4747-Crisis in Development MDGs in Conflict and Disaster Settings - Individual Responses

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR Individual Responses eDiscussion: Crisis in Development?
MDGs in Conflict and Disaster Settings

July-August !!" Cross-posted #it$ MDG %et and C&R& %et %ic' (artmann) *%D& Solomon Islands #rote: Dear Colleagues, We here in the Solomon Islands have been in the unique position of making some headway on the MDGs in a post !onfli!t environment" #he Solomons is !hara!terised by a fairly rapid movement to post !onfli!t development planning less than one year after the arrival of a multinational pea!ekeeping for!e led by $ustralia, also known as %$MSI &%egional $ssistan!e Mission to the Solomon Islands'" %$MSI provided immediate law ( order to a !ountry that had !ollapsed under the weight of armed violen!e between militia groups due to migration indu!ed land and employment !onfli!ts, mismanagement and e)tortion national finan!es and natural resour!es, rampant !ronyism, and formal and !ustomary inertia on !oming to any !entral or lo!al solutions" In light of the signifi!ant law ( order, pea!e ( se!urity work that needs to take pla!e in the immediate aftermath of signing a pea!e agreement, the MDGs may seem to be a rather esoteri! flag to wave" $fter all, few people are immediately in!lined to listen to the ar!hite!t and his long term ideas when you have *ust put out the fire in the house and are busy !leaning out the ashes" In the past, when our !lients then eventually were willing and ready to listen to the ar!hite!t, +,D- was too busy getting its boots ba!k on to be effe!tive" In the Solomons, however, we managed to get into the game early by establishing an offi!e immediately after the signing of the -ea!e $greement, and though there were signifi!ant se!urity problems and bursts of armed violen!e still taking pla!e intermittently, we were able to begin supporting the long term re!overy and development pro!ess immediately after initiating the demobilisation of violent groups and reintegration of displa!ed populations" It is this early and still maturing transition period whi!h, if +,D- is effe!tively present, !an make for a very fertile ground for sowing the MDGs in the new national planning and poli!ies, and leads to future pro*e!t and programme ob*e!tives by other partners to be defined within the s!ope and spirit of the MDGs" #wo years after the establishment of the offi!e and the immediate post !onfli!t work, +,D- was thus able to take the lead on the !onsultation for, and formulation of, the ,ational .!onomi! %e!overy, %eform, and Development -rogramme &,.%%D-' /001 /002 whi!h be!ame the de fa!to national guide on government strategies, priorities and a!tion, making referen!e to the MDGs, and thereby sets poverty, health, edu!ation, environmental sustainability and women3s empowerment into the /045 timeframe" #he fa!t that the MDGs were in!luded in this medium term development -lan in turn meant that the eventual ,ational .du!ation %eform -rogramme funded by the .+ and ,ew 6ealand, subs!ribing to the ,.%%D-, also makes !lear referen!e to the MDGs and the need to a!hieve universal primary edu!ation by /045" &#here are numerous e)amples, and we are !on!entrating on having the MDGs !as!ade down from the national planning to se!tor planning to the pro*e!ts themselves' 7ut herein lies a few issues, whi!h I will address through the questions you posed8
Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR
4" 9In your !ountry, how does progress, or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targets affe!t !risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;or sustain !risis and !onfli!t:< #he MDGs in the Solomons are useful as a priority setting tool as they present a !lear international !onsensus on what needs to be a!hieved by /045" =owever, as you say, it is rather spe!ulative to say that the la!k of universal primary edu!ation 9ignites9 !onfli!ts" #hese are not helpful !laims when in a post !onfli!t !onte)t almost all partners are involved in very diffi!ult, emotional and yet very spe!ifi! dis!ussions about infrastru!ture rehabilitation for s!hools, pro!urement of new s!hoolbooks, restoring publi! finan!es in order to pay the re!urrent !osts of tea!hers, et!" >ew will dispute that edu!ation &and the possibly ensuing greater toleran!e and understanding' is desirable to prevent !onfli!t, but it provides little value to urgent dis!ussions with government, !ivil so!iety and donors when we have all agreed that the s!hools and students need attention" >or !onfli!t affe!ted families, pra!ti!al progress lies in being able to send their !hildren ba!k to s!hool as soon as possible" #hese small steps are ne!essary, but far from suffi!ient, steps towards progress on MDG /, and saying that this is 9progress towards MDG / and thus is in its nature preventing of !onfli!t9 may sound logi!al to +, ears, but most partners here will give you a blank look" In !risis settings, the feeling is that any form of progress is imperative, whether the /045 goal is a!hieved or not" #he /045 goal only be!omes a pra!ti!al priority for poli!y makers and donors on!e there is a national !apa!ity make longer term plans and !ommitments whi!h are affordable and !redible, whi!h in the Solomons took two years after the signing of the -ea!e $greement" /" 9Does, and is, progress toward the MDGs seen as likely to !ontribute to resolution of !onfli!t;!risis and re!overy:< #his is a good question, and the answer in the Solomons is a reserved yes" ?es, be!ause lo!al sentiment, and the way post !onfli!t programmes are developed here, indi!ate that better s!hools, fairer regional trade regulations, more women in leadership positions &of 50 -arliamentarians, there is not a single woman' and ultimately less poverty will result in a lower propensity for !onfli!t as people develop their human and physi!al assets and wish to maintain growth and stability" ,o, be!ause people often measure their su!!ess against simple, short term, and tangible things in life, like in!ome earned, a !hild graduated, a woman ele!ted" #hese all are progress towards the MDGs, but the MDGs as a monitoring tool for progress against !onfli!t propensity would result in some interesting statisti!al work to *ustify, and is probably largely a!ademi! and would have to make a number of assumptions regarding the type and level of edu!ation, et!" &#he papers by -aul Collier of the World 7ank display some interesting statisti!al work on the propensity for !onfli!t whi!h poli!ymakers often like to quote, so maybe why not engage in su!h analysis:' In brief, the belief is there on progress towards the MDGs and !onfli!t, in the Solomons, but I would hesitate to try to *ustify it empiri!ally" 1" Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +,D- and partners in these settings: #he -a!ifi! Island >orum leaders at their /001 $u!kland meeting re!ogni@ed the broad relevan!e of the MDGs to the -a!ifi!" #hus, there is !onsensus that the MDGs are an effe!tive rallying !ry for priority setting on health, edu!ation, et!" =owever, the MDGs are largely indifferent to a !ountry3s development !ir!umstan!esA a universal primary edu!ation goal for /045 is a universal primary edu!ation goal for /045 whether you are a nation mired in war, or a middle in!ome !ountry with a 2B growth rate" #hus the >orum asked that they be made more relevant to the individual !ountries, and to do this one finds oneself rapidly moving towards se!toral definitions and priority setting" #his has made some donors skepti!al of the MDGs, as while they may agree that they are useful in priority setting, they are loath to see any re!ipient !ountry of theirs make a greater demand for donor resour!es be!ause of !ommitments to unaffordable and ambitious goals like the MDGs" I thus feel that one3s enthusiasm for the MDGs, in post !onfli!t or !onfli!t !onte)ts may be tempered by whether one is a donor or a re!ipient !ountry" #he MDGs are very pertinent to the work of the +,D- in the Solomons, but

given the !risis !onte)t one needs to know when to use the megaphone for them, when to do so subtly, and equally when not to at all" &I should think that any offi!e that tells you that the MDGs are wholly unrelated to their !risis work should probably e)pe!t a letter from Mark:' C" What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the Millennium De!laration: 8 #here is no doubt about the potentially devastating impa!t of !onfli!t, !risis or natural disasters on development gains, yet there are no MDGs that relate spe!ifi!ally to !onfli!t" +,D-Ds work in supporting the MDGs should thus be grounded in se!tion II of the Millennium De!laration, E-ea!e, se!urity and disarmament<, whi!h mentions goals relating, for e)ample, to the rule of law, the +, and armed !onfli!t and disarmament" +,D- has the e)pertise is demobilisation, small arms, mine a!tion, post !onfli!t se!urity se!tor reform, et!" to tie these together effe!tively, but I feel that making an effe!tive link between the MDGs, =uman Se!urity, and the Millennium De!laration, is too a!ademi! an e)er!ise, and whether effe!tively making these linkages or not improves the quality and relevan!e or our programming is also questionable" In summary, the !hallenge for +,D- is to know how to sell the MDGs pra!ti!ally to a government and partner group that may have subs!ribed to them as a broad goal, and to keep reminding them not to underestimate the level of resour!es and !ommitment that will be needed to a!hieve these goals" In !risis !onte)ts, this is ironi!ally made ever the more important, yet ever the harder, but as shown in the Solomon Islands, if you establish yourself as a !redible player in the immediate post !onfli!t period, you may have first mover opportunities to in!lude the MDGs prominently in the poli!ies and planning of renewed nation" 7est regards, ,i!k =artmann +, -ea!e ( Development Coordinator +nited ,ations Development -rogramme &+,D-' Solomon Islands #el 8 F2GG /GCC2 >a) 8 F2GG /GH45 email 8 ni!k"rene"hartmannIundp"org Jisit us at 8 Khttp8;;www"undp"org"f*;L www"undp"org"f* (idelo S$imo+i) C, -osnia . (er/egovina #rote: Dear all, =ere3s some thoughts on Moises;$mina3s questions / and C" Muestion /8 Does, and is, progress toward the MDGs seen as likely to !ontribute to resolution of !onfli!t;!risis and re!overy: Depends" In 7i=, global MDG themes have been tailored into the CountryDs !onte)t, and this pro!ess will be ongoing on a rolling basis" ?es, nationally digested MDGs are the outputs of !onsultations among lo!al e)perts and !ivil so!iety organi@ations most of whom also worked for -%S-" #hese MDGs were introdu!ed in the /001 7i= ,=D% on MDGs" 7ut on the other hand, we are quite aware of a bitter fa!t that &and we are working on it', this does not ne!essarily mean that MDGs 7i= are the perfe!t set of issues that are prerequisite for so!ial re!on!iliations as well as mitigating palpable politi!al tensions at the lo!al and state level"

#his is largely be!ause of a la!k of data, espe!ially disaggregated data that are dire!tly relevant to prevention of potential !onfli!ts and addressing !onsequen!es of !onfli!ts" #ake health, for instan!e, 7i= relatively en*oys availability of information on quite te!hni!al medi!al !ases on different diseases" Data on the number of hospital beds and physi!ians per 4,000 populations are also availableA hen!e these have be!ome indi!ators under whi!h ea!h target has been set by /00G, /040 and /045" Granted, these are important indi!ators for human development to monitor what kind of diseases are affe!ting peopleDs lives" $t the same time, however, it &and often average figures' may mask health issues that were determined or negle!ted by politi!al fa!tors" #hese in!lude road !onditions and distan!e to health !are servi!es as well as disparity of quality of medi!al fa!ilities between different ethni!;national !ommunities" Na!k of study on nephropathy to date may be a refe!tion of years of politi!al negle!t for minorities in the !ross border -osavina region" It seems that rights based indi!ators &a full spe!trum of them, in!luding so!ioe!onomi! rights' !ould be more relevant to !onfli!t prevention and re!overy" =uman rights are basi! rights, su!h as a!!ess to the primary health !are and a!!ess to safe water &the nephropathy !ase above relates to water'" $nd the la!k of them is a !onsequen!e of !onfli!ts and;or may lead to !onfli!ts" MDGs are more oriented to human development, a step forward" Some MDGs are inherently human rights indi!ators, of !ourse" If we look at the nationally tailored indi!ators, perhaps less in some !ases" 7ut it is still possible and rational to in!lude more rights based indi!ators into nationally tailored MDGs" 7y doing so, it will be more C-% relevant and will make more advo!a!y leverage where a Country is a State -arty of I=%C" Muestion C8 What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the Millennium De!laration: Multise!toral MDGs are relevant to human se!urityE human se!urity in a boarder sense as the Government of Oapan &GoO' defines, in!luding poverty and human rights" =owever, I would also highlight a politi!al aspe!t of MDG and =uman Se!urity link" =ow mu!h have been spent on Iraq: #he +nited State alone, it will rea!h +S P415 billion by the end of September this year, if taking Congressional appropriations into a!!ount" +SP 1 billions will be spended by the GoO" $ wrong politi!al de!ision by the !urrent +S administration !aused a waste of ta)payers money" $s 7rian $twood, former +,$ID administrator, mentioned at the =arvard International Development Conferen!e earlier this year, advo!a!y for MDGs is a way to prevent politi!al diversion from development needs of $fri!a and other forgotten !ountries" #hus MDG advo!a!y would be perhaps an in!reasingly important tool to get human se!urity agendas into politi!al and finan!ial debates in as mu!h !ountry as possible, beyond what we may see in C,," " 7est regards, =ideko, +,D- 7osnia and =er@egovina Ric$ard Mars$all) *%D& -osnia . (er/egovina #rote: Dear -eople, I offer thoughts on question one and part of question three"

Muestion 48 In your !ountry, how does progress or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targets affe!t !risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;or sustain !risis and !onfli!t: I think it is fairly self evident that MDG fulfillment and poverty redu!tion !an play some role in the pro!ess of !onfli!t resolutionA indeed it would be perverse to believe that it !ould worsen the situation" $nd moreover, I donDt believe the !ontribution of e!onomi! !onditions is wholly neutral to the onset of !onfli!t, ,orthern Ireland has long been a deprived area of the +Q, and the more radi!al elements of both !ommunities have e)ploited the issue of relative poverty to their own advantage" .qually, here in the former ?ugoslavia, the !ountry was e)perien!ing the destabili@ing pains of transition, privati@ation and stru!tural realignment, prior to the outbreak of !onfli!t" =owever, these kinds of assertions, for me, miss the point" Su!!essful !onfli!t resolution requires !ommunities to address inequities head on" #oo often responses from the offi!ial se!tor, donors and governments alike, tend to du!k the Rwi!ked issuesD that divide and foster !onfli!t, preferring instead for better out!omes and time to !ontribute to the healing pro!ess" I donDt deny this helps, and many MDG ob*e!tives, espe!ially those within edu!ation, offer real potential as Rsilver bulletsD for resolving a raft of problems, but basi! unfairness lies at the heart of grievan!es and feeds animosities" #hey dire!tly aggrieve individuals and families, and provide ammunition for politi!al opportunists to pursue partisan agendas" #hus we, governments, donors, +, agen!ies, and !iti@ens, need to !onfront inequities" ,ot in an aggressive or belligerent way, but throughout all that we do, day in and day out, and not merely between those parties whi!h are in !onfli!tA we need to look at gender and the rights entitlements of other minorities, in order that a !ulture of respe!t and *usti!e is fostered" I agree at fa!e value, the MDGs donDt offer anything substantively new but they do provide a set of basi! and universal issues to unite around, they have been authored by the global !ommunity and not one of the !onfli!tual parties or an e)ternal for!e S thus they are something on whi!h a re!on!iliation strategy !an be built" In summary it is resolving the equity questions, and way that you use the MDGs in furtheran!e of this, whi!h matters" Muestion 18 Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +,D- and partners in these settings: I am somewhat pessimisti! on the issue of mainstreaming the MDGs, whi!h the question appears to point to" I think there has been some su!!ess, espe!ially with the World 7ankDs programme, but signing up to the Goals, is too often seen as de rigueur, and I doubt how mu!h the MDG -ro!ess a!tually shapes development planning in !onfli!t resolution situations or elsewhere" #he main thoughts of donors and other partners are often elsewhere, and frequently on te!hni!al matters" I think in 7osnia and =er@egovina &7i=' the best e)ample of this is the .uropean +nion mission, whose people are understandably fo!used on the pre !andidate !onditionality, and although respe!tful of the MDGs they donDt go looking for the !onne!tions" 7ut we also have ourselves &i"e" +,D-' to blame here, we &and therefore I', ought to be out there selling and !a*oling other players &espe!ially the most influential ones' to !ome to the MDG table, sin!e as I note above, the MDGs are far more salable to the publi! as a development and !onfli!t resolution agenda than say ma!roe!onomi! stability or .+ !onvergen!e S or god forbid, stru!tural ad*ustment" %i!hard Marshall -overty %edu!tion Spe!ialist

