Responses to conflict that work

Abstract

Large-scale investments in fragile states - in Latin America, Africa, the former Soviet Union and Asia - become magnets for conflict, which undermines business, development and security.

International policy responds with regulation, state-building and institutional reform, with poor and often perverse results. Caught up in old ways of thinking about conflict and fragility, and an age-old fight over whether multinational corporations are good or bad for peaceful development, it leaves business-related conflicts in fragile states to multiply and fester.

Surveying a new strategic landscape of business and conflict, Brian Ganson and Achim Wennmann conclude that neither company shareholders nor advocates for peaceful development need, or should, accept the growing cost of business-related conflict in fragile states. Drawing on decades of experience from mainstream conflict prevention and violence reduction efforts, as well as promising company practice, they show that even acute conflict is manageable when dealt with pragmatically, locally and on its own terms.

The analysis and conclusions of this Adelphi book will interest policymakers, business leaders and community advocates alike - all those hoping to mitigate today's conflicts while helping to reduce fragility and build a firmer foundation for inclusive development.

Notes

1 Based on average violent death rates in the period 2004–2009. See Geneva Declaration Secretariat (GDS), Global Burden of Armed Violence (Geneva: GDS, 2011), p. 6.

2 See Randal C. Archibold, ‘Gangs’ Truce Buys El Salvador a Tenuous Peace', New York Times, 27 August 2012.

3 Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CiSPES), ‘Salvadoran Government Accused of Negotiating with Gangs, After 40% Drop in Murders’, 20 April 2012.

4 Chris von der Borgh and Wim Savenije, ‘De-securitising and Re-securitising Gang Policies: The Funes Government and Gangs in El Salvador’, Journal of Latin American Studies, vol. 487, no. 1, 2014, pp. 1, 21.

5 Ana Glenda Táger and Isabel Aguilar Umaña, La Tregua Entre Pandillas Salvadoreñas Hacia un Proceso de Construcción de Paz Social (Guatemala City: Interpeace, 2013); Teresa Whitfield, Mediating Criminal Violence: Lessons from the Gang Truce in El Salvador (Geneva: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, 2013).

6 Isabel Aguilar Umaña, Bernardo Arevalo de León and Ana Glenda Táge, ‘El Salvador: Negotiating with Gangs’, in Alexander Ramsbotham and Achim Wennmann (eds), Legitimacy and Peace Processes: From Coercion to Consent (London: Conciliation Resources, 2014), pp. 97–8.

7 Gabriela Aguinaga, Learning from Medellín: A Success Story of Holistic Violence Prevention, 27 January 2015, http://www.saferspaces.org.za/blog/entry/learning-from-medellina-success-story-of-holisticviolence-prevention; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Armed Violence Reduction: Enabling Development (Paris: OECD, 2009), pp. 97–8. Francisco Gutierrez, Marıa Pinto, Juan Carlos Arenas, Tania Guzman and Marıa Gutierrez, ‘The Importance of Political Coalitions in the Successful Reduction of Violence in Colombian Cities’, Urban Studies, vol. 50, no. 15, 2013, pp. 3134–51.

8 OECD, Investing in Security: A Global Assessment of Armed Violence and Reductions Initiatives (Paris: OECD, 2011), pp. 32, 44–9, 54–8.

9 Rim Turkmani, Mary Kaldor, Wisam Elhamwi, Joan Ayo and Nael Hariri, Hungry for Peace: Positives and Pitfalls of Local Truces and Ceasefires in Syria (London: London School of Economics, 2014), p. 44.

10 Pat Johnson and Abdirahman Raghe, ‘How Somali-led Peace Processes Work’, in Mark Bradbury and Sally Healy (eds), Whose Peace Is It Anyway? Connecting Somali and International Peacemaking (London: Conciliation Resources, 2010), pp. 46–9.

11 Roberto Valencia and Carlos Martinez, ‘Promoter of Talks with El Salvador’s Gangs Loses Faith’ (Part 2), InsightCrime, 25 October 2015, http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/raul-mijango-interview-el-faro-pt2?utm_source=Master+List&utm_campaign=979ee3ab7d10_30_1510_28_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e90c5425f9-979ee3ab7d-267153105.

