The gap between humanitarian relief and long-term development aid is one of the critical weaknesses in the present system of international assistance to war-torn societies. The efforts of the international community remain largely unco-ordinated and thus unsuccessful in the transition from war to peace. The author draws on experience in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mozambique and Somalia to describe this "rehabilitation gap" and to assess the performance of organizations involved in consolidating peace in such complex emergencies. After diagnosing poor UN, donor and NGO performance and its effect on rehabilitation, Moore sets forth specific, practical recommendations that can be applied by relief, development, political and financial actors to improve co-ordination and develop a more integrated approach to reconstruction and development.
"The current system results in . . . wasted resources, gaps, duplication, competition, and hopelessly confused local governments. Relief organizations do not think in terms of development enough, development agencies are not sensitive enough to linkages with emergency needs. Humanitarian agencies with a rich tradition of neutrality and overriding commitment to victims are worried about being compromised and tainted when thrown together with peace-keepers and political negotiators. Donor nations often behave intrusively, and their separate and — to a significant extent — politically motivated bilateral programmes are horribly co-ordinated themselves." from
The UN and Complex Emergencies
Contents
- A New Challenge for the United Nations
- Four Countries Which Set the Stage
- The Rehabilitation Bridge: Shedding Dependency amidst Conflict
- Co-ordination: A Cacophony of Actors and Structures
- Help from the Top: Improvements at UN Headquarters
- The Future
- A List of General Conclusions for the Short Term