+,D- 7i= ,mar %orman) *%D& %0 #rote: $mina and Moises, thank you for initiating this !riti!al dis!ussion" I wanted to share re!ent e)perien!es in $fghanistan, ,orth Qorea, ,epal, -akistan and a few others, rather than fo!us on a single !ountry" In general terms one of the least e)amined features of e!onomi! development is the relationship between the geography of !onfli!t and growth" If !onfli!t is !ontained in areas, whi!h are not !entral to the aggregate e!onomy say Qashmir in India regional !onfli!t !an be perfe!tly !onsistent with substantial a!!eleration in growth and ma*or a!hievements in MDGs" =owever if !onfli!t is !on!entrated in regions, whi!h are !entral to the e!onomy su!h as the primary !ommer!ial !enter and port !ity of Qara!hi the e!onomy implodes" #hus it is not surprising that sin!e Qara!hi e)ploded in the late 4TH0s, -akistan3s progress in poverty and MDGs has been, if anything, negative" Une has a third !ategory of !ountries, su!h as ,orth Qorea, whi!h was arguably the se!ond most e!onomi!ally advan!ed !ountry in $sia, after Oapan, until 4TG0" Nike $rmenia, ,orth Qorea re!eived a severe sho!k to a narrowly spe!iali@ed but highly engineering oriented e!onomy" #he sho!k is similar to a !onfli!t and sends a wave of reversals through the whole so!iety" Goals 4 and / re!ord the most severe, immediate de!lines" De!lines in other MDG goals follow, after the familiar lag, sin!e edu!ation and others take time for the reversals to show up in statisti!s and be felt a!ross so!iety" In !ases su!h as ,orth Qorea, mu!h of the MDG goals are about retaining previous levels" #he fourth !ategory are !onfli!t !ountries su!h as $fghanistan and ,epal" #hey start with an e)tremely low base in MDG attainment" #hese low levels are further de!imated by !onfli!t and ideology" In su!h !ases, when the re!overy starts, the MDGs !an provide a framework for !onsolidated a!tions" $fghanistan3s MDG% is a do!ument full of hope, with the e)pli!it intent of providing the first generation of pea!e with the hope that MDGs embody" ,epal3s forth!oming ,=D% deals with pre!isely these issues" $nother important feature of $fghanistan3s MDG% is the fa!t that for landlo!ked !ountries in parti!ular , an MDG strategy has to be very outward looking" Goals 4 G are to be met within the !ountry but the route to their attainment do not imply a !losed so!iety;e!onomy" Un the issue of human se!urity and MDGs in the Millennium De!laration, there are !lear parallels between =uman Development as a wider !on!eptual framework and the =uman Development Inde) &=DI'" #he =DI fo!uses on narrower so!io e!onomi! targets but improvements in =DI may well need addressing the governan!e issues, whi!h are !entral to the =D !on!ept as a whole" Similarly progress in MDGs frequently requires addressing se!urity issues, both in the traditional sense, as well as within the e)panded human se!urity framework" #here is no better e)ample of this than $fghanistan" #he !ountry3s progress in MDGs will be heavily dependent on the provision of se!urity" Without a more se!ure environment, neither $fghanistan, nor Iraq in the near future, have mu!h hope of serious progress in MDGs" >inally, I had the privilege of spending a few months at -akistan3s $tomi! .nergy $gen!y, as part of a Commission on =uman Se!urity, whi!h argued that -akistan3s nu!lear weapons will not ensure its se!urity, if the !ountry does not in!rease substantially investments in its people3s edu!ation and health" $s is the !ase with the $fghan MDG%, the =uman Se!urity Commission argued that real progress !an be measured by *ust one indi!ator tra!king what is happening to women, in terms of their health, edu!ation and opportunities" In brief, a typology of !onfli!t !ountries is useful to answer the probing questions you raised" In ea!h of the !ountries mentioned above, the answer was dependent on the type of !onfli!t and its link to development at the aggregate and the lo!al level"

Ro1erto 2alent) *%D& Sudan #rote: Dear Colleagues, Congratulations to $mina and Moises for this interesting initiative" #he relationship between MDGs and !risis, !onfli!t and re!overy is !entral to !ountries in spe!ial situations, even more than to Enormal< settings" #he Sudan e)perien!e shows !learly that linkage among MDGs, !risis;!onfli!t and re!overy are relevant and provide for the operating interagen!y and multi partners !ollaborative framework in addressing the MDGs" +nderpinning the SudanDs +, approa!h to the organisation of its assistan!e programming in Sudan are the prin!iples of national leadership, ownership, and parti!ipation" %e!ognising the presently evolving and anti!ipated future !ir!umstan!es leading eventually to pea!e and stability in the Sudan, the +nited ,ations system is !ommitted to supporting the effe!tive and effi!ient organi@ation of international humanitarian, re!overy, and development assistan!e as programming opportunities and !onditions permit" #he purpose of the assistan!e provided by and through the +nited ,ations system in the Sudan is to promote a pea!eful environment that enables the fulfillment of the rights of Sudanese people to survival and prote!tion, to be able to e)er!ise informed !hoi!es, and to en*oy equal dignity and development" #he organising framework for +, assistan!e derives from the Millennium Development Goals that in!lude agreed targets and indi!ators that span and !onne!t humanitarian, transitional re!overy, and longer term development a!tivities" #here is universal !ommitment to the MDGs, in!luding by the Sudan and donor !ountries" Guided by internationally agreed prin!iples as well as emerging Sudanese poli!ies and priorities, the spe!ifi! approa!h that the +, system seeks to pursue are outlined in the Sudan $ssistan!e >ramework -aper &please refer to www"unsudanig"org" for further !ontent' #he +, in Sudan has put in pla!e a system of pra!ti!al +, !o ordination arrangements that in!lude a network of field presen!es, as well as themati! strategi! groups linked to the MDGs" #his is important if we have to render operational our MDG strategy and analysis" Se!toral strategy level !o ordination is !arried out in Goal Groups !onvened by nominated +, and Government agen!ies in partnership with other agen!ies &in!luding interested ,GUs, bilaterals' a!tive in the delivery of parti!ular Millennium Development Goals" Une thing that is important noting is that the MDGs served, initially, as a means to rally the +, agen!ies around a !ommon programming and analyti!al platform" It has progressed, though in a se!ond instan!e, as means of gaining national involvement, ownership and a!tion" $dvo!a!y efforts are being !oordinated in the war affe!ted areas" %e!ogni@ing that the southern problem is in essen!e the la!k of e!onomi! development in southern Sudan and la!k of good governan!e, the MDGs have been used to advo!ate and engage national partners into an integrated and holisti! planning pro!ess that provided strategi! options for short and long term transformation in the lives of the war affe!ted population guided by time bounded and disaggregated data" #he !urrent Ooint $ssessment mission pro!ess builds on the MDG Groups work, both in the Government and S-NM areas" $hfad +niversity for Women and Ouba +niversity agreed to host programs for MDGs %esear!h" #e!hni!al assessment for Ouba +niversity revealed it needed more assistan!e in !omputer training" $n MDG website was developed with the address8 www"sudanmdg"!om &interesting to have a look at it' with the prospe!ts of !ompiling all the national data into it, informing about events, global e)perien!es and updates"

In short, MDGs are of signifi!ant relevan!e to !risis !onte)ts" 7est regards" %oberto Jalent Deputy %esident %epresentative &-rogramme' #el8 &FF /CT 4H1' GH 1H /0 e)t" /20 Dire!t phone8 &FF /CT 4H1' GH 4/ TG >a)8 &FF /CT 4H1' GH 1G 2C Mobile8 &FF /CT T' 4/ 10 HG0/ . mail8 roberto"valentIundp"org Kmailto8roberto"valentIundp"orgL or rvalentIundp"org Kmailto8rvalentIundp"orgL $ddress8 =ouse G, 7lo!k 5, Gama3a $venue -"U" 7o)8 T41 Qhartoum, Sudan Anisa Suces'a) *%D& -osnia . (er/egovina #rote: Dear $ll, something regarding question 18 Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +,D- and partners in these settings: Considering the fa!t that MDGs as a development !on!ept indi!ated in ,=D% /001 in 7osnia and =er@egovina, offered parti!ipatory approa!h to development so!ial e!onomi! poli!ies in 7i=, Civil So!iety in 7i=, first time got opportunity to substantively dis!uss spe!ifi! issues that are part of post !onfli!t 7i= situation with relevant Goverment representatives" $s a result of !onfli!t in 7i= and postwar !risis, ,GUs often plays the role of Governmental institutions in vulnerable lo!al !ommunities" #hey are at the same time a!ting as delivery servi!es organi@ation in the area of =ealth, .du!ation, Gender in rural and vournable area where Government doesn3t have !apa!ity or !apability to a!t due to politi!al settlement &areas with returnees, rural areas'" So, the answer is yes, CSUs re!ogni@ed MDGs as instrument for advo!ating for development poli!ies and ensuring Government a!!ountability in a!hieving MDGs relevant to 7i=" #hey also per!ept it as a way to implement the e)isting Naws and ensure prote!tion of =uman %ights, as a first step in ensuring !onfli!t !risis prevention and ,GU sustainability as a monitoring body to Government performan!e" +,D- 7i= is fa!ilitating a pro!ess of building a partnership between Governments and Civil So!iety and their !apa!ities on making a progress from !onfli!t influen!e that is still visible and present here, and supporting their interest and a!!ountability on implementing and monitoring so!io e!onomi! development poli!ies in 7i=, !ollaborating MDGs and -%Spro!esses" Une of the immediate results was refle!ted on the passing of Gender Naw in 7i= and establishing CSU;Gov partnership on its implementation and monitoring in all levels of 7i= so!iety" #he real !hallenge is now, how to ensure that lo!al !ommunities and grass roots levels per!eive MDGs as a pro!ess in their ownership and overpass the !onfli!t influen!e that is mostly refle!ted " $ll the best, $nisa Su!eska Civil So!iety Coordinator
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+nited ,ations Development -rogramme Marsala #ita CH G4000 Sara*evo F1HG &0' 11 /G2H/G &Dire!t' F1HG &0' 11 2252H4 &>a)' F1HG &0' 11 /G2H00 &Swit!hboard' asu!eskaIundp"ba Rossana Dud/ia' (ernande/) *%D& Colom1ia #rote: #his is an interesting question that does not get suffi!ient attention in !risis !ountries" In the !onte)t of ColombiaDs !risis, there is not an e)pli!it !onne!tion made between MDGs and !risis" Moreover, the two !an appear to be separate goals and !an lead to !onfusion Is the !onfli!t the main problem, or is a!hieving the MDGs the number one priority: Clearly, the two goals are !omplementary, however, few poli!y makers arti!ulate the relationship between la!k of MDG progress and the !onfli!t, perhaps be!ause in ColombiaDs !omple) politi!al environment, and C0 year history of !onfli!t, few poli!ymakers view MDG progress as a dire!t fa!tor" ColombiaDs guerrillas were borne out of Mar)ist ideologies proposing agri!ultural reform, land reform and peasant mobili@ation and empowerment, whi!h would in theory indi!ate that redu!ing poverty and a!hieving MDG4 would be a way of a!hieving their revolutionary goals" $fter C0 years of war, however, the !onfli!t and its leaders have undeniably lost some of their idealism" #he degradation of the !onfli!t, the rise of drug traffi!kers, abdu!tions, and other illi!it a!tivities have lead to the la!k of a!knowledgement that the war was borne from poverty and inequality in the !ountry" #he !urrent government refuses to engage in politi!al negotiations with the Eterrorists< and will only agree to negotiations for demobili@ation with the guerrillas or paramilitaries" #herefore, although it !an be argued that poverty and inequality are the root of the problem, most government leaders will no longer a!!ept that poverty redu!tion is a means of resolving the !onfli!t" In your country) $o# does progress) or lac' of progress) to#ards MDG sectors and targets affect crisis and conflict? In ot$er #ords does poverty and lac' of progress on MDGs ignite and3or sustain crisis and conflict? #he /001 ,=D% in Colombia unequivo!ally states that E#he armed !onfli!t is the biggest threat to development in Colombia"< >or many years, the Colombian e!onomy !ontinued to grow despite the !onfli!t, however, in re!ent years, there is a downturn in e!onomi! growth, in!reased unemployment and in!reased poverty" #he !onfli!t has undoubtedly reversed some gains made in passed de!ades and eroded quality of life for millions of Colombians, in parti!ular, the estimated / million internally displa!ed persons that have been the most visible vi!tims of the war during the last 40 years" In Colombia, la!k of progress on MDG4 sustains the !onfli!t in multiple ways" +nemployment and la!k of opportunities in rural areas of Colombia &poverty in general' are fa!tors !ontributing to re!ruitment into guerrilla for!es" Similarly, poverty and la!k of edu!ation are two fa!tors that en!ourage Colombians to parti!ipate in the entire produ!tion !hain of !o!aine or other illi!it !rops" Sin!e the drug trade is one of the ma*or sour!es of finan!ing for illegally armed groups, there is a link between poverty and !onfli!t sin!e the poor are frequently for!ed to work in drug produ!tion" Does) and is) progress to#ard t$e MDGs seen as li'ely to contri1ute to resolution of conflict3crisis and recovery? In the !ase of Colombia, it would be over simplisti! to suggest that MDG progress !an resolve the !onfli!t" Une of the things the !risis prevention group in +,D- is trying to emphasi@e is the fa!t that employment generation and poverty redu!tion programs are a ne!essary but insuffi!ient

