Community Driven Development in Contexts of Conflict. Concept Paper Commissioned by ESSD, World Bank

Violent conflict represents not only a significant barrie r to development; it also wipes out efforts to improve the situation. Experience from many developing countries has shown that Community Driven Development (CDD) programmes have been particularly effective in establishing or expanding essential social services and physical infrastructure at the local level. However, using CDD approaches in a conflict context as a means in post-war rehabilitation represents new challenges. When carried out in contexts of past or persistent conflict, CDD projects are confronted with some major challenges: •communities where projects are set may be deeply divided; •power is unequally distributed; •lines between combatants and civilians may be blurred; •a need to address past traumas may give rise to calls for inquiries or trials; and •economic recovery and basic services may be urgently needed. Nonetheless, the point of departure in this paper commissioned by the CDD unit of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD) Network of the World Bank, is that participatory and demand-led development approaches might potentially address three critical concerns in conflict contexts: •The need for speedy and cost-effective delivery of reconstruction assistance. •The need to improve the state-citizen relationship. •The need to create alternative forms of community organisation that foster reconciliation between factions of the society