Category Archives: International development

Looking at some peacebuilding assumptions

Posted on February 3, 2012 | 1 Comment

My most recent post (29 Jan) reflected about peacebuilding inside the bounds of the European Union as well as outside. My thinking grew out of International Alert’s recently started work  in the UK. Going a bit further,  some more thoughts have appeared in the online magazine and discussion forum, openDemocracy. What follows is an abridged version. Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, International development

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Peacebuilding IN Europe?

Posted on January 29, 2012 | 5 Comments

In 2001 – a different time and a different world – the EU Gothenburg summit agreed to make the prevention of violent conflict a priority for the EU. Measured by money, it’s now the world’s biggest player in peacebuilding. But look around Europe now and we can ask, should peacebuilding also start to be a priority inside the EU? Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, International development, Riots, The economic crunch

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A scorecard for Busan: did the High Level Forum help conflict-affected countries?

Posted on December 12, 2011 | 2 Comments

At the end of November, 2,000 representatives of governments, international agencies and NGOs met in Busan as the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. But how effective was Busan for conflict-affected countries? Continue reading →

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The UN Peacebuilding Fund – four years on

Posted on November 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

The decision to set up the UN Peacebuilding Commission, Peacebuilding Support Office and Peacebuilding Fund was taken in September 2005 and bit by bit the new architecture was ready for business in 2006 and into 2007. I have just finished four years on the Fund’s independent Advisory Group, the last two as its chair, so here are my reflections. Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, International development

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Aid effectiveness forum at Busan: what would success be for countries in conflict?

Posted on November 6, 2011 | 2 Comments

The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness convenes in Busan, South Korea, on 29 November. Two thousand representatives of governments, the UN, other multilateral organisations and NGOs will meet to discuss and come up with a statement on how development aid can be delivered more effectively. So what would a successful High Level Forum look like for countries affected by armed conflict, which face the toughest development challenges? Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, International development

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The work of peacebuilding

Posted on April 7, 2011 | 1 Comment

The Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars was kind enough to interview me about the work of International Alert recently when I was visiting Washington. I think they edited the material very effectively to produce a quite effective summary account of some of the work and issues of peacebuilding.

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Posted in Conflict & peace, International development

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From the UK gov’t, a good message on development and peace

Posted on September 22, 2010 | 1 Comment

The UK’s International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell made a speech in London on 16 September setting out his and DFID’s approach on development, security, conflict and peace issues. It was barely noticed by the press. That’s a shame because it was very important – far more so than what he and other members of the government are saying this week at (or about) the UN Millennium Summit in New York. Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, International development

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So what’s wrong with the MDGs?

Posted on September 20, 2010 | 5 Comments

This week’s UN summit will call for a big renewed effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. But there are reasons for starting to think a bit further ahead. A new report from International Alert asks us to get ‘beyond the MDGs”. Continue reading →

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Posted in International development

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DFID leaks about aid and security

Posted on September 7, 2010 | Leave a comment

As the UK government reviews its bilateral and multilateral aid programmes and moves towards reshaping aid policy, there have been a couple of leaks and a bit of background noise.  So what do they add up to and what do they tell us about how the wind blows?  Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, International development

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The big beasts of development… – and peace

Posted on July 5, 2010 | 1 Comment

Under new leadership, the UK Department for International Development is emphasising results and accountability. And as part of that, the big multilateral beasts of development – to which the UK gives £3 billion a year – are coming under the efficiency microscope. It will be good to assess them not just for efficiency but for impact, and especially their impact on peace and conflict because it is the thing they have trouble taking into account. Continue reading →

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