means to address !onfli!t prevention and need to be a!!ompanied by broader programs with a fo!us on governan!e, inequality, land reform, human rights promotion, redu!ing domesti! violen!e, and *usti!e reform &none of these fa!tors have an MDG targetV'" -romoting poverty redu!tion and implementing programs to a!hieve MDG4 is !ertainly a strategy for development within conflict @ones and for redu!ing vulnerability of population in disputed territory" While it !an be argued that MDG progress and poverty redu!tion !an !ontribute to !onfli!t prevention or mitigation of the effe!ts, in the !ase of Colombia it is not !lear that it !ould !ontribute to !onfli!t resolution4 Do national and international partners in your environment perceive t$e MDGs as a relevant instrument for conflict resolution or recovery? Are t$e MDGs pertinent to t$e #or' of *%D& and partners in t$ese settings: #he international !ommunity is fo!used on !onfli!t prevention, humanitarian assistan!e and pea!ebuilding in Colombia, and MDGs are rarely used as a referen!e point when dis!ussing conflict resolution" ,ational partners frequently believe E#he MDGs were designed for $fri!a"< While this may sound naive to outsiders &and indeed, perhaps arrogant if not ignorant' it is important to make the distin!tion between middle in!ome !onfli!t !ountries and lower in!ome !risis !ountries, whi!h fa!e different !hallenges" Clearly, poverty &and more notably, inequality' in Colombia is a signifi!ant problem and re!ent surveys in the !ountry show that over 10B of the population lives in absolute poverty and 20B live in absolute or relative poverty" =owever, !onfli!t e)ists in some of the ri!hest, most developed parts of the !ountry" $ntioquia, the department with the highest indi!ators in health and edu!ation and a relatively low poverty rate, is home to Medellin and is one of the most !onfli!t prone regions with the highest in!iden!e of landmine vi!tims and ID-s in the !ountry" While it is true that the !onfli!t has eroded some human development gains in re!ent years, most international donors and national poli!y makers do not arti!ulate MDG progress as an instrument for !onfli!t resolution. #he dialogue on poverty redu!tion, a!!ess to health, edu!ation, and water are !riti!al themes when referring to programming for internally displa!ed !ommunities and for vi!tims of the !onfli!t" =owever, the international !ommunity in Colombia and the Colombian government view ID- programming and poli!y as humanitarian assistan!e, as opposed to advan!es in MDGs" While this may be a question of semanti!s, it also reveals the fa!t that the MDG terminology is not dominating poli!y !ir!les" -erhaps the more appropriate question is Ewill MDGs be on the international agenda in an eventual recovery p$ase in Colom1ia?5 A1solutely4 &overty is an issue no# and #ill 1e an issue in t$e recovery p$ase) $o#ever) in t$e current p$ase of t$e conflict) t$e policy dialogue does not focus on MDGs4 6$at is t$e lin' 1et#een MDGs and $uman security as outlined in t$e Millennium Declaration? =uman se!urity !an !ontribute to a!hieving the MDGs" -reventing !hild re!ruitment into illegal armed for!es !an dire!tly !ontribute to in!reasing litera!y and primary s!hool enrollment" .radi!ating landmines in Colombia !an also !ontribute to in!reasing primary s!hool enrollment sin!e landmines are pla!ed in rural areas, whi!h !an prevent !hildren in rural areas from attending s!hool" =owever, in !onfli!t !ountries, governments !an abuse this link between human se!urity and MDGs in order to in!rease military e)penditures at the !ost of so!ial e)penditures, whi!h is the !ase of Colombia" Military spending was 45"HB of the national budget in /00/, an in!rease of 5GB !ompared to 4TTT" =owever, a reform of the *usti!e system and in!reases in poli!e did not mat!h the rise in military spending" #argeting interventions in human se!urity and ensuring proper poli!y is !riti!al to ensure that there is a dire!t effe!t on MDG progress" %ossana Dud@iak =ernWnde@ +,D- Colombia
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Mi'i'o Sa#anis$i) -C&R Gva #rote: Dear Colleagues, 7elow is my response to questions &Mainly 1 and C' posed by fa!ilitators" ,eedless to say, Crisis -revention and %e!overy &C-%' is one of the five pra!ti!e areas of Corporate -riority" ?et, C-% is not dire!tly refle!ted in the MDG" $s many others stated, there is no e)pli!it referen!e to the linkage between the C-% and other development goals of MDGs, despite the fa!t that more and more +,D- interventions geared toward post !onfli!t or !onfli!t prone !ountries, su!h as $fghanistan, =aiti, Sierra Neone, Niberia and so on, so forth" C-% is not only dire!tly !ontributing to the narrowly defined human se!urity, i"e" freedom from fear, but also !ontributing to the longer term human development, i"e" enlarging peopleDs !hoi!e through formulation and e)er!ise of !apabilities" $s far as I understand, the =uman Se!urity is a prerequisite to enable human development, thus to a!hieve MDGs" =uman Se!urity is a ne!essary but not S+>>ICI.,# !ondition for =uman Development" We need to !ontinue our efforts in integrating or Emainstreaming< C-% into +,D-Ds long term development interventions, su!h as demo!rati! governan!e, and poverty redu!tion, in partnership with other agen!ies" We have seen that some people argue that poverty and !onfli!t are not related ea!h other" 7ut !onsidering that most !ountries with high =uman -overty Inde) &=-I' are !onfli!t !ountries or C-% fo!us !ountries, it is no doubt that !onfli!t is related to human poverty" Confli!t may be a EC$+S.< of poverty, or poverty &deprivation of the poor' !auses !onfli!ts as the Confli!t and Development $nalysis demonstrated in several !ountry situations" I !on!lude that C-% interventionsD linkage with MDG is as follows8 first, the MDG is a Corporate priority or even a priority for all a!tors" Uur poverty redu!tion poli!y;strategy gives us a pra!ti!al way to solve the deprivation and e)!lusion of the poor" 7y doing so, we !an a!hieve the truly equitable and sustainable MDG goals" Similarly, C-% gives us an indi!ation on whi!h !ountry we need to make our e)tra efforts, by establishing se!ure and !ondu!ive environment to a!hieve MDGs, as well as strategies for us to pro!eeding our effe!tive interventions" #he below is my mental mapping showing my understanding the relationship between the =uman Development &MDGs' and the =uman Se!urity &in!luding my fo!us area, small arms problem'" -lease give me suggestions for improvementV
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$lso, I have noti!ed that other pra!ti!e areas, su!h as =IJ;$IDS, are showing, in a table format, a linkage between the MDG and the effe!t of =IJ;$IDS" In terms of small arms !ontrol, +,D-Ds paper submitted to the Governmental .)pert Group Meeting on Disarmament and Development also presents the linkages of S$NW impa!t with MDGs" I believe this kind of tale or !hart !ould help us !larifying our points and I atta!h it to this email" Mikiko S$W$,IS=I Small $rms and Demobili@ation +nit, 7C-% Mia Seppo) *%D& 7a+i'istan #rote: Dear Moises, $mina and Colleagues, -oliti!al stability is a key !onsideration in the post !onfli!t re!overy pro!ess in 7a+i'istan" -oliti!al stability !omes at some !ost, most notably in terms of politi!al !ompromises to keep potential spoilers happy" $lthough delivering on the MDGs seems almost !ertain to improve stability, efforts to a!hieve the MDGs !ould run afoul of the deli!ate politi!al balan!e in the !ountry8 the government is not truly free to pursue whatever poli!ies it likes in all se!tors where the MDGs require radi!al reforms if they threaten the interests of !ertain important a!tors in a !ompromise pea!e" -overty alone might not !ause !onfli!t, but deepening poverty, growing inequality or a !onsiderable de!line in living standards and e)pe!tations as e)perien!ed in #a*ikistan !onstitutes a !onfli!t trigger" 7reakdowns between different regions of the !ountry in poverty assessments or ,=D%s !an be used in une)pe!ted ways in the politi!al negotiation pro!ess in a !ountry where the !ivil war had some of its !auses in regionalism" #here is an important regional dimension to a!hieving MDGs and !onfli!t resolution" #a*ikistan is dire!tly affe!ted by stability in neighboring $fghanistan as well as its relations with its northern neighbor on whi!h the landlo!ked !ountry depends for transit and thus trade and development" $!hieving the MDGs in neighboring states would provide very strong support for the same effort in #a*ikistan" ,ational partners do not dis!uss !onfli!t resolution or re!overy issues under the rubri! of the MDGs" Nike international partners, domesti! stakeholders do per!eive e!onomi! and human development as a way of rela)ing domesti! and regional tensions" Domesti! players also draw the link between in!reased international finan!ial assistan!e and development prospe!ts" 7est regards from #a*ikistan, Mia Seppo Se1astian 8evine) *%D& %ami1ia #rote: Dear all, #his is an interesting and important debate" I only !ome in as the debate 9spills over9 from the C-%- net and onto MDG net" $pologies therefore for any dupli!ation" #he introdu!tion to this dis!ussion stated that8 "We argue that there is no direct causal link between progress on MDGs and the outbreak of crisis or conflict." #he e)perien!e in Southern $fri!a suggests otherwise" I refer you to the re!ent paper on RUrgani@ing the +, %esponse to the #riple #hreat of >ood Inse!urity, Weakened Capa!ity for Governan!e and $IDS, parti!ularly in Southern and .astern $fri!aD, whi!h was prepared by the =igh Nevel Committee on -rogrammes" #he !ru) of the matter is well summarised in the following paragraph8
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"The HI epidemic! having reached hitherto unimaginable prevalence levels bordering on "# percent of adults in some countries! is now entering the phase of massive death from $ID%& ''!### people are d(ing ever( week in the mainland %$D) region. *uelled in part b( impoverishment and lack of essential public services! the epidemic continues to worsen! bringing in its wake new patterns of food insecurit(! destitution and vulnerabilit(. In '##' food insecurit( affected +" million people in si, southern $frican states. )ommunities- abilit( to withstand shocks has been severel( compromised. *aced with the challenge of needing to do more to preserve lives and livelihoods! governments of the region are finding their principal asset . human resources in their institutions . is being eroded at an increasing rate." Nast week ,amibia hosted a mission by the SGDs Spe!ial .nvoy for =umanitarian ,eeds in Southern $fri!a, Oames Morris, who suggested that the largest humanitarian !risis in the world today is the orphan !risis in Southern $fri!a" Mr Morris had re!ently !ome from Darfur" 7y the end of the de!ade we e)pe!t the number of orphans in Sub Saharan $fri!a to rea!h /0 million" In a !ountry of less than / million people ,amibia alone has more than 4/0,000 $IDS orphans already" $part from the immense tragi! human rights dimension of the orphan !risis, the growing number of !hildrenA destitute, e)!luded and un loved is also in!reasingly !onsidered a real risk in terms of se!urity and in!reased !rime" Stephen Newis, the SGDs Spe!ial .nvoy on =IJ;$IDS in $fri!a, last year referred to the la!k of resour!es and politi!al will to fight the =IJ;$IDS epidemi! as Rmass murder by !ompla!en!yD and suggested8 "There ma( (et come a da( when we have peacetime tribunals to deal with this particular version of crimes against humanit(" &!li!k here for full te)t'" In /001 Mr MorrisD reported on R$fri!a3s food !risis as a threat to pea!e and se!urityD to the Se!urity Coun!il8 /0olitical structures at the national level in the worst affected countries ma( graduall( 1ust fade awa( and! along with them! the services and social order the( were intended to provide. Man( of these governments grew out of the artificial political demarcations left b( colonial powers and as political cohesion loosens! the potential for civil conflicts along the lines of those we see toda( in the )ongo and )ote d2Ivoire grow more likel(.3 While the la!k of progress on MDG 2 thus is seen to have the potential for !ausing more traditional !ivil !onfli!ts the =IJ;$IDS epidemi! in itself is fuelling a new type of humanitarian !risis" %egards, Sebastian Nevine .!onomist +,D- ,amibia &$ilip -ro#ne) *%D& Sout$ Africa #rote: Dear !olleagues Some !omments with regards to Muestion 48 I think that %i!hard is spot on in arguing that su!!essful !onfli!t resolution requires that we address the issues of inequity but whether the MDGs !onstitute the most effe!tive vehi!le for doing this remains a moot point" My !on!ern is that equity issues tend to e)ist as impli!it features of the MDGs, without there being any real and !on!erted effort to foreground equity ; *usti!e ; rights issues in an e)pli!it way, or to see the MDGs as fundamental me!hanisms for dealing with impediments &the 3wi!ked issues3' to the a!hievement of the MDGs, both nationally in developed and developing !ountries, and at the global level" I think in this sense we need to a!knowledge that in its broadest sense the la!k of development in any given so!iety as a whole is an important
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determinant of the propensity to inse!urity and !onfli!t and that without addressing the fundamental politi!o histori!al, stru!tural and !ultural roots of !onfli!t, and e)amining the ways that they play themselves out in spe!ifi! !onte)ts, any lasting resolution of so!ial and politi!al !rises and !onfli!ts remains out of rea!h" David =eld re!ently !alled the MDGs 9the moral !ons!iousness of the international !ommunity9, but the problem is that the global mainstream development agenda tends to be !onstru!ted on a bifur!ated morality that privileges !ertain !ore 3development3 values amenable to prevailing e!onomi! orthodo)ies, while !losing down the dis!ursive spa!e available for alternative and more progressive visions of sustainable human development and it is within this ideologi!al !onte)t that the MDGs run the danger of be!oming domesti!ated to parti!ular developed !ountry interests and !onsequently lose their power to !ons!ientise, to galvanise real development progress or to resolve !onfli!t over the distribution of power and resour!es" -ost !onfli!t situations themselves may well be the prelude to new forms of later !onfli!t if the underlying !auses of the original !risis have not been fundamentally addressed, and if the risks, ha@ards and vulnerabilities inherent in the original !onfli!t persist" I would argue that South $fri!a, despite having en*oyed ten years of post apartheid demo!ra!y and development, is situated within a parti!ular kind of poverty related post !onfli!t s!enario in 4TTC !oming out of what, to all intents and purposes, !onstituted fifteen years of low level !ivil war and widespread so!ial dislo!ation" South $fri!a is a !ountry where the deep and entren!hed e!onomi!, ra!ial and !ultural inequities that have been shaped by the lega!y of three hundred years of !olonial and apartheid poli!ies are now being perpetuated and reinfor!ed by so!io e!onomi! inequities that are the produ!t of the prevailing global e!onomi! hegemony" Data from the re!ent ,ational =D% shows that South $fri!a remains one of the most unequal and polari@ed so!ieties in the world with huge in!ome disparities, high levels of poverty and unemployment and a relatively impervious en!lave e!onomy S a situation that has been theorised by -resident Mbeki as a 9two nations9s!enario !hara!terised by a dual 9first ; se!ond9 e!onomy" .fforts by the government over the past ten years to transform the so!io e!onomi! lands!ape have seen signifi!ant levels of state resour!es redire!ted to the poorest se!tors of the population, with signifi!ant government investment in housing, utilities and so!ial welfare, but despite these initiatives the government3s staun!h adheren!e to orthodo) ma!roe!onomi! poli!ies have not resulted in the kind of growth levels ne!essary or suffi!ient for any signifi!ant redu!tion in the rates of poverty, unemployment, inequality or !rime" #he more !omple) redistributive issues of land reform, wealth and asset assymetries, a!!ess to natural resour!es and the regulation of market e)!esses have been left on the margins of the poli!y dis!ourse, but there are in!ipient signs for e)ample with limited but growing resistan!e from so!ial movements !oales!ing around !alls for land redistribution, universal in!ome grants and provision of publi! goods and servi!es that indi!ate that the !ausative fa!tors for future !onfli!t remain uneasily unresolved" #he deepest inequities, those relating to a!!ess to land, servi!es, employment and broader e!onomi! opportunity, are being perpetuated and reprodu!ed rather than redressed within the prevailing e!onomi! system and there is !ertainly no shortage of in!isive analysis demonstrating this reality but too often !ritiques merely identifying the !ausative nature of the things that should be addressed, without spe!ifying the me!hanisms for substantively dealing with the dis*un!tures between e!onomi! globali@ation and issues of so!io e!onomi! *usti!e" While the MDGs !onstitute a broad framework for development a!tion S and undoubtedly lie at the heart of the South $fri!an government3s development agenda there is a tenden!y for them to be seen within their normative and te!hni!al !apa!ity rather than as dis!ursive tools for de!onstru!ting the stru!tural and systemi! fa!tors that stand in the way of a!hieving !riti!al human development goals and for identifying workable and sustainable solutions" In the South $fri!an !onte)t there is a need for the MDGs to be positioned far more strategi!ally in relation to the hori@ontal inequalities that e)ist in a!!ess to politi!al, !ultural and e!onomi! resour!es and for the MDG dis!ourse to grapple far more robustly with the ideologi!al ar!hite!ture of the global e!onomi! and finan!ial systems and the pressures pla!ed on national governments to !onform to poli!y pres!riptions that are at odds with a!hievement of equitable development out!omes, and
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ultimately with se!urity" #he lessons of history should leave us in no doubt that when entren!hed inequities are left unresolved for long enough they will in!reasingly lead to a !risis of legitima!y for the state that itself may be see the onset of repression, so!io politi!al instability and !onfli!t" #he !omple)ities of the !urrent !risis in 6imbabwe serve as a salutory e)ample to South $fri!a that unresolved histori!al and !ontemporary inequities bear with them the seeds of future !risis and potential !onfli!t and la!k of progress in meeting the MDG targets is likely only to e)a!erbate su!h possibilities" %egards -hilip 7rowne ,ational -rogramme Uffi!er MDGs Uffi!e of the %esident Coordinator ; +,D- South $fri!a #el8 04/ 15C H0CT >a)8 04/ 15C H05T Cell8 0H/ 5GC 5G1T Maria-,lga Gon/ale/) -C&R G2A #rote: Dear !olleagues, I !ould not but parti!ipate in the most interesting eDis!ussion so far laun!hed via the C-% net" I will refer my thoughts and e)perien!es to the !onte)t of Guatemala, although I left the !ountry over 5 years ago" (o# does progress) or lac' of progress) to#ards MDG sectors and targets affect crisis and conflict? In ot$er #ords) does poverty and lac' of progress on MDGs ignite and3or sustain crisis and conflict? 3 Does) and is) progress to#ard t$e MDG9s seen as li'ely to contri1ute to resolution of conflict3crisis and recovery? #he -ea!e $greements that put an end to a !onfli!t of over 10 years in Guatemala were signed in De!ember 4TT2" #hey established a development agenda and goals, attempting to address the root !auses of the !onfli!t, whi!h were always !lear8 poverty, e)!lusion, inequality, hitting hardest on the indigenous population &almost 20B of the total' and living in the rural, sometimes remote and ina!!essible areas" -artial a!hievement !an, at best, be reported in a few aspe!ts of the agenda established in the pea!e agreements" #he !ountry still !onsiders itself in a Rpost !onfli!tD situation" #he MDG -rogress %eport /00/ states that poverty, as measured by the per!entage of people living below P4 per day, has de!reased in the last de!ade" 7y this international measuring standard &B of people living below P4', Guatemala would be on good tra!k" =owever, an analysis of poverty in the light of other, more targeted indi!ators, reveals that inequality persists as an eminent barrier to de!reasing poverty8 T1B of the people below the national poverty line live in the rural areas !lose to G/B of these !orrespond to indigenous populations poverty !on!entrates in the ,orthern &C0B of the poorest' and the ,orth western &11B' regions, both of them with high !on!entrations of indigenous populations It is !lear that the root !auses of the !onfli!t have not even remotely disappeared, nor will they ever unless fundamental !hanges o!!ur in the overall governan!e stru!tures of the !ountry" While the a!hievement of the MDG3s is fundamental for a firm and lasting pea!e in Guatemala, they are only a statisti!al birds eye overview that may well hide the realities that lie beneath" #here is a !ertain level of danger here8 the !old hard statisti!s may be misleading and by basing
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!on!lusions only on MDG progress, we may be en!ouraging the upkeep of a status quo that was the root !ause of one of the longest and deadliest armed !onfli!ts in Natin $meri!a" 7est regards, Maria Ulga Gon@ale@ 7C-% Geneva Sangita :$ad'a) *%D& %epal #rote: I am indeed very please to parti!ipate in this dis!ussion and to share my views with you all8 4" -overty does ignite !risis and !onfli!t and ,epal has been a live e)ample of that" .)treme poverty, e)!lusion, frustrated politi!al e)pe!tations, absen!e of so!ial servi!es, !orruption, inequality, dis!rimination has lead to the present !onfli!t situation the !ause for birth of Maoist movement in ,epal" #hus poverty surely does ignite !risis and !onfli!t but la!k of progress on MDGs !an sustain this very !risis and !onfli!t in the present !onte)t" #he development works in ,epal are being !ontinued, the donors are yet funding their pro*e!ts and the government is seeking full support from all multilaterals and bilaterals whi!h means a substantial amount of work is still under progress despite all !onfli!t and !risis situation this is surely a !ontribution towards a!hievement of MDGs" 7ut if there was no development work towards a!hieving the MDGs S the !ountry would be more stagnant e!onomi!ally thus fuelling more !risis and !onfli!t" -rogress towards MDGs !an !ontribute to resolution of !onfli!t but unless there is resolution of !onfli!t there !an be no progress towards attainment of MDGs" #hus both fa!tors supplement ea!h other" When the !risis situation emerged in ,epal it started with the issues very mu!h of those daily livelihood basi! needs regarding health, bread and butter issues &that the MDGs goals are about' but there was no name given to it as MDGs and there was no time bound target to a!hieve these goals and now that these very basi! requirements have been given name and time has been set for a!hieving the goals" #he !onfli!t in ,epal has gone far ahead to be resolved only through the progress in MDGs, it also involves politi!al instability and struggle for power from all parties however MDGs are likel( to provide framework for actions when the recover( starts as Umar says" #he national partners have very well per!eived MDGs, they have taken full ownership of the goals" #he advo!a!y of MDGs have started !oming out in all the spee!hes and statements of the bureau!rats these days, the I,GUs too are !ommitted and the ,GUs have adopted a resolution in the !harter of ,GU >ederation to monitor and tra!k the progress of MDGs" #hey are supposed to give wake up !alls to the government" =owever at this stage, politi!al stability and restoration of pea!e are the most required elements through whi!h MDGs !an be attained" MDGs are definitely pertinent to the work of +,D- and partners in these settings be!ause it outlines the time bound targets, easy to measure development, easy to monitor and tra!k progress" It is a sort of systemati! approa!h to measuring development that !ould have been !ared less at the time of !onfli!t situation like this" C" =uman Se!urity is very mu!h important for the attainment of MDGs" Speaking in terms of life and death, at present in ,epal, most of the !ountryDs budget is diverted towards defense and se!urity that !uts off the development budget" ,epal depends heavily on foreign aid so when there is a threat in a parti!ular area the development programmes implemented by donors or multilaterals are suspended for a !ouple of days, months and even a year" It has been admitted time and again by the whole world and at present in the ,epalese !onte)t by the government as well as donors and the people that nothing !an fun!tion without having =uman Se!urity first" ,ot even an individual working in a development organi@ation would like to budge from his seat and go to the field if he knew of the threat to his life" Un the other hand when we talk of human se!urity we should not miss out the most vulnerable ones during armed !onfli!t i"e" women and

