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Key Text From Promise to Practice: Strengthening UN Capacities for the Prevention of Violent Conflict

Author: C Lekha Sriram
Date: 2003
Size: 18 pages (303 KB)

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Summary

Conflict prevention has risen to the fore of the United Nations’ policy agenda since the end of the 1990s. Despite the promise to move from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention, there are significant shortcomings in the practice of preventing violent conflict. This report, published by the International Peace Academy, claims that the UN system should develop more conflict-sensitive programming by incorporating the regional and sub-regional dimensions of conflict. The UN should also recognise the role that development professionals play in responding to conflict.

Conflict prevention is a loose conceptual framework for the increasingly broad range of actors engaged in conflict-affected zones. It expands the scope of peacebuilding by calling for the early prevention of violent conflict and the prevention of further outbreaks through structural and operational initiatives. Conflict prevention incorporates cross-cutting approaches to mitigate the sources of potential conflict, rather than merely addressing the symptoms.

In recent years, there has been a discernable shift in the UN’s engagement in conflict-affected zones. This includes efforts to ensure early warning analysis in a timely fashion and to develop conflict-sensitive and conflict-preventive strategies. UN agencies have undertaken reforms at the following levels:

  • At the response level: by adopting a more proactive approach to potential conflict and by taking steps to prevent the recurrence of conflict.
  • At the strategic level: by coordinating development and security strategies for the prevention of conflict. This involves widening the scope of development activities to include political and security sectors across the range of phases of potential and actual conflict.
  • At the institutional level: by encouraging interaction between the relevant UN agencies and involving development agencies in conflict prevention activities. For example, UNDP’s activities have expanded to include conflict analysis, justice and security reform and the reintegration of combatants.
  • At the operational level: by enhancing the early warning and conflict prevention capacities of the UN system. This involves the creation of coordination mechanisms, inter-agency task forces with actors from inside and outside the UN and Peace Building Support Offices in conflict areas.

Despite an impressive range of reforms, the UN system falls short of its commitment to prevent violent conflict. In order to move from promise to practice, UN capacities should be strengthened to ensure a more conflict-sensitive approach to its policies and programming by:

  • Recognising the regional and sub-regional dimensions of violent conflict. This requires shifting the mindset of policy-makers to ensure that policy and programming transcend nation-state boundaries.
  • Acknowledging the impact of regional actors such as neighbouring states that may have vested interests in the outcome of conflicts. Conflict may also have an impact on the region through flows of refugees, arms, resources and combatants.
  • Recognising the role of regional and sub-regional actors. The conflict prevention activities of regional organisations may be more discreet than those carried out by the UN and these actors may play a key role in developing a regional ‘culture of prevention’.
  • Understanding the role of local actors in preventing conflict. Local actors enjoy unique access to information and key actors on the ground. The UN should draw on the expertise of local actors in conflict situations.
  • Involving development professionals in early warning and conflict prevention activities. The role of development actors is essential for a coordinated and if necessary, an integrated approach to development and security responses.
  • Ensuring well-informed and strategically coordinated strategies to suit local needs. This requires appropriate information and analysis of the potential conflict particularly in the formative stages.
  • Guaranteeing the allocation of sufficient resources for conflict prevention.

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Source: Sriram, C.L. and Wermester, K., 2003, From Promise to Practice: Strengthening UN Capacities for the Prevention of Violent Conflict, International Peace Academy, New York


 
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