how society and politics work in these places? How do you deal with security problems, and with getting good people to work there, or even visit?
Then once projects get under way, there’s need to monitor whatever progress is possible and report back to the head-offices back home. So how do you carry out surveys, collect data?
To what extent are you able to use the country’s own systems (which you know you should if at all possible) rather than setting up your own?
Well let me tell you, these people have come up with ways. “Tools” they call them, and “instruments”; and over time policies and guidelines have been prepared, with lists of do’s and don’ts.
The catalogue of challenges continues. At the national level, donor governments are getting smart about what they call “comprehensive and integrated” approaches that bring together multiple functions, sectors and ministries.
In fragile states the ministries typically comprise those of foreign affairs, international development and defence, and often line ministries such as the ones dealing with health and education also enter the fray.
Increasingly the World Bank, the UN and the bilateral development partners are planning and working much more closely together, both within and between institutions and countries.
And all players appreciate the benefits of close collaboration with regional institutions like the AU, the African Development Bank and the likes of the East Africa Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern And Southern Africa (Comesa), Economic Community of West Africa States( Ecowas) and Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc). Multi-donor trust funds are also becoming common, and these also allow for sharing of staff.
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