!hildren" >or this reason there is a need to reposition the programmes in the present !onte)t of ,epal if we are to a!hieve MDGs at all i"e" Is the programme based on strategi! analysis of !onfli!t: Does it deliver resour!es to marginali@ed groups and women: Is the allo!ation of resour!es within the programme proportionate to need: Does the programme have fle)ibility to adapt to !hanging !ir!umstan!es : Does it enable marginali@ed groups and !an women a!hieve positions of responsibility: Does it monitor ethni!ity, !aste and gender in all a!tivities David Matan$ire) *%D& Sout$ Africa #rote: Dear $ll, $s I see it, the dis!ussion topi!8 9We argue that there is no direct causal link between progress on MDGs and the outbreak of crisis or conflict3 tries to foster a link between progress on one hand and retrogression on the other" #he per!eived progress on MDGs is the e)pe!ted thing that should take pla!e presupposing all things are equal there is a working system of governan!e, so!ial *usti!e and due respe!t of human rights that !reate an enabling environment for the progress on MDGs" It is the la!k or breakdown of su!h a fun!tional system that leads to !rises or !onfli!ts violent dysfun!tional disagreements politi!al, e!onomi!, maldistribution of resour!es, and =IJ;$IDS and other equally violent threats to the attainment of MDGs" #he !omparison in the dis!ussion statement is not fair" $ 9!ausal link9 would maintain that progress on MDGs !ould lead to redu!tion in !risis or !onfli!ts" $s a !orollary, la!k of progress on MDGs may lead to es!alation of !risis or !onfli!ts sin!e one supposes that most !onfli!ts or !rises emanate from a deprivation of so!ial and e!onomi! entitlements of one segment of so!iety by another" I hope my !ontribution has been worthwhile" David Matanhire, -rogramme Uffi!er So!ial Development and =IJ;$IDS +,D- South $fri!a %eil -oyer *%D& Gam1ia #rote: Dear Colleagues, In reading many of the !omments, although the fo!us is rightly on the !hallenges in reali@ing the MDGs in those !ountries affe!ted by !onfli!t, we must not forget that the MDGs in neighboring !ountries are affe!ted as well" #his is espe!ially the !ase in !ountries su!h as #he Gambia, whi!h has hosted large numbers &relatively speaking' of refugees from !onfli!t areas in Niberia, Sierra Neone and southern Senegal &Casaman!e'" In the !ase of areas bordering the Casaman!e, some of the highest =IJ @ero prevalen!e rates in #he Gambia have been re!orded" Coin!identally, Casaman!e has the highest @ero prevalen!e rates in Senegal" Within the regional !onte)t, higher @ero prevalen!e rates in Casaman!e and northern Guinea 7issau !an be attributed in part to !onfli!t and atttendant !ivil unrest, poverty and so!io e!onomi! dislo!ation" #hus, as MDG 2 in the Gambia is adversely affe!ted by !onfli!t in neighboring !ountries, the influ) of refugees also in!reases pressure on already overburdened health delivery systems, with impli!ations for MDGs C and 5 as well" In fa!t, it has been well do!umented in other parts of $fri!a that the struggle over s!ar!e resour!es between established residents and newly displa!ed persons !an e)a!erbate ethni! tensions and !reate the !onditions for !onfli!t as well" #hus in !on!lusion, as we dis!uss this issue, we must be !areful to assess the impli!ations for !onfli!t in a holisti! manner, and not *ust limit it to national borders &however arbitrarily defined'"
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%egards, ,eil 7oyer .!onomist +,D-;#he Gambia Casimiro Reis) *%D& #rote Dear all, I only have a thing to also say regarding the MDGs and in the way as the underdeveloped and *ust free !ountries, or same in *ust free state of !onfli!ts they !an be benefited, basing on a strategy program the average stated period and also to one politi!s of the part of the demo!rati! Government, where all people has a!!ess and right to hear and of being heard" =e !an have very beautiful te!hniques, programs and plans, but without the support of a demo!rati! lo!al government, he swims sera done" It !an be implementer the plans and the strategies dire!tly of the middle of the population !ommunity that this in la!k of everything, or to help inside of a short term period, but nothing it will go to de!ide the situation if the people and the regimen of the government will not have the same ob*e!tive" We !an take off e)perien!es in !ertain !ountries where it had some su!!ess to use in !ountries different, but who always determines the su!!ess sera the population of this !ountry, or better, a su!!ess that will !ome to refle!t of inside for is" If not it will have mutual and re!ipro!al !ontribution in the implementation of a program, either of whi!h organi@ation, to a nation in !onfli!t, or pos !onfli!t, I guarantee that the su!!ess will not arrive 50B" Motselisi Rama'oae) *%D& 8esot$o #rote: Dear all, In your country) $o# does progress) or lac' of progress) to#ards MDG sectors and targets affect crisis and conflict? In ot$er #ords does poverty and lac' of progress on MDGs ignite and3or sustain crisis and conflict I would have to agree with Mr" Nevine that the =IJ;$IDS situation in Southern $fri!a is fuelling a new humanitarian !risis" In Nesotho, =IJ;$IDS has been singled out as the greatest !hallenge to rea!hing the MDGs" It has been agreed by government, development partners and !ivil so!iety that la!k of progress towards MDG2 will not only affe!t the progress towards other MDG goals but in !ertain !ases reverse their progress as the =IJ;$IDS pandemi! is affe!ting the produ!tive se!tor of so!iety further e)a!erbating the food !risis and state of famine, and leaving a lega!y of orphans and youth headed households" #he nationalised MDG% has therefore been ad*usted and GU$N4 has been !hanged to Combating =IJ;$IDS" #his for!ed Nesotho and its Development -artners to !riti!ally assess the development paradigm and address how to effe!tively respond to the new vulnerabilities for the well being of the people" #hrough the +, .)panded #heme Group on =IJ;$IDS !haired by the +,D- %esident %epresentative, e)tensive !onsultations were held with Government, !ivil so!iety, development partners, and the private se!tor, in sear!h of viable strategies for s!aling up the national response against =IJ;$IDS the result of whi!h is the book /Turning )risis into 4pportunit(& %trategies for %caling 5p the 6ational 7esponse to the HI 8$ID% 0andemic3. #he do!ument has been adopted as an offi!ial poli!y do!ument for the Government of Nesotho and it makes spe!ifi! re!ommendations on how to !reate an =IJ;$IDS !ompetent so!iety as well as what national, distri!t and lo!al me!hanisms would make that possible" $lso in!luded are spe!ifi! ideas on what ea!h and every Government Ministry !an do immediately to make a visible differen!e, even as they work on more !omprehensive se!toral strategies, plans and budgets" In essen!e =IJ;$IDS has been approa!hed as a governan!e issue to look at poli!ies, stakeholder responses and the delivery of servi!es" #he do!ument is !urrently being distributed to all !ountry offi!es and will also be pla!ed on our website"
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In the /00C =D% flyers, espe!ially when looking at the =DI for the Southern $fri!an %egion it is !lear that all !ountries have dropped signifi!antly, the highest being Nesotho, whi!h has dropped from 41G in /001 to 4C5 in /00C" Une !annot help but surmise that =IJ;$IDS is the ma*or !ontributory fa!tor to the drop in human development in the region" Qind regards Motselisi %amakoae -rogramme Uffi!er .nvironment ( .nergy +,D- Nesotho #el8 F/22 // 141GT0 >a)8 F/22 // 1400C/ Cell8 F/22 2/H5 4254 %ana'o 7su'a$ara) *%D& %epal #rote: I am very happy to see su!h stimulating dis!ussions on this !riti!al topi!, as this is e)a!tly what we are struggling with in ,epal" I would like to respond to the questions 4, 1 and C" In your !ountry, how does progress, or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targets affe!t !risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;or sustain !risis and !onfli!t: ,epal has been e)perien!ing an internal !onfli!t between the government and the Maoist for the past eight years, whi!h is affe!ting all development work to a signifi!ant degree" Many development a!tors are pulling out from the remote areas of the !ountry whi!h are worst affe!ted by the insurgen!y, due to the politi!al va!uum, e)tortion by the Maoists, and se!urity !onsideration" #hese are often the areas, whi!h are worst off in terms of the level of development in the first pla!e" #he !auses of the !onfli!t are !omple), as is usually the !ase, however it is well do!umented today that absolute poverty, so!ial and politi!al e)!lusion, a!ute inequality and inequity in the distribution of resour!es and opportunities among different identity groups based on gender, !aste and ethni!ity, and failure of politi!al stru!tures to address these issues have made ,epal e)tremely vulnerable to the !onfli!t" I would say, rather than la!k of progress on the MDGs per se, but an e)tremely skewed distribution of the progress &or la!k thereof' on the MDGs is one of the ma*or fa!tors to ignite the !urrent !onfli!t in this !ountry" 1" Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +,D- and partners in these settings: It seems to me that the MDGs are still per!eived by many as a Eyet another +, produ!t< to some degree, although this per!eption is gradually !hanging" While the level of understanding among a !ertain part of the so!iety has been steadily in!reasing in the last few months, the linkages between the MDGs and !onfli!t are mainly dis!ussed in a one way dire!tion, i"e" it is imperative to resolve the !onfli!t first, be!ause violent !onfli!t hampers development and without pea!e there will be no MDG a!hievement" #he other way of the linkages S the potentiality of the MDGs to be a powerful tool to address the root !auses of the !onfli!t and thus !ontribute to !onfli!t transformation S is yet to be re!ogni@ed" In this !onte)t, the MDGs are still an add on, and until re!ently they were simply not the government priority, either" Many a!tors both in the government and !ivil so!iety se!tor !laim that they are !ommitted to a!hieving the MDGs, but su!h !ommitment often sounds rhetori!al with no real a!tions" In my view, this is pre!isely be!ause the debate on the se!ond linkage between the MDGs and !onfli!t is la!king" When there is so mu!h violen!e, fear, and despair all over the !ountry, how good is it to say that the !ountry needs to a!hieve the MDGs without showing how that will help solve the !onfli!t:
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+,D- has been promoting the MDGs so that some tangible results will be a!hieved even in this volatile situation" $s a result of our !ontinuous dialogue with the government, re!ently the ,ational -lanning Commission has requested +,D- support in !ondu!ting the MDG ,eeds $ssessment in ,epal with an aim to strengthening the linkages between the MDGs and the -%S-" #he e)er!ise will !ommen!e shortly, and it is envisaged that this long term a!tion plan for a!hieving the MDGs will be based on the two s!enarios S one is a normal growth s!enario, and the other is a lower growth s!enario in !ase of the worsening !onfli!t" We are hoping that making a long term national plan for a!hieving the MDGs, whi!h !an be broken down to the medium term -%S-;national development plan periods with realisti! assumptions, will !ontribute to addressing the root !auses of the !onfli!t" $nother dimension I would like to highlight regarding promotion of the MDGs in a !onfli!t setting is that the MDGs !ould be used as a politi!al tool" We should be aware that the government whose legitima!y is being threatened !ould use the MDG a!hievement to regain their legitima!y" #he government !an say to its popula!e, we promise to in!rease the health fa!ilities, or to in!rease the number of kids in s!hool from disadvantaged !ommunities by !ertain per!ent in the ne)t five years" If su!h a promise is ba!ked by !ommitment and !on!rete strategies and resour!es, it is a very powerful statement" So far, in ,epal, this type of !ommuni!ation strategy on the MDGs has not been formulated or dis!ussed in a systemati! manner" =owever, it seems that espe!ially the politi!al appointees in the government have reali@ed that their interest in strengthening the linkages between the MDGs and -%S- appeals to the donor !ommunity and !ould be useful for gaining donor support" C" What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the Millennium De!laration: #he link between the MDGs and human se!urity or !onfli!t is not very e)pli!it *ust by looking at the De!laration itself, be!ause Epea!e, se!urity and disarmament< and Edevelopment and poverty eradi!ation< are listed as separate key ob*e!tives, without e)pli!itly mentioning their inter !onne!ted nature" #his, in my opinion, has !reated a phenomenon that the MDGs are advo!ated in isolation from the other issues, with more emphasis on their se!toral a!hievements" =owever, the De!laration !learly states that all these key !on!erns of the new !entury in!luding development and se!urity are based on the si) fundamental values &freedom, equality, solidarity, toleran!e, respe!t for nature, and shared responsibility'" #hus, development and se!urity need to be ree)amined from these !ommon lenses, whi!h is something that all of us need to remind ourselves of when we work on the MDGs" In parti!ular, the first value of freedom spe!ifi!ally says that EMen and women have the right to live their lives and raise their !hildren in dignity, free from hunger and from the fear of violen!e, oppression or in*usti!e<" #his provides a !onte)tual meaning for interpreting the MDGs a!!ording to a !ountryDs spe!ifi! !ir!umstan!es" We !ould, if we !hoose to do so, in!rease delivery of so!ial servi!es under an oppressive regime, or we !ould a!hieve the Goals by fo!using on the regions and population, whi!h are not affe!ted by a violent !onfli!t" =owever, that is not the spirit of the De!laration" #hanks again for this meaningful initiative and the opportunity to learn from other !ountry e)perien!es" With best regards, ,anako Geoff &re#itt) S*R;3*%D& Slova'ia #rote: Dear $ll,
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I want to thank ,eil for noting !onfli!t and !ivil unrest in sub Saharan $fri!a" #hus far, many of the !ountries listed in this dis!ussion are post !onfli!t s!enarios" Jiolen!e in $fri!a sin!e the laun!h of the Millennium De!laration in /000 has resulted in nearly 40 million refugees and several million dead &over three million in the D%C alone sin!e 4TTT'" Many refer to the re!ent events in Darfur as geno!ide &aside from the already 100,000 murdered, up to one million displa!ed Sudanese !ould die this year in !amps'" #hese are figures of astounding and tragi! proportion" $nd, as aptly noted by ,eil, the !orrelation and !ausality between !onfli!t and other development goals is !lear as well as the !ross boarder realities" So how to respond to the diffi!ult question number three 9$re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +,D- and partners in these settings:9 perhaps in pra!ti!e"""yes, in theory"""no: Can we !all for dysfun!tional Governments to !ampaign on behalf of the MDGs, to prepare MDG%s, to establish MDG monitoring systems when the Central Stats Uffi!e has been looted of their !omputers: I don3t know" It is worth noting, however, that even in diffi!ult !ases, efforts !an be made" Somalia is preparing a base line MDG and the Sudan $ssistan!e >ramework &S$>' is guided by the MDGs" Stress must also be pla!ed on Goal .ight" Uften !onfli!t in other !ountries &perpetuated by Western ,ations' has lead to a diversion of aid to fo!us on overe)tended military budgets" #he +S is the worst !ase offender, parti!ularly in the !ase of spending in Iraq" >or a good a read on the topi!8 -oliti!s and -overty8 $id in Cold War &Christian $id, May /00C'" #his report points out, for e)ample, that the +S government diverted a P/"/ billion aid program for $fghanistan in /00C to military pro*e!ts and emergen!y relief" #he report !an be found at8 Khttp8;;www"!hristian aid"org"uk;indepth;C0C!aweek;L %egards, Geoff ;rancesca Coo') ,slo Governance Center) #rote: 4" In your !ountry, how does progress, or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targets affe!t !risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;or sustain !risis and !onfli!t" I am not in a !ountry, but as a poli!y advisor on governan!e and !onfli!t prevention, I would make the following general points8 #he lower the s!ore on the =DI, and the lower the s!ore on the MDGs, the more likely a !ountry is to e)perien!e mass violen!e and war" Generally speaking, the enabling environment needed in order to a!hieve the MDGs is the same enabling environment needed to have pea!e, se!urity and stability &within demo!ratisation'" 7y this I mean that when governan!e institutions are fragile, weak and unable to fulfill their !ore fun!tions and responsibilities, the e!onomy is likely to be !rippled and the a!hievements of the MDGs likely to be low" In this !ir!umstan!e the likelihood of in!reased violen!e and other non demo!rati! ways to resolve !onfli!t is high" Jiolent !onfli!t is, in many ways, the result of weak and bad governan!e, and poor a!hievement of the MDGs" We know that with in!reased edu!ation, violen!e redu!es" Na!k of progress in the MDGs ignites, sustains and provokes !risis and !onfli!t" /" Does, and is, progress toward the MDGs seen as likely to !ontribute to resolution of !onfli!t;!risis and re!overy: If the governan!e institutions and priorities required to a!hieve the MDGs are well an!hored into
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pla!e, it is likely that pea!eful dispute me!hanisms for resolving !onfli!ts as they arise, a normal part of free so!ieties, open e!onomies and vibrant !ivil so!ieties" =owever, this does not happen on it own" >o!us on a!hieving the MDGs must in!lude a deep fo!us on how to strengthen governan!e and !ivil so!iety me!hanisms in su!h a way as to ensure that the fo!us on the MDGs builds in !apa!ity to deal with !onfli!t" In terms of !risis re!overy, again, if basi! needs are not met &the MDGs' it is very hard to !reate vibrant !ivil so!iety able to parti!ipate and demand a responsible, demo!ratised government and governan!e system" $gain, fo!us on the targets needs to in!lude fo!us on the governan!e and se!urity 9enabling environment9" #he two are inseparable" 1" Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +,D- and partners in these settings: In my e)perien!e, the MDGs are not seen as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution nor re!overy" Do you mean something different by 9resolution9 than by 9prevention9: C" What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the Millennium De!laration: #his is the !hi!ken and the egg no MDGs, no human se!urity, no human se!urity, no pea!e, no pea!e, no se!urity, no se!urity, no MDGs" #he link is !ru!ial, and requires mu!h thought and effort to link the approa!hes and issues bindingly" Une small point about the MDGs, the De!laration and the #argets" When the whole idea was !reated to distil all the various +, Summits, their De!larations and -lans of $!tion into a short set of workable targets and goals Xthis was started in the D$C with the +,D- and World 7ank, and initially known as the International Development Goals &IDGs'Y a lot of dis!ussion took pla!e around violent !onfli!t and governan!e" Dis!ussions struggled to find a numeri!ally based 3measurable3 9target9 and 9goal9 for violent !onfli!t and for governan!e that 9stood up9 and was politi!ally viable" #his proved to be a diffi!ult affair, and so instead, the De!laration &and its equivalent when the MDGs were *ust the IDGs in 9Shaping the /4st Century Strategy9' mentions these and the !ru!ial need for an enabling environment for the MDGs, in!luding human se!urity" In view of the Summit F5 dis!ussions, your initiative to think through how to make sure the links are made !on!retely is a fabulous one" X$t the risk of opening up a highly politi!al and thorny debate, is it impossible to find meaningful targets in these areas: Y ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ >ran!es!a Cook Confli!t -revention and Governan!e $dvisor +,D- Uslo Governan!e Centre &DGG;7D-;UGC' Inkognitogt" 4H, Uslo, ,orway , 0/52 #el8 &FCG' // 4/ /G 45 fran!es!a"!ookIundp"org www"undp"org;oslo!entre
<va -us/a) -C&R %0 #rote: Dear $ll,
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+nfortunately I !anDt speak from the vantage point of having worked in a +,D- !ountry offi!e[ however, I do have several !omments to share that are based on my perspe!tive as a poli!y advisor in the 7ureau of Confli!t prevention and re!overy" In !onsidering the question EIn your country) $o# does progress) or lac' of progress) to#ards MDG sectors and targets affect crisis and conflict? In ot$er #ords does poverty and lac' of progress on MDGs ignite and3or sustain crisis and conflict45 I think it is important that we highlight that the method by whi!h or the pro!ess by whi!h the goals are a!hieved !an have as mu!h impli!ation for !risis prevention and or !onfli!t ignition as attaining the goal itself" #here is a danger that in the enthusiasm to rea!h MDG goals, me!hanisms and poli!ies may be adopted that are likely to ensure progress on the goals but that as a side effe!t will e)a!erbate lo!al !onfli!t" $ good e)ample would be pro*e!ts that involve in!reasing !hildrenDs a!!ess to s!hools" $ set of initiatives may in aggregate form indi!ate movement toward Goal / but may also give rise to inequalities a!ross, for e)ample, different ethni! groups" #he latter point, also highlights the !omments made by ,anako in ,epa where he underlines that skewed distribution of progress &or la!k thereof' on the MDGs !an be one of the ma*or fa!tors that ignite !onfli!t" $mina and Moises raise the question under what !onditions are MDGs pertinent to +,D- and its partners in !risis !ountries and when are they less so or in another !ut on this question[when should a megaphone by used and when should the approa!h be more subtle" I am not sure that one !an !ome up with a definitive response" =owever, I would think that MDGs would be more useful in !ases where there is a va!uum in terms of an arti!ulated !ommon national agenda for re!overy" In some of the responses to date, we have seen people fo!us their analysis on spe!ifi! goals" ."g, the dis!ussion on Goal 2 in my view is very helpful" My question is , of the H goals is the view that they are equally important in their impa!t on !onfli!t or should some, like Goal 2 be prioriti@ed: I think that -hilip 7rownDs observation8 E the problem is that the global mainstream development agenda tends to be !onstru!ted on a bifur!ated morality that privileges !ertain !ore development values amenable to prevailing e!onomi! orthodo)ies, while !losing down the dis!ursive spa!e available for alternative and more progressive visions of sustainable human development< is an interesting one" #he solution, is of !ourse, to ensure that the voi!es of those not as!ribing to e!onomi! orthodo)ies are heard and promoted in the debate on MDGs" Su!h an attempt was made in headquarters re!ently where members of the CSU $dvisory Committee to the administrator were en!ouraged to give their views on MDGs" Une theme that emerged at this meeting was that +,D- should use the MDGs as a tool to 8 a' !reate a poli!y spa!e not provided by -%S- b'support innovative ideas that provide alternatives to IM>;W7 poli!ies for e!onomi! relief" Some parti!ipants in parti!ular emphasi@ed that MDGs should be push for debt relief" 7est wishes, .va" Dr" .va 7us@a -oli!y $dvisor 7ureau for Crisis -revention and %e!overy Strategi! -lanning +nit, +,DUne +nited ,ations -la@a, DC4 /0C2 ,ew ?ork, ,? 4004G #el8 &/4/' T02 50HH >a)8 &/4/' T02 2HGG
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Cat$erine &iloto) *%D& %0 #rote: Colleagues, $dding my voi!e to !omments from -hilip, ,eil, and Motselisi, it is glaringly !lear that advan!ing MDGs in a holisti! and not too te!hni!ally oriented manner is an indispensable approa!h" #he !hallenges go beyond simple MDG advo!a!y, as well e)pounded by -hilip for South $fri!a and 6imbabwe" I have the 6imbabwe e)perien!e where government fo!us was on land redistribution as a measure to redress inherited imbalan!es on a!!ess to e!onomi! assets, and efforts on MDG advo!a!y were e)pe!ted to fall within this broad interpretation of poverty eradi!ation" $!!ording to government, MDG 4 was equivalent to land redistribution be!ause it was land that would allow the population to engage in agri!ulture for subsisten!e and !ommer!ial purposes" #his is government attempt to address the real issue after two de!ades of seemingly good e!onomi! performan!e, !onfirmed by huge gains in the e!onomi! and so!ial se!tors" #he same e!onomi! and so!ial stru!tures and approa!hes to development that e)isted prior to independen!e be!ame the modus operandi, with some ad*ustments in some areas, but these were not solid enough drasti!ally sustain progress, until the !ra!ks began to show" #he !ountry today has an in!reasing refugee population, =IJ;$IDS issues, deteriorating so!ial servi!es and a weakened !ivil servi!e, politi!al disagreements and massive brain drain due to the harsh e!onomi! realities et!" all these founded on deep rooted inequalities that have gone unattended for a long time" Crisis and !onfli!t !annot but be ignited or sustained in su!h a situation" We saw what started off as simple bread and butter issues es!alate to !risis and !onfli!t" $ !y!le developed where in sear!h of livelihood and improved living !onditions, population !ollided with state se!urity organs and the relationship gradually degenerated into mistrust and all sorts of interpretation by either side" =uman se!urity was threatened, parti!ularly so when !onfiden!e in state institutions was slowly being eroded, e!onomi! !onditions deteriorating and no outlets out of poverty were readily available" Would MDG !ampaigns and efforts remain pertinent in su!h a situation: $ simple answer will be yes, be!ause there has to e)ist at least some framework within whi!h the development agenda will be !arried forward, 7+# without a multi pronged approa!h, fle)ible enough to a!!ommodate !on!rete realities on the ground, &whi!h has to tou!h on sensitive politi!al issues', MDGs may remain a bu@@ word" #his multi pronged approa!h in my view !alls for mu!h stronger global partnerships in the !onte)t of goal H, but in a more politi!al than te!hni!al tone when the situation requires it, then the way will be paved for the te!hni!al dimensions to be founded on firm ground, be!ause for !omple) politi!al situations, global partnerships at the politi!al level are essential before we !an even engage in issues of debt redu!tion and fair trade" >or !ountries failing even to feed themselves, what fair trade will there be to talk about: Diffi!ult issues to address, but all the same !annot be wished away" Catherine -iloto -oli!y Spe!ialist &+,DGU' ,ew ?ork 8aura Rio) *%D& */1e'istan #rote: Dear parti!ipants in the dis!ussion, I am impressed with the level and depth of this dis!ussion and would like to !ontribute to it" I believe that it is important to highlight the role played by the !on!ept of human se!urity in shaping our understanding of the links between MDGs !risis and !onfli!t at national;sub national and regional levels"
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-rogress on MDGs or la!k of it may affe!t &but also may not dire!tly' !risis and !onfli!t" #he level depends very mu!h on the !ountry national !onte)t, the degree of internal inequalities and how a !ountry is pla!ed &e!onomi!ally and politi!ally' at regional level" #he !ausal;fun!tional link between MDGs and !risis;!onfli!t also depends on how MDGs are per!eived both at top and grass root level, how they are integrated in;are part of the national poli!ies, how targets are measured and how mu!h politi!al will and understanding;ability there is to link !onfli!t and !risis" $lso, those who measure may be those who benefit from !onfli!t and !risis or are untou!hed by them and this !an !ompromise measurement" In your !ountry, how does progress or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targets affe!t !risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;or sustain !risis and !onfli!t: I would like to !ontribute the e)perien!e of my !ountry" +@bekistan is not !ountry in !risis or in !onfli!t" #he !ountry is mainly !on!erned with issues related to living standards and has identified their improvement as a prerequisite for a!hieving national priorities and the MDGs" Despite the !ountryDs e!onomi! a!hievements during the period 4TT/ to /004 the e!onomy has been fa!ing a number of !hallenges, in!luding8 high rates of unemployment and underemploymentA a high degree of inequality in the distribution of in!ome with signifi!ant parts the population e)perien!ing little or no improvement in material !onditions and underutili@ation of produ!tive !apa!ity" #hese fa!tors, together with a still fragile regional se!urity have !learly had an impa!t on human se!urity, have a potential destabili@ing influen!e in so!iety and may aggravate se!urity problems" #hus, deprivation of so!ial and e!onomi! entitlements of one segment of so!iety by another &as already said by David Matanhire' !ould lead to !onfli!t and !risis" #o !ountera!t these trends and a!t as a preventive measure against !onfli!t and !risis, +@bekistan has laun!hed its first ever strategy to improve living standards i"e" Comprehensive Strategy for Improving the Niving Standards of the -eople of +@bekistan< &de fa!to the national poverty redu!tion strategy', a step that will support the !ountryDs e!onomi! and so!ial reform agenda" #he Government is !ommitted to a!hieving the goals of the strategy and has taken the MDGs as the re!ogni@ed framework for monitoring and implementing the NSS for medium term planning, budgeting and monitoring" #he +, C# and +,D- are at the forefront in assisting the !ountry in promoting dialogue on MDGs" In +@bekistan spe!ifi! !ase and within its present poli!y setting, it may be well argued that MDGs and prevention of !risis;!onfli!t deriving from stagnating or worsening living standards !an &and should' be linked" #hus, national efforts to !ombat poverty and linking them with MDGs may prevent possible future !risis or !onfli!t" #he MDGs !an !ertainly a!t as the re!ogni@ed framework for monitoring and implementing poverty redu!tion and all national development strategies, in!luding !risis and !onfli!t prevention" Whether there is a dire!t !ausal;fun!tional link between MDGs improvement and !risis;!onfli!t prevention in the !ountry spe!ifi! !onte)t, this is something that requires more study at !ountry level" Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +,D- and partners in these settings: Generally speaking I believe that the answer to both these questions is yes" ,ational and international partnersD work with and around MDGs is a relatively re!ent development" #here is a gradual move however, from the MDGs seen as a +, produ!t to MDGs as a means to a!hieve development and measure progress" #he shift is parti!ularly evident in the nationali@ation and lo!ali@ation of MDGs"
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If the question refers to !onfli!t prevention too and with the spe!ifi! !ase of +@bekistan in mind, it seems to me that the present interest of national and international partners is indeed on the links between poverty redu!tion &also as a means for !risis prevention' and the MDGs" -overty redu!tion is thus seen as linked, through the MDGs, to a number of issues su!h as environmental sustainability, edu!ation, gender parity, maternal and !hild health and =IJ;$IDS redu!tion dire!tly impa!ting on human se!urity" MDGs are at the !entre of +,D- work in +@bekistan and provide a solid and widely re!ogni@ed entry points in supporting initiatives related to poverty redu!tion &and !risis prevention'" $t +,D- level this is done amongst other, through !reating an enabling environment that supports sustainable mi!ro lending and self employment as well as small and mi!ro enterprise development in the regions and the !ommunities" #hanks for the opportunity to take part in this debate" Naura %io $dviser to +, %C System In +@bekistan &eter 6it$am) *%D& Solomon Islands #rote: Oust a few !omments to elaborate on one or two of ,i!k =artmann3s remarks about !onfli!t and the MDGs in the Solomons" It should be noted that +,D- was approa!hed by the Government of the Solomons to assist it with the preparation of the ,ational .!onomi! %e!overy and %ehabilitation -lan &,.%%D-'" +,D- had been the first donor to be working on the transition from !risis to development and, for the pre!eeding two years &ie well before the regional intervention' had been !onstantly reiterating the need to fo!us on this transition" Un o!!asion, this was quite a lonely stan!eV With the restoration of some degree of stability in the !ountry, both the Government and other donors began to fo!us on more stru!tured and long term approa!hes to the !ountry3s needs8 hen!e the ,.%%D-" Uur !lose involvement in the ,.%%D- pro!ess provided an obvious entry point to enable the use of tailored MDG targets and indi!ators as ben!hmarks for measuring the out!omes of the ,.%%D-" $t a ,ovember /001 donor meeting, the ,.%%D- was a!!epted by the donor !ommunity as the basi! framework for developing their resumed development assistan!e programmes" =owever enthusiasm among donors for the in!lusion of even tailored MDG targets and indi!ators in the ,.%%D- ranged from veiled hostility to outright advo!a!y of su!h an approa!h" #he two lessons I would draw from this e)ample are X4Y +,D-3s involvement was requested at least partly be!ause of our !onsistent position regarding the !onfli!t;development transition &our per!eived neutrality was also important' and X/Y the end of a !onfli!t situation will almost inevitably lead to the formulation of a new multi year plan &however labeled' and this 9ba!k to the drawing board9 period will often provide an e)!ellent opportunity to use nationally tailored MDG targets and indi!ators as a frame" =owever, there must be !areful tailoring to !ountry !ir!umstan!es" Global targets and indi!ators are unlikely to be utilised 9as is9 at national level, let alone at sub national planning level" -eter Witham +nited ,ations %esident Coordinator and +,D- %esident %epresentative A1dulla$i S$ei'$ Ali) Inderpal D$iman) Carsten (ansen) :%S %air C, Somalia #rote:

Dear !olleagues, #here has been e)tensive and thought provoking dis!ussions on MDGs in !onfli!t and disaster situations" #he linkage between !onfli!t and MDGs in the !onte)t of Somalia provides an e)treme !ase as the !ountry has been under !onfli!t !onditions for a de!ade and half and also without a national government" Muestions 4 and / appear to be addressing similar issues and question 1 is !losely related to the points raised in 4 and /, therefore they are addressed together" 4" In your !ountry, how does progress, or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targets affe!t !risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;or sustain !risis and !onfli!t: /" Does, and is, progress toward the MDGs seen as likely to !ontribute to resolution of !onfli!t;!risis and re!overy: 1" Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +,D- and partners in these settings: In the !onte)t of Somalia, la!k of progress towards MDG targets is seen as a !ontributing fa!tor, whi!h !ould have triggered the !onfli!t" =owever, it is playing a ma*or role in es!alating and sustaining the !onfli!t" #he !ivil war resulted in the destru!tion of most of the e!onomi! and so!ial infrastru!ture further es!alating human poverty of one of the poorest !ountries in the world" #his is signifi!ant as la!k of progress towards MDG targets is attributable to the prevailing !onfli!t situation manifested in la!k of governan!e institutions and institutions of e!onomi! management, destru!tion of e!onomi! and so!ial infrastru!ture, large number of displa!ed persons and stunted e!onomi! opportunities" #hese fa!tors !ombined has served to sustain the violent !onfli!t and !risis" %elatively pea!eful areas are e)perien!ing a!!elerated progress towards some of the MDG targets" #he relationship seems to be simultaneous in the sense that Rpea!e and se!urityD is a pre !ondition for a!hieving MDG targets while la!k of it a!!entuates and sustains the !onfli!t" Un Goal / .du!ation , two generations of Somalis have lost out on the opportunity for a basi! edu!ation as a result of the !onfli!t" Somalia has one of the lowest litera!y and enrolment rates in the world" 7asi! edu!ation provides, among other things, a!!ess to better !hoi!es of livelihoods, better a!!ess to information and less vulnerability to so!ial manipulations" .du!ation provides mental development and a level of normality in terms of en!ouraging positive ambitions and produ!tive enterprise" -rogress in a!hieving this MDG goal will also help people in terms of providing better !oping methods and ability to evaluate opportunity !ost of options in times of !risis prevention and;or !onfli!t resolution" Un Goal 1 eliminating gender disparity in edu!ation is a positive step towards improving litera!y amongst women &appro)imately 45B of the adult women in Somalia are literate'" Nitera!y and basi! edu!ation amongst women will enable them to engage in more produ!tive e!onomi! a!tivities and be less vulnerable to e)ploitation and play a more a!tive role in !onfli!t resolution" Un goal G progress in environmental sustainability is important towards !onfli!t resolution and re!overy sin!e Somalis are mainly nomadi! peopleA the e!onomy as it is today relies heavily on agro pastoralism" Une of the dynami!s of !onfli!t in Somalia is the !ompetition for resour!es that are de!lining" With a parti!ular fo!us on reversing loss of environmental resour!es, the !ompetition as well as the resultant !onfli!ts be!ome less severe" $s far as Goal H is !on!erned it is vital for sustaining pea!e" $s far the target for implementing strategies for de!ent and produ!tive work for the youth is !on!erned it will provide skills and opportunities to engage the youth thereby dis!ourage them from be!oming militias" Somalia has suffered from brain drain bought on by e!onomi! and politi!al migration following the !ivil war, opportunities for Somalis left behind to engage in sustainable livelihoods and be part of the re!onstru!tion of their e!onomy will give them a vested interest towards sustaining pea!e" #his !an be !learly seen within Somalia itself where some regions are relatively more pea!eful where fun!tional administrations e)ist" #he Diaspora and private se!tor are in!reasingly investing to rebuild the e!onomy in su!h regions"
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C" What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the Millennium De!laration: MDGs stri!tly interpreted refer only to some basi! dimensions of human" #hey do not refle!t dimensions su!h as human se!urity, governan!e and !onfli!t, whi!h, of !ourse, are part of the broader Millennium De!laration"" Without se!urity there is no !han!e of reali@ing the MDGs" #o the e)tent that human se!urity en!ompasses the !hallenges of poverty, hunger, underdevelopment and disease the MDGs, by fo!using on deprivations in basi! dimensions of human lives, represent the deprivations in human rights and human se!urity in that !onte)t" >or e)ample, poverty is termed as the greatest denial of human rights" #he goals of the MDGs !on!entrating on redu!ing e)treme poverty and hunger, that of redu!ing !hild mortality, improving maternal health, halving the proportion of people without a!!ess to safe water, a!hieving universal primary edu!ation and promoting gender equality in edu!ation and empowering women are dire!tly be related to human rights as we understand them and !an be *ustified as human rights in the !onte)t of the +D=%" =owever in Somalia without the institutions and enfor!ement me!hanisms in pla!e human se!urity is threatened on a daily basis" Somalia MDG #eam $bdullahi Sheikh $li, Inderpal Dhiman, Carsten =ansen, Q,S ,air Anil :C *%D& %epal #rote: Dear -arti!ipants, 7ased on the e)perien!es of ,epal, I would like to make the following observations8 4" #here is a link between the MDG and !onfli!t, and this link is two way" Une affe!ts the other" Sometimes, there is !hallenge on where to start" Na!k of progress on MDG !reates a fertile ground for es!alation of the !onfli!t" Un the other hand, severe !onfli!t does not allow the MDG related programmes to operate at the grassroots level" Moreover, the pro!ess and me!hanism is also very important" >or e)ample, in ,epal, the rebels in some areas do not allow any programme that is per!eived as Government programme to be implemented on the ground" In su!h situation, the programme has to distan!e itself from the Government logo" In su!h situation, ma*or programmes that are implemented by Government through its normal !hannel !annot produ!e the desired impa!t, and risk minimum;no progress on MDG" +se of non Government se!tors is vital in su!h !ases" It is also our e)perien!e that parti!ipatory planning, programming and resour!e allo!ation involving the !ommunity people should be in pla!e before we are able to implement any programme" $ *udi!ious balan!e between the parti!ipatory development and qui!k impa!t programmes should be made to gain the !onfiden!e of the lo!al people" Mapping the benefit of the programme also helps to address the issue of inequity, whi!h is one of the root !auses of !onfli!t" $ mu!h more vigorous effort is required to &a' build linkage of MDG with ,ational, Distri!t and No!al -lans and &b' to mobilise;generate resour!es to meet the MDG goals" /" If every segment of so!iety feel that they are benefiting from the MDG related development programmes in !on!rete terms, it will !ontribute to minimi@e the !onfli!t" Implementing the programme in very remote, ina!!essible villages is a ma*or !hallenge for ,epal" 1" MDG is now mu!h talked about at all levels &national and distri!t level' whi!h is the result of several workshops and intera!tion programmes" Development -artners see MDG as providing relevant framework and dire!tion for the programme goal" best regards, anil k! +,D-, ,epal
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S$afi= A$mad >ari/ada) *%D& Afg$anistan #rote: Dear all, Something from $fghanistan on question one" I hope I am not too late" In your country) $o# does progress) or lac' of progress) to#ards MDG sectors and targets affect crisis and conflict? In ot$er #ords does poverty and lac' of progress on MDGs ignite and3or sustain crisis and conflict? In the !onte)t of $fghanistan, the linkages between poverty and !onfli!t are quite !lear" #he prin!ipal !ause of inse!urity in $fghanistan is not deep ideologi!al differen!esA rather, it is the !ompetition for s!ar!e resour!es" -overty and la!k of edu!ation are the main !ontributors to !onfli!t" If one looks at the armed militia involved in the $fghan !onfli!t, the ma*ority of these people are either having very little edu!ation or no edu!ation" >or people with little or no skill, there are hardly employment opportunities available in the market" #herefore, keeping weapon is !onsidered the only means to e)tra!t livelihood" #he reintegration strategy of the Disarmament, Demobili@ation and %eintegration program of +,D- in $fghanistan underlines the need for !reating !onditions that allow the demobili@ed individuals to stay within and be!ome a produ!tive member of their so!iety" #his is being a!hieved in a variety of ways, in!luding development of in!reased opportunities for employment, provision of !redit, vo!ational training and a!!ess to edu!ation at all levels" #he ,ational Development >ramework of $fghanistan also !alls for a demobili@ation pro!ess that !reates in!ome generating opportunities for former !ombatants, provides e!onomi! support to their !ommunities, and laun!hes national re!on!iliation initiatives and pea!e edu!ation !ampaigns" 7est regards, Shafiq $hmad Mari@ada $ssistant Country Dire!tor +,D- $fghanistan Jonas Ra1inovitc$ *%D& %0 #rote: Dear $mina and Moises, If we mystify the MDGs ourselves we would run the risk of !onfusing means and ends" #he MDGs, by definition, are development goals" #hey do not !ome with a Manual of Instru!tions" $t the same time, I believe we all agree that they do represent a unique opportunity for advo!ating poli!y responses to a series of development !hallenges that have been around for a long time" $ !ountry that !omplies with all MDGs targets would not normally be !onsidered in !risis" =owever, my main point is that based on the e)perien!e in $fghanistan, Somalia, .ast #imor, Qosovo and others, !risis situations do highlight the importan!e of engaging lo!al a!tors &muni!ipalities, !ommunities, CSUs' at the sub national level in the pro!ess of ta!kling development goals" Conversely, the pro!ess of ta!kling development goals at the lo!al level !ould !ontribute to remove a !ountry from a !risis situation" Uur ability to a!t fast in partnership with lo!al a!tors !ould be !onsidered a key strategi! entry point in terms of lo!ali@ing MDGs in !risis situations"
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$s we know, !risis situations tend to fra!ture national authority and pla!e emphasis on lo!al a!tors and leaderships" In war torn Somalia, for e)ample, even without a national government the warlords had to agree that people needed basi! urban servi!es and means of livelihood" I would like to !on!lude by drawing your attention to the fa!t that the 7ergen Conferen!e series this year has produ!ed a series of papers on the issue of governan!e and !risis !ountries, in!luding a spe!ifi! one on de!entrali@ation" I hope this is useful" 7est regards Oonas Isa1ella 6atersc$oot) S*R; 7rinidad . 7o1ago #rote: GreetingsV I would like to !ontribute to the dis!ussion by providing from brief insights on the linkages between MDGs;Crisis and gender issues, whi!h no one has yet mentioned in this forum and whi!h are key to re!onstru!tion, demobilisation, reintegration, demilitarisation and overall goal of pea!ebuilding" I wish my !ontribution !ould generate more !ontributions on the ne)us of MDGs;Crisis and gender issues be!ause it is simply very diffi!ult to ignore itV >rom a stri!tly MDG perspe!tive it seems as though Goal 1 is absorbing those linkages" 7ut it isn3t for two reasons8 &i' indi!ators;targets laid out for Goal 1 are restri!tiveA &ii' gender mainstreaming is the +,;+,D- strategy for promoting gender equality and the advan!ement of women and as su!h all Goals must have measurable indi!ators;targets on gender issues" Women &and !hildren' are the ma*ority amongst the millions of internally displa!ed people, refugees, and vi!tims of war violen!e &rape as weapon of war, se)ual e)ploitation, in!luding trade and traffi!king'" #his is not an usual humanitarian !risis" 7ut rather a brea!h of human dignity, respe!t, toleran!e, human se!urity and human rights8 a! !risis within the !risis requiring, fo!used attention and poli!y level analysis to further guide initiatives already in pla!e" In a nutshell, the ne)us between MDGs;Crisis and gender issues !an be addressed as follows8 4' With regard to Gender ( Confli!t transformation &!risis situations, !onfli!t, post !onfli!t re!onstru!tion, pea!ebuilding ' there are very !lear and !on!rete initiatives already addressing some of the key linkages8 early warning, gender analysis of !onfli!t situation, pea!ekeeping missions data !olle!tion, gender based violen!e data !olle!tion, small arms and light weapons from a gender perspe!tives" Gender ( leadership issues on pea!ebuilding initiatives, advo!a!y for +, Se!urity %esolution 41/5 &adopted U!tober /000 at unanimity' addressing Women , -ea!e and Se!urity issuesA /' #he question posed8 What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the Millennium De!laration: .)!erpts of answers are8 from a gender perspe!tive &i' human se!urity should be 9a !omfort @one9 where women would be assured of re!eiving prote!tion in times of war;!risis;!onfli!t8 these @ones do not e)ists and it must be addressedA &ii' pea!e and development as a so!ietal goal must be in!lusive of women" #he Mano %iver -ro*e!t &West $fri!a' is an e)ample and the list is longer butnot for this forum" #he International Community has re!ognised and is supporting the +, SC %esolution 41/5, has been providing support to its implementation and moreover to progressively set up me!hanisms to hold Government a!!ountable for la!k of implementation" Momentum is also !urrently growing on the eve of its Cth year &U!tober /00C' to set up a me!hanisms to ensure that 9women, pea!e and se!urity9 be!omes a permanent item on the agenda of the +, Se!urity Coun!il"
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It is !lear than that theMDGs;Crisis ne)us must be provided through a !lear gender perspe!tive whether for reporting or monitoring progress purposes" $ll the best for a ri!h dis!ussion" Isabella Isabella Waters!hoot Gender Spe!ialist Gender,et ,etwork >a!ilitator Website8 ###4undp4org3gender >or network subs!riptions send a request to isa1ella?surf4undp4org4tt Janne %iemi . Rui Gomes) *%D& 7imor-8este #rote: Distinguished !olleagues, MDGs provide a !ompelling normative framework for the formulation of national and international poli!ies, in!luding poverty redu!tion strategies" 7y using the MDGs, the fo!us shift from a general view of poverty and its root !auses to individuals and groups who are vulnerable, marginal, disadvantaged or so!ially e)!luded" #hus, a!hieving the Goals requires that laws and institutions that foster dis!rimination against su!h individuals and groups be eliminated and more resour!es devoted to areas of a!tivity with the greatest potential to benefit the poor" -overty is powerlessness and voi!eless, a!!ording to the World 7ankDs Joi!es of the -oor" -overty redu!tion is essentially about su!h empowerment" When the poor is empowered, !onfli!t is unlikely" #imor NesteDs ,ational Development -lan &,D-' formulation pro!ess !aptured peopleDs vision and priorities through nationwide !onsultations, involving 1H,000 men, women and youth" #he #imorese, in the Jision /0/0 and the ,ational Development -lan, without having learned about MDGs, a!knowledge the importan!e of edu!ation, health, water supply and a de!ent standard of living for all, things that were negle!ted during the -ortuguese and Indonesian regimes" >urther, the ,D- was written with spe!ifi! referen!e to MDGs, making above mentioned fo!us on poor and vulnerable e)pli!it for nation that is re!overing from !risis" #he MDGs, as the first set of quantitative and time bound goals ever agreed by developing and developed !ountries, form the basis on whi!h to mobili@e resour!es for investing in human development" In a way, the MDGs address the failures of human development in the past" 7ut there are still serious doubts that #imor Neste is !apable to take up the task of bringing about those aspirations into reality" #his is understandable" Institutions are still weak and some are non e)istent" Demo!ra!y is still in a fragile !ondition" #he politi!al parties are weak and the opposition is yet to be an alternative" In some parts, the out!ry of the e) !ombatants and the war veterans is still heard" $s a result of marginali@ation of !ertain groups from the nation building pro!ess, the riots of De!ember /00/, with disastrous !onsequen!es to the nation, were inevitable" Marginali@ation is one of the most important !auses of impoverishment" Dis!ontentment is widespread among the widows and many of those who gave their lives to fighting for independen!e" $ number of government offi!ials seem unable to e)tri!ate themselves from the temptation of !orruption" $nd on top of these, the !ountryDs e!onomi! prospe!t seems to spin more deeply down into the mud" #he result of too mu!h !on!entration of development in the urban area of Dili has brought about long term !onsequen!es" Massive migration into the urban area of Dili has been inevitable" In an agrarian so!iety, immigration often results in environmental degradation as a result of the use of slash and burn pra!ti!es, the formation of slum areas, et!" >amilies have lost e!onomi! power
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and they e)perien!e a slide downwards" #his has led to dis!ontentment, whi!h !ulminated in De!ember /00/" Nike marginali@ation, landlessness !an also !ontribute to impoverishment and thus breeding !onfli!t" Nandlessness is a form of de!apitali@ation of the poor" +nless the government takes strong and long term measures to over!ome the issues of landlessness and inequitable distribution of land, !onfli!t is likely to o!!ur" $t the rate of population growth &of 1B pa', land inequality may widen to an e)tent that peasants;farmers no longer tolerate and revolts may result" =ope this is not too late a rea!tion to $mina3s and Moises3 provo!ative questions" %egards, Oanne ,iemi &O-U' and %ui Gomes &,-U' +,D- #imor Neste %ao'i Maega#a) *%D& 8esot$o #rote: Dear all, I would like to bring another e)ample of a regional aspe!t to the dis!ussion in response to the additional question below" 1" $ number of you &Mia, Umar and ,eil' also tou!hed on a regional dimension to MDG implementation and re!overy, whi!h frankly has not be dis!ussed mu!h &or very little' until now" ItDs a very interesting aspe!t" $ny other e)amples of regional !on!erns and a!tion out there: -eople voluntarily and sometimes are for!ed to move regardless of the boundary for many reasons" In the !ase of Southern $fri!a, South $fri!a as a regional power is re!eiving a signifi!ant number of people from neighbouring !ountries in!luding Nesotho, where I am working now" #he reasons for the movement of su!h people, whether they are legal or not, vary" =owever, I would like to highlight some of the e!onomi! fa!tors in Nesotho, whi!h !annot be dis!ussed without its !lose tie with South $fri!a, and are indeed signifi!antly affe!ting the !hroni! !risis of food se!urity, poverty and =IJ;$IDS ne)us &Mr" $le) de Waal, senior advisor on =IJ;$IDS and governan!e to the +, .!onomi! Commission for $fri!a !all the situation as 3,ew Jariant >amine3'" In fa!t, Nesotho and most of the neighbouring !ountries are ta!kling two goals at the same time8 MDG GU$N 48 .%$DIC$#. .\#%.M. -UJ.%#? $,D =+,G.% and GU$N 28 CUM7$# =IJ;$IDS, M$N$%I$ $,D U#=.% DIS.$S.S" $t a national level, Nesotho is dependent on South $fri!a for up to 20B of its staple !ereal requirements in a 9normal 9 year" =owever, e!onomi! growth has been slow and *ob !reation has not kept pa!e with the growth in the workfor!e" #he poor and vulnerable, whether rural or urban, do not have the pur!hasing power to buy food on the open market" Uver the past de!ade, the requirements for emergen!y relief have grown, both in terms of the numbers of the food inse!ure and the frequen!y of emergen!y appeals" #he in!reasing o!!urren!e of these requirements indi!ates that su!h 3a!ute3 situations have be!ome part of a !hroni! food se!urity problem and should be addressed through other measures aimed at addressing longer term development issues" #he !umulative impa!ts of environmental de!line, !limate fa!tors &mostly drought' and failures to develop and disseminate agri!ultural te!hniques appropriate to the level of !limati! variability in sub humid and semi arid lands are e)a!erbated by the =IJ;$IDS pandemi! under!utting both agri!ultural produ!tion and lo!al !oping systems" #he main question is whether Nesotho has a food !risis or a broader poverty !risis" #he !urrent !risis is as mu!h a !risis of pur!hasing power, espe!ially be!ause of the retren!hments from the South $fri!a mines that have taken pla!e over the last de!ade &1 to 5 B of the !ountry population are working as miners in South $fri!a' and rising mai@e pri!es be!ause of un!ertainty, as one of food availability" #he point is that the national approa!h to the MDG and !risis in development is sometimes missing the fa!tor of transboundary movement of people and goods" In the !ase of Nesotho, we are seeing a heavy e!onomi! dependen!e on South $fri!a, a national food !risis in the !onte)t of bilateral trade, and the impa!t of people3s movement on the spread of =IJ;$IDS" It may not be dire!tly relevant to the relationship between !risis and development, but there are some other issues su!h as the brain drain, human traffi!king and smuggling of drugs" #herefore, I would like
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to emphasise the importan!e of a regional approa!h to a!hieve the MDG more effe!tively as the !ase may be" 7est regards, ,aoki Maegawa O-U;-rogramme Uffi!er +,D- Nesotho Jennifer Slotin) *%D& :osovo #rote: Dear Colleagues, I should have !himed in long ago, but I am afraid !ir!umstan!es did not allow" I would like to !ontribute a bit to the questions from both the first and se!ond parts of the dis!ussion" >irst I should say that I am writing from Qosovo" $s most of you know, Qosovo is still legally part of Serbian and Montenegro but has been under the trusteeship of the +, Interim Mission in Qosovo &+,MIQ' sin!e 4TTT" +nlike many other pea!ekeeping missions, the +,D- %%;%C does not have a !learly defined role in the mission" #his !reates a dis!onne!t between the politi!al and development fun!tions of the +, System on the ground, whi!h makes the question of the MDGs parti!ularly tri!ky" Un Muestion 4 from the first part of the dis!ussion &=ow does progress or la!k of progress on MDG se!tors affe!t !onfli!t or !risis, et!' I would argue that la!k of progress on MDG se!tors !auses in!reased deprivation and frustration among the population, whi!h prevents a !onsolidation of pea!e and stability and !an lead to in!reased tensions and re!ourse to violen!e" Un Mar!h 4G, 4H of this year there was an outbreak of violent riots in Qosovo, whereby the ma*ority $lbanian population targeted Serbs and other minorities" $ few figures from +,D-3s .arly Warning %eports are quite telling8 >rom publi! opinion data !olle!ted on a quarterly basis sin!e ,ovember /00/ &the last opinion poll was !ondu!ted *ust weeks before the Mar!h events', per!eptions of family well being de!lined by /0B, politi!al and e!onomi! pessimism in!reased by 40B and the level of registered unemployed in!reased by 10B" Moreover, in terms of the institutions that should be responsible for developing and implementing poli!ies that address the needs of the population, satisfa!tion with the performan!e of +,MIQ de!lined by C0B and satisfa!tion with the performan!e of the Qosovo $ssembly and the Qosovo Government de!lined by 40B and 5B respe!tively" What these figures tell us is that persistent poverty and unemployment perpetuates a la!k of opportunity and a lot of frustration" I think this is a parti!ularly a!ute problem for post !onfli!t environments that are not ne!essarily in least developed regions, but in !ountries in transition" In transitional environments e)pe!tations are very high" Consequently, a la!k of progress on MDG se!tors &parti!ularly when over 50B of the population is under /5 years old and 5/B of the youth population is unemployed' promotes a sense of disillusionment with 3pea!e3 and demo!ra!y" >ive years on from the !onfli!t in Qosovo, people do not feel the pea!e dividend be!ause their lives have not gotten per!eptibly better" #his is, for me, the MDG;!risis ne)us" #he MDGs provide a user friendly, internally a!!epted framework to guide national development planning in !onte)ts where these gains are so !ru!ial to !onsolidating pea!e" %egarding Muestion / from the first part of the dis!ussion &Does, and is, progress toward the MDGs seen as likely to !ontribute to resolution of !onfli!ts:' ,ot quite" $t the end of the day there are !ertain aspe!ts of deep rooted !onfli!ts that must be resolved politi!ally" =owever, as I said above, I believe that progress on the MDGs !ontributes to
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re!overy by bringing livelihood gains to the population" $s many !olleagues highlighted through this dis!ussion, equitable progress towards the MDGs is parti!ularly !ru!ial in environments where inter ethni! tensions are quite volatile" %edu!ing relative deprivation is an essential ingredient for !onfli!t prevention" ,ow, I3d like to turn to questions 4 and / from the /nd part of the dis!ussion &MDGs being asso!iated with $fri!an !ountries and the need to be subtle about the MDGs in !ertain !onte)ts'" I would agree with my !olleagues8 the MDGs are a hard sell in .urope" =ow do we handle this: #he short answer is8 with subtlety" $lthough Qosovo is a unique !ase in some respe!ts, I think the approa!h may be instru!tive" #he -rovisional Government in Qosovo is overwhelmed by targets and ben!hmarks" #he .+ has their pre pre a!!ession me!hanism, +,MIQ has an established set of standards, the World 7ank is !urrently produ!ing a poverty report &in !lose !ooperation with +,D-' and +,D- is releasing the /nd Qosovo =D% in a !ouple of weeks" $nd then there3s the MDGs" #he approa!h taken by the +,DG in Qosovo thus far has been to raise the MDGs in so mu!h as they feed in to and support the other pro!esses I listed above" #his is not to say that the MDGs are not mentioned" Indeed an MDG 7aseline %eport for Qosovo was re!ently released and the MDGs are often raised by the +, Development Coordinator and other =eads of $gen!ies" =owever, the point is that it is done in a subtle way that supports the government3s efforts and priorities" In many !ases, there is simply too mu!h on the government3s agenda, parti!ularly in a nas!ent demo!ra!y" In fa!t, in Qosovo the MDGs are present in different shapes and forms in the other targets and ben!hmarks that the government is already working towards" #herefore, I think a subtle approa!h that raises the MDGs without foisting them upon a government !an be a good interim measure until the time is right for them to be digested properly" 7est %egards, Oenna Oennifer Slotin -rogramme $nalyst, Demo!rati! Governan!e #eam Spe!ial $ssistant to the +, Development Coordinator +,D- Qosovo -rishtina #el8 &F1H4"1H' /CT"022 )"4/C Mob8 &F1GG"CC' /T5"/G2 >a)8 &F1H4"1H' /CT"025 Website8 www"ks"undp"org ;ernando (errera) *%D& Colom1ia #rote: Un behalf of >ernando =errera, +,D- Colombia8 MDGs8 #he path to sustainable pea!e
Is poverty the !ause of !onfli!t in Colombia: Does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;or sustain !risis and !onfli!t: Does progress towards the MDGs !ontribute to resolution of !onfli!t and re!overy in Colombia: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of the +,D- and its partners in Colombia:
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In order to make a sound refle!tion on the matter, it is important to take noti!e that the way in whi!h the relationship between !onfli!t and poverty is ta!kled influen!es the !on!lusions about its !auses, evolution, and spe!ially the possibility of imagining post !onfli!t solutions" It is ne!essary for organi@ations su!h as the +,D- to embark upon this latter issue, in order to ensure the grounds to guarantee future sustainable pea!e" +nderstanding pea!e as a dynami! where it is possible to think about liberties without obsta!les su!h as fear, vulnerability and absen!e of human dignity" -overty in Colombia is not a suffi!ient !ause to e)plain !onfli!t now, probably it was one of the reasons to start the !onfli!t 50 years ago" #oday obviously the drug traffi!king, geopoliti!al reasons or greed are more important, however we do have a politi!al !onfli!t &to say that grievan!e also matters'" It is important to re!ogni@e poverty in ColombiaDs !onfli!t" >or instan!e, many sons of !ampesinos *oin guerrilla or paramilitary movements as an employment &unemployment' alternative" In ColombiaDs !onfli!t evolution, poverty has been an important fa!tor, espe!ially in the fa!t that its presen!e does not !onstitute a favorable !onte)t for sustainable post !onfli!t solutions" -overty weakens the grounds for durable pea!e and the so!ial bases that will press for !onsensual solutions" Sustainable post !onfli!t s!enarios are related to the improvement of the !onditions of the poor" >or this reason, advan!ing towards the !hallenges proposed in the MDGs weakens ColombiaDs !onfli!t" It will strengthen the State and its so!iety, due to the fa!t that MDGs are dire!tly related to8 State presen!e in the territory, institutional strengthening and !ommunity empowerment" It is true that !ommunity vulnerability is related to the populationDs living !onditions" #he !ommunity is more vulnerable when it does not !ount with minimal welfare !onditions, as those suggested by the MDGs" #he effe!ts of !onfli!t are also greater when there is a la!k of agreements on the fundamental !hallenges" #he !hallenge is to advan!e in the a!hievement of the MDG, when at the same time ColombiaDs !onfli!t endangers the possibility of a!hieving them" Confli!t deepens poverty, it is !lear in the !ase of internally displa!ed people, more than two million in Colombia" It is also !lear when a!!ess to edu!ation is denied in !onfli!t @ones" It is !lear when !hildren and women have taken the worst part of the !onfli!t, when men die in the war and they have to provide for the !hildren and take !are of the family" When there are parts of the territory where food is s!ar!e, when the environment is affe!ted by illi!it !rop growing, et!" In all this !on!rete situations the !onfli!t has endanger the so!ial !onditions of people" =owever, the !hallenge fa!ing Colombia is how to advan!e towards MDGs in the middle of a !onfli!t, !onsidering they would weaken the !onfli!t and would permit building the grounds for sustainable pea!e" =ere is where MDGs offer !lues as to the importan!e of building strong international networks !apable of supporting their enfor!ement and a!hievement in the middle of the adverse !onfli!t, but, above all, supporting the State and the !ommunities in taking a vision towards pea!e when the everyday situation dire!ts human, so!ial and politi!al resour!es towards other priorities" Daniel -e!aut, an e)pert in Colombian !onfli!t, !on!luded that one of the diffi!ulties in sear!hing for a solution to the !onfli!t and advan!e towards development and welfare is that everyday violen!e absorbs the !ountryDs development energy and !apa!ity" +,D-]s *ob in this sense !ould be fundamental in supporting the State and so!iety during the !onfli!t to advan!e in the a!hievement of the MDGs" $bove all, when post !onfli!t pea!e
35

sustainability depends on it" $s it is e)posed in the millennium de!laration, a!hievement of these goals depends on support, network building and allian!es" ColombiaDs =uman Development %eport talks about its !onfli!t as a ECul de sa! with way out<, but this path needs to be sustainable" It is not enough to get to its door, where armed a!tors leave their weapons and adopt a demo!rati! path" $fter opening the door, it is ne!essary to maintain the pea!e road, a pea!e with human development and welfare" +,D-]s role is fundamental in this sense, !ontributing to think about a !ountry in pea!e, giving support in the a!hievement of MDGs to build sustainable pea!e >ernando =errera, +,D- Colombia
Roma -$attac$ar+ea) :at$mandu S*R;3*%D& %epal #rote: Dear Colleagues, #hank you for initiating this very important dis!ussion on MDGs, !onfli!t and development" I would like to !ontribute from a multi !ountries perspe!tive, as I have lived and worked through different !onfli!t e)perien!es in the world, though most re!ently, my e)perien!es have been in $fghanistan, Sri Nanka and ,epal" I am very indebted to the ri!h !ontributions from different !olleagues, so far, whi!h have resonated deeply with me, as I will shortly point out" #o address questions 4 and /, I would like to begin by endorsing the e)!ellent !omments made by my !olleague from ,epal, stating that, while E the !auses of the !onfli!t are !omple)^ however, it is well do!umented today that absolute poverty, so!ial and politi!al e)!lusion, a!ute inequality and inequity in the distribution of resour!es and opportunities among different identity groups based on gender, !aste and ethni!ity, and failure of politi!al stru!tures to address these issues have made ,epal e)tremely vulnerable to the !onfli!t"< #his is not *ust true of ,epal, but as has been pointed out by global resear!h that there is a high propensity for intra national !onfli!t where e)perien!es of _hori@ontal inequalitiesD between so!ially !onstru!ted groups within the same nation is e)perien!ed" #he notion of _hori@ontal inequalitiesD refers to the e)perien!e of differential a!!ess to so!io e!onomi! resour!es and to power sharing between different so!ially !onstru!ted groups within the same !ountry" #hus, earlier in this dis!ussion, my !olleague from South $fri!a has referred to an e)perien!e of Etwo nations< within the same !ountry" #his then prompts us to ask what are then, a possible set of !ommon threads running through intra national !onfli!t, MDGs and gender inequality: Nessons learned from working on gender and MDGs in different !ountries, and additionally in a transition !ountry like Sri Nanka, suggest that intra national !onfli!t, MDGs and gender inequality makes us attend to the analysis of inequality" $ll three issues, should en!ourage, allow the spa!e to disaggregate national a!hievements in development, disaggregate national averages of in!ome and non in!ome poverty" #he MDGs allow us an opportunity to probe into a disaggregated pi!ture of poverty, to attend to disparities by se), by rural urban, by ethni!ity, by !lass and !aste" #he MDGs provide us an opportunity to !apture the poverty of so!ial e)!lusion, as highlighted by the Guatemala e)perien!e where the levels of poverty for the indigenous populations were mu!h higher" I would therefore argue that addressing differential a!hievements on the MDGs, issues of a!!ess and redistribution are not *ust integral to developing a pro poor poli!y framework for a !ountry but also integral to sustainable pea!e and development" Muestion 1 makes us attend to ways forward at the !ountry level, at what may appear a daunting task of operationali@ing the MDGs in the middle of a post !onfli!t ; !risis; transition setting" In a

post !onfli!t setting, it might be better to avoid any approa!h that positions the MDGs as an _add onD or a +, driven agenda, but rather position the MDGs, as a Epriority setting< tool, as suggested by the !ontribution from the Solomon Islands, an approa!h that situates the MDGs within the most important issues in the minds of people after !onfli!t in!ome and food se!urity, restoration of basi! servi!es su!h as edu!ation and so on" It is !riti!al that the MDGs are woven into the basi! framework for post !onfli!t re!overy rather like what was done in the Solomons" #o address Muestion C, here, we need to analyti!ally develop and build on the link between the MDGs and the broader notion of =uman Se!urity as understood by the =uman Development report &4TTC', that as we know, views human se!urity as in!lusive of seven !ategories for both men and women8 &4' e!onomi! se!urityA &/' food se!urityA &1' health se!urityA &C' environmental se!urityA &5' personal se!urityA &2' !ommunity se!urityA and &G' politi!al se!urity" #hus above all our work in !risis settings should be informed by the MDGs and human se!urity framework" >rom a gender perspe!tive the implementation of +, Se!urity Coun!il %esolution &41/5' on Women, -ea!e and Se!urity needs to be integrated into this overar!hing approa!h" #he latter would in!lude a twin strategy8 integrating gender and poverty into the framework for post !onfli!t re!overy Sboth into the poli!y and institutional framework and additionally, targeting our pro*e!t;program interventions better to addressing the livelihood strategies of women headed households, internally displa!ed women, war widows and vi!tims of violen!e and landmines and so on" >inally, in terms of entry points for implementing some of what has been dis!ussed above, some pra!ti!al lessons learned from !ountry level e)perien!es in!lude a' #he pau!ity of data is often a huge !hallenge after !onfli!t here we !an ensure that any database being built is informed by attention to disaggregation by se), rural urban, sub national disparities, ethni!ity, !aste et!" &b' .nsure that all short term qui!k impa!t work fo!uses on in!ome and food se!urity and is better targeted to vulnerable populations in!luding women headed households, women internally displa!ed persons, vi!tims of violen!e et!" as we are trying to do in Sri Nanka, and pla!e all Mui!k Impa!t Interventions within a larger developmental framework as we did in developing the design of the $gri!ulture se!tor interventions in $fghanistan &!' Design monitoring systems that address the above mentioned disparities et!" &d' go beyond the MDGs to getting these issues into a poli!y dis!ussion if not integrating these issues into the framework for re!overy" >inally, I agree with my !olleague in ,epal that E the potentiality of the MDGs to be a powerful tool to address the root !auses of !onfli!t and thus !ontribute to !onfli!t transformation S is yet to be re!ogni@ed"< In this !onte)t, a lot of work needs to be done in bringing together our work on MDGs and !onfli!t more systemati!ally" Some small !on!rete steps forward might in!lude8 Developing a briefing note on the !ross !utting issues of MDGs and !onfli!t and mapping some good pra!ti!es around the world and !reate a dedi!ated website and MDGs and !onfli!t sub pra!ti!e" Warm regards %oma Angeles Arenas) -C&R3*%D& &anama #rote: Dear !olleagues, I would like to !ontribute to this important dis!ussion on MDGs, !onfli!t and development sharing with you a do!ument with some thoughts related to human rights and people affe!ted by !risis" #his !ould help us to address Muestion C, in whi!h we need to analyti!ally develop and build on the link between the MDGs and the broader notion of =uman Se!urity as understood by the =uman Development report &4TTC', that as we know, views human se!urity as in!lusive of seven !ategories for both men and women8 &4' e!onomi! se!urityA &/' food se!urityA &1' health se!urityA &C' environmental se!urityA &5' personal se!urityA &2' !ommunity se!urityA and &G' politi!al se!urity" #he do!ument that I am atta!hing !omes from Colombia and it highlights the fa!t that Se!urity and Sustainability are synonymous" It proposes a refle!tion for us about the importan!e that se!urity measures do not !onstitute a threat for lo!al populations" #he do!ument proposes
3!

seven aspe!ts, or basi! rights8 a' right of re!eive prote!tion from government, b' right of information, !' right of parti!ipation, d' right integrality of the pro!esses, e' right of diversity, f' right of gender sensitive measures, g' right self management, h' right of priority, i' right of !ontinuity of the pro!esses, *' %ight with mass media, k' right of ,atureDs parti!ipation and, finally, the right of prevention #he do!ument provides a set of indi!ators oriented to measure the link between se!urity pro!esses and human rights of people affe!ted by !risis that allow us to assess how our interventions !ontribute or not to build !apa!ities" #he do!ument will enri!h this dis!ussion in Spanish and will share with you an .nglish version if it is available from the author" $dditionally I am pleased to share with you my per!eption about question 1, related on per!eption of national and international partners about MDGs as a relevant instrument for !risis risk redu!tion resolution and the pertinen!e of MDG]s to the work of +,D- and partners" My daily *ob allows me to be in permanent !onta!t with national and international partners related to disaster risk redu!tion" Une of the permanent question is8 =ow we !an do development in !ountries and regions that living with high level of risks:, =ow we !an look for synergies and make our efforts more !onvergent with the priorities of politi!al agendas in !ountries we work: In my opinion, international partners do per!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for this questions and they per!eive +,D- as the main partner" .)ample of this has been the in!lusion of MDG]s on .C disaster risk prevention pro*e!ts proposals in Central $meri!a" Most of international partners donDt know deeply MDG]s but they !onsider them as the most important effort to !onstitute a !ommon global agenda" so MDG]s are per!eived as a tool to !onverge efforts and to raise some aspe!ts in a global agenda and to establish links between lo!al, national, regional and global dimension" in addition, the pro!ess developed in !ountries to measure MDG]s progress is !onsidered as an opportunity to bring together different stakeholders and establish !ommon approa!hes" $ngeles $renas %egional Disaster %edu!tion $dvisor N$C 7C-% +,D#el8&50G' /25H451;/25H42H >a)8&50G' /25HCC5 -anamW, %ep -anamW &raveen &ardes$i) *%D&3-C&R Geneva #rote: Dear Moises ; $mina $n e)!ellent dis!ussion drawing out in great depth, links between attaining MDGs and redu!ing !onfli!t fuelling fa!tors" Net me begin with the e)!ellent mid point summary, and then link these into your fresh queries" EIn essen!e MDGs !an be part of an overall par!el to se!ure !onfli!t resolution and re!overy" Members felt that the !ountries that have a!hieved the MDGs are less likely to be prone to !onfli!t as the Eenabling environment< needed to a!hieve the MDGs is the same as the one for pea!e, stability and se!urity<" While these are very good generali@ations, the departures from this generali@ation are unfortunately what !on!ern us "Some of the ma*or !onfli!t affli!ted !ountries" ,epal , Sri lanka and Indonesia have been showing improving =uman development inde) and de!lining poverty level 8 graph !ompiled from G=D%, /001 atta!hed"& ,ote 8 While =uman development inde) is not the same as attaining MDGs, in as mu!h as =DI together with =uman -overty inde) are good pro)y for progress towards primary litera!y, life e)pe!tan!y for the , !hild
3"

and maternal mortality, and =-I for redu!ing poverty, we !ould use these in the absen!e of long term aggregated trends on different MDGs'" Despite rising =DI ; falling poverty levels all Sri Nanka, Indonesia, ,epal !ountries are in the throes of ma*or internal !onfli!ts" If one probes below the national levels, at the sub regional, steady progress in improving human development inde) and redu!ing poverty at the national level hides grave regional disparities" #he regions of high poverty; low =DI, &and there by low levels of attainments in MDGs' are pre!isely those where !onfli!t is being fueled" Maps from ,epal and Indonesia show regional inequalities in levels of human poverty, !hild nutrition and human development levels !oin!ide with regions of internal !onfli!t &!li!k here to see the maps8 http8;;!ontent"undp"org;go;b!pr;7C-% Do!uments;file;download;=DIFFB/H1B/T"ppt:dZid`44444H(g44n"en!`ISU HH5T 4' In ,epal be!ause of the e)!ellent work done by the ,epal -DD-;GIS unit of +,D-, it is possible to tra!e the unequal attainments of MDGs even at Distri!t and village levels" #he e)ample from Qaski distri!t shows that villages with high populations of disadvantaged groups like dalits, have also the highest levels of poverty" =owever these villages are ina!!essible by %oads, and are largely bypassed by development programmes funded by international assistan!e" +nfortunately it was pre!isely in these villages that Maoists first established their !ontrol by de!laring peopleDs republi! and by removing all vestiges of state e"g" burning down village !oun!il buildings and killing the village !hiefs" =en!e instead of attaining MDG at the aggregate national level, it is vital to devise targeted plans and monitor attainment of MDGs by disadvantaged groups, like the Dalits, indigenous people and by disadvantaged regions; distri!ts" ,epal +,D- offi!e is attempting to follow this innovative approa!h under it No!al Government Strengthening programme" It is in this !onte)t that the %ights 7ased approa!h and suggestions from $nil QC in ,epal, of following the !orre!t balan!e between De!entrali@ed Government levels and C7U as delivery me!hanism for MDGs is relevant" Consistent failure of some groups to attain MDGs while others in the same !ountry improve, refle!ts the failure of the state to serve as an impartial agen!y" #his would generally be due to elite !apture of state8 what is parti!ularly disturbing is that International Development assistan!e may in fa!t be reinfor!ing these disparities as a result of working through the state, parti!ularly through !apa!ity support" & Map from ,epal on +, pro*e!ts is illustrative" ' =en!e restoring representative and parti!ipative Governan!e, parti!ularly at the lo!al level, where ma*ority of the e)!luded groups reside may have to pre!ede any international assistan!e to wards attaining MDGs8 as dire!ting fresh assistan!e through the state may result in further skewing the inequalities" With this ba!kground, to refle!t upon new query8 +,D- should trumpet MDGs when there is uniform deprivation, without signifi!ant inequalities a!ross !aste; ethni!; linguisti! or regional groups" In highly differentiated so!ieties where !onfli!ts are raging based on per!eptions of e)!lusions, +,D- should make a disaggregated analysis, a!ross so!ial and regional groups" In su!h situations, +,D- would be well pla!ed to emphasi@e the means of attaining MDGs through empowering C7Us and right based approa!h rather than monitoring aggregates" -raveen Maria-,lga Gon/ale/ *%D&3-C&R G2A #rote: 6$en does *%D& trumpet t$e MDGs) #$en does it do so su1tly and #$en s$ould it not do so at all? In !ountries with widespread inequalities +,D- !an play a signifi!ant role highlighting where inequalities persist, how they affe!t pea!e and stability and how they !an be over!ome" In other words, +,D- !an play both an advo!a!y and a poli!y advisory role, sensitising de!ision makers levels on the !onvenien!e to eliminate or redu!e su!h inequalities" #o do so, however, MDG targets and their aggregate figures are not enough" Uther poverty monitoring systems, disaggregated by region, ethni!ity, gender, et!", must !omplement the overall MDG monitoring task" %eferring again to Guatemala, the ,=D% has already !ome a long way in presenting su!h differentiated indi!ators" .fforts like this should !ontinue"
3#

It would be unfair for me to re!ommend !ourses of a!tion for a CU" I think the %C;%% and the team should be the best *udges" If it is felt that RtrumpetingD the MDGs or pointing fingers at inequalities endanger ongoing poverty redu!tion;development programmes that have taken many years to negotiate, if these programmes are operating in !onfli!t prone or parti!ularly sensitive @ones and they are the only entry point to alleviate e)treme situations in these areas, if it is felt that ongoing programmes are the best or the only available starting point for better MDG s!oring """ then it might be best to opt for a more subtle strategy" Un adapting or modifying MDGDs Some !ountries have established higher targets than the MDGDs, su!h as #hailand and their MDGF" In my opinion, the modifi!ation of the indi!ators for Goal 4 &the famous B of people living with less than +SP4 per day' should be seriously !onsidered by many non NDC !ountries" $s stated in my previous !ontribution, !on!lusions based solely on this standard may be dangerously misleading" Un further support;guidan!e for CUs and partners MDGDs !an only be a!hieved, or their a!hievement !an only be meaningful, if it is based on a solid governan!e system that guarantees equity, sustainability, produ!tivity and empowerment" =en!e, further e)ploration of the links between MDGs, good governan!e and !risis prevention, and the formulation of poli!y guidelines, !ase studies and good pra!ti!es on these !omple) links !ould be a helpful guide to CUs work in the !oming years" S$arad %eupane) *%D& %epal #rote: I fully agree with -raveenDs idea about the issue of regional disparity" #he !onfli!t in ,epal in 4TT2 started from the mid and far western distri!ts, whi!h were isolated for generations and la!k basi! infrastru!ture" #he people &spe!ially the poor and the disadvantaged' strongly felt that they were dis!riminated by the state" Un!e the se!urity for!es were mobili@ed in those areas, the lo!al people were badly suppressed leading to serious violation of human rights and more and more lo!al people be!ame Maoist supporter or rebels" With the high intensity of se!urity operations, the rebels left their villages and s!attered themselves all over the !ountry and again they mobili@ed the most disadvantaged groups &Dalits, #haru, indigenous people e"t"!' in those areas" ,ow the !onfli!t is not !onfined to a village or a distri!t but grew nationwide" $bout the regional disparity, I will give some e)ample here8 #he ,ational average life e)pe!tan!y in ,epal is around 5T years, the litera!y is about 20B and in the ma*or !ities these B are further higher, where as in the remote distri!t like Mugu the life e)pe!tan!y is 15 years and litera!y is below 40B" =ere !omes the need for disaggregated data through whi!h development resour!es must be allo!ated for geographi!ally disadvantaged areas and groups" #he role of +,D- is therefore unique in the sense that to look into areas where other donors or Govt" tend to forget" With regards, Sharad ,eupane $sst" %esident %epresentative Governan!e +nit
4$

+,D-, ,epal http8;;www"undp"org"np #el 8 FTGG 4 55/1/00 .)t 400C >a) 8 FTGG 4 55/1TT4;55/1TH2 C$ristina <lic$) *%D& Guatemala #rote: Dear !olleagues, I would like to rea!t on #opi! /8 +sing the MDGs in Crisis ( Confli!t Settings, and in parti!ular to the 9two way street that needs more analysis9, mentioned by Moises Jenan!io the 4Cth of Ouly" In Guatemala, +,D- supports the Dignifi!ation and -sy!hoso!ial $ttention to War Ji!tims pro*e!t DIG$- sin!e /004 as part of our -ea!e and %e!on!iliation -rogramme" We are learning that mental health and dignifi!ation &in!luding e)humation pro!esses of war vi!tims' is not 9*ust looking ba!k9 as development theorist and pra!titioners often !riti!i@e, but instead a very effe!tive way to empower people and allow them to start looking forward again" #he psy!hoso!ial a!!ompaniment helps people to redu!e their fears, give people !onfiden!e, strength and trust again to organi@e themselves and work for development of their families and !ommunities and dare to parti!ipate again in politi!al affairs to improve their !onditions and well being" $lso, during the e)humation pro!esses the family members of vi!tims validate their testimonies, give a dignified burial to their massa!red relatives, re!over their !iti@ens3 rights and reinsert in demo!rati! pro!esses where the *usti!e se!tor attends their publi! a!!usations" #his !ontributes to the empowering pro!ess and gives people the energy ne!essary to look again to the future and take up &human' development pro!esses that had been violently !ut off during the armed !onfli!t" #his shows how pro!esses that attend !risis ( !onfli!t issues !ontribute to !reate !onditions for the a!hievement of MDGs" Warm %egards and !ongratulations with this very interesting debate, Christina .li!h +,D- Guatemala (ong+un Miao) *%D& C$ina #rote: Dear Colleagues, #hough there are no spe!ifi! MDGs and related targets or indi!ators for !risis prevention and re!overy, almost ea!h MDG is linked with !risis, !onfli!ts and disasters prevention and re!overy" In another word, !risis prevention !ontributes to the a!hievement of the MDGs, and the knowledge of disaster risk redu!tion !an benefit the reali@ation of the MDG targets" .fforts to address disasters, !onfli!ts and emergen!ies are stated in the do!umentation of EMillennium De!laration< endorsed by the =eads of States in September /000 &ref /2 of JI" -rote!ting the Julnerable'" Confli!ts, disasters and !risis are mi)ed in use to des!ribe negative events to the human being" Different !ountry may be threatened by different negative events" In China, disasters either natural or man made have been broadly reviewed and dis!ussed parti!ularly after the o!!urren!e of the 4TTH floods and S$%S" +,D- Country Uffi!e assisted the government in formulation of the first ,ational Disaster %edu!tion -lan and the publi! awareness in!rease in disaster redu!tion" It fa!ilitated the support from the international !ommunity to halt the e!osystem degradation in China after the 4TTH floods in addition to the relief" It also !oordinated international emergen!y aid soon after the outbreak of S$%S and to assist the !ountry in drawing lessons to understand the development growth vs" the so!ial advan!ing and environmental prote!tion" Currently, the CU is working with the government in preparation of a!tion strategies for implementing China ,ational Disaster %edu!tion -lan to benefit the a!hievement of the MDGs" #he laun!hing of the +,D- Global %eport on Disaster %isk %edu!tion early this year has
41

provided a useful tool for disaster risk redu!tion" $ programme framework in disaster redu!tion for China is under formulation" It fo!uses on key areas to strengthen the national !apabilities in disaster risk sensiti@ation and redu!tion among de!ision makers and lo!al residents in the MDG a!hievement" Miao +,D-, China Ale+andra &ero) -RS& %0 #rote: Dear Colleagues, Many thanks for all the engaging dialogue on this issue" -lease find below some thoughts on the following questions" Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: What support or guidan!e would be helpful to +,D- CUs and partners as you move forward on the MDGs: MDGs provide an opportunity for other voi!es to be heard and promoted, whi!h !an be a powerful tool for !risis prevention and re!overy" $s mentioned by others in the last few weeks, the MDGs !an be used as a platform to open national debates with a range of !ivil so!iety a!tors on un!onventional poli!y !hoi!es and !an be a helpful advo!a!y instrument for alternative development poli!ies" CSUs are a !riti!al partner for MDG advo!a!y and implementation as well as key to ensuring national ownership" $lthough CSUs re!ogni@e that the MDGs provide entry points to mobili@e ,GUs and the publi! at large around parti!ular issues, CSUs !ontinue to question the kind of development paradigms that underpin the MDGs, and the types of indi!ators that will be used to measure su!!ess or failure" =ow the MDGs are being;will be implemented and who will benefit also !ontinue to raise !on!ern" >urthermore, the la!k of an enabling environment in many !ountries is identified as a ma*or obsta!le to building partnerships between !ommunities and their organi@ations with governments and +,D-" >orums for frank dialogue on +,D-Ds poli!y and programmati! dire!tion su!h as the CSU $dvisory Committee to the $dministrator at headquarters, the national CSU advisory !ommittee in 7otswana and the newly established +, Indigenous -eoples $dvisory Committee of Qenya &+,I-$CQ' provide the spa!e to forge more dynami! relationships between CSUs and +,Da!ross a range of issues, among them !risis prevention and re!overy, human rights and MDGs" +,D- has benefited from the re!ommendations put forth by these Committees" In our most re!ent meeting in $pril, the Committee re!ommended that +,D- develop the !apa!ity of CSUs to engage in the MDG pro!ess and in!lude their views in the national MDG reports" #he Millennium De!laration, with its fo!us on human rights and governan!e, should also be given greater prominen!e as it !an galvani@e more CSU engagement than the MDGs" Moreover, the MDGs provide an opportunity for +,D- to e)pand its set of partners and in!rease its learning in sustainable development pra!ti!es" +,D- is well pla!ed to empower !ommunity based organi@ations and is re!ogni@ed by CSUs as an advo!ate of a rights based approa!h to development" #herefore, efforts to lo!ali@e the MDGs, work with more e)!luded groups su!h as !ommunity based groups, women, indigenous peoples and minorities must be deepened, espe!ially in the area of data !olle!tion and disaggregation" If pea!e building means weaving together the threads of e9ualit(! 1ustice! participator( democrac( and the recognition and respect for the rights of all peoples and cultures, !ommunity perspe!tives are to be re!ogni@ed and in!orporated, espe!ially as traditional me!hanisms of !onfli!t resolution !an often be the most
42

su!!essful" +,D- !an trumpet the MDGs to !all for greater parti!ipation in de!ision making pro!esses at the lo!al level, for e)ample" In !risis we must seek to engage with CSUs not *ust in servi!e delivery, but also as partners in poli!y making and advo!a!y" Investment in developing the !apa!ity of +,D-Ds partners in the field is also !riti!al" +,D- has to demonstrate that it is open to engage with CSUs in a transparent and equal basis" CSUsD !apa!ity development defi!it has been highlighted in the ongoing work of 7%S- and 7C-% in building effe!tive and sustainable partnerships between +,D- and CSUs in post !onfli!t environments" In order to support +,D- CUs and partners as they move forward on the MDGs, a pilot small grants programme for CSUs in a post !onfli!t environment has been developed and re!ently laun!hed by the CSU Division and 7C-%" It aims at enhan!ing the !apa!ity of lo!al CSUs, establishing partnership strategies between national CSUs and +,D-, and stimulating lo!al a!tivities for pea!e building and !onfli!t prevention measures" $le*andra -ero CSU Division, 7%S+,D- ,ew ?ork Sa1a %ordstrom) *%D& Ser1ia . Montenegro #rote: Dear $le*andro, $ qui!k note on the situation in Serbia and Montenegro &SCG'" =istori!ally, the CSUs that were offered support in the post !onfli!t era in SCG were of a so!ial !aliber" .nvironmental issues and organisations were not in!luded in this group and this development has !ontinued" .nvironmental organisations are finding it diffi!ult to stay a!tive and to re!eive support" In this sense it would be benefi!ial for the !ountry to seek the support of the +,D-;G.> Small Grants -rogramme, however this has not taken pla!e and does not seem to be seen, at this point, as a priority by the government of the two republi!s" #he -%S- has highlighted some of the MDGs, but again, mostly in relation to so!ial issues" In terms of support to CUs I would suggest finan!ial support, perhaps related to spe!ifi! MDGs, as a step forward" We !an then initiate spe!ifi! MDGs that are not per!eived as a priority, although we know their strength would improve other XMDGY areas of !on!ern" >or e)ample, the fa!t that environmental issues are !losely linked to so!ial issues, or rather the symptoms of environmental degradation may be visible on a so!ial level" #his strengthening !ould be done through e"g" as you mention, debates that stret!h over a larger area of the publi!" $t the moment, dis!ussion forums in SCG are developing to in!lude larger dis!ussion groups, but the politi!al situation may still limit parti!ipation" We are !urrently supporting a pro*e!t on !apa!ity building for the Sustainable Development Coun!il in relation to the Oohannesburg -lan of Implementation and we hope the forums and working groups to be developed within this pro*e!t will further engage a larger quorum of so!iety" Qeep in mind that the -lan of Implementation is !losely related, if not built on, the MDGs" I would like to stress that environmental issues do not see borders and therefore may be a good tool to fo!us on in dis!ussions" It is usually realised that he same goals are shared by a variety of parti!ipants" In parti!ular, the ,ational .nvironment $!tion -lan forum in the %epubli! of Serbia has shown to be benefi!ial in this respe!t" =ope this brief note helps" Many thanks,
43

Saba ,ordstrom +,D- Serbia and Montenegro
44

4747-Crisis in Development MDGs in Conflict and Disaster Settings - Individual Responses

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4747-Crisis in Development MDGs in Conflict and Disaster Settings - Individual Responses

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Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR Individual Responses eDiscussion: Crisis in Development?

MDGs in Conflict and Disaster Settings

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

<va -us/a) -C&R %0 #rote: Dear $ll,

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual Responses: e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

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