12 Patricia Justino, Tilman Brück, and Philip Verwimp, ‘Micro-Level Dynamics of Conflict, Violence, and Development: A New Analytical Framework’, in Patricia Justino, Tilman Brück, and Philip Verwimp (eds), A Micro-Level Perspective on the Dynamics of Conflict, Violence, and Development (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), p. 5.

13 Patricia Justino, ‘Research and Policy Implications from a Micro-Level Perspective on the Dynamics of Conflict, Violence, and Development’, in Justino, Brück, and Verwimp, A MicroLevel Perspective on the Dynamics of Conflict, Violence, and Development, p. 291.

14 Séverine Autesserre, The Trouble with the Congo: Local Violence and the Failure of International Peacebuilding (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), pp. xvii, 2.

15 Ibid.

16 Ibid., p. 231.

17 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Conflict Risk Mapping Analysis (Juba: UNDP South Sudan, 2012).

18 Sergio Duailibi, William Ponicki, Joel Grube, Ilana Pinsky, Ronaldo Laranjeira, and Martin Raw, ‘The Effect of Restricting Opening Hours on Alcohol-Related Violence’, American Journal of Public Health, vol. 97, no. 12, 2007, pp. 2276–80.

19 GDS, ‘Violence Reduction and Peacebuilding: How Crime and Violence Observatories Can Contribute’, Report of Expert

 

 

 

Workshop, Geneva, 26–28 June 2013, http://www.genevadeclaration.org/events/expert-meetings/observatories-2013/meeting-report/iii-session-summaries.html.

20 Lindie Botha with Pablo Lumerman, Inclusion: Interview with Antonio Bernales (The Hague: ACCESS Facility, 2015).

21 See OECD, Evaluating Peacebuilding Activities in Settings of Conflict and Fragility – Improving Learning for Results (Paris: OECD, 2012), p. 79.

22 CDA Collaborative Learning Projects Reflecting on Peace Practice, Participant Training Manual (Cambridge, MA: CDA, 2009).

23 Elisabeth Gilgen and Lauren Tracey, Contributing Evidence to Programming: Armed Violence Monitoring Systems (Geneva: GDS, 2011).

24 Nicklas Svensson, ‘Are We Disciplined About Asking Questions?’, in Brian Ganson (ed.), Management in Complex Environments: Questions for Leaders (Stockholm: International Council of Swedish Industry, 2013), pp. 135–7.

25 Ibid., pp. 141–4.

26 Fundación Este País, Observatorios Ciudadanos: Ejercer la Ciudadanía en la Práctica (Mexico: Fundación Este País, 2008).

27 Natasha Singer, ‘Mission Control, Built for Cities: I.B.M. Takes “Smarter Cities” Concept to Rio de Janeiro’, New York Times, 3 March 2012.

28 See http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/smarter_cities/overview.

29 Analysis and quotations from Pablo Lumerman and Duncan Autrey, Chichigalpa Association for Life and Nicaragua Sugar Estates Ltd (The Hague: ACCESS, 2013).

30 See Niger Delta Partnership Initiative (NDPI) Foundation, http://ndpifoundation.org.

31 NDPI, The Niger Delta Partnership Initiative in Review 2010–2013 (Washington, DC: NDPI, 2014).

32 Graeme Simpson, at the conference ‘Connecting the Dots: Linking Peacemaking to Peacebuilding to Development’, Geneva, 8 June 2010.

33 Katia Papagianni, National Dialogue Processes in Political Transitions (Geneva and Brussels: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and European Peacebuilding Liaison Office, 2014), p. 1.

34 Ibid., p. 11.

35 Norwegian Nobel Committee, ‘The Nobel Peace Prize for 2015: Press Release’, Oslo, 10 October 2015, http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2015/press.html.

36 Katia Papagianni, ‘National Conferences in Transitional Periods: The Case of Iraq’, International Peacekeeping, vol. 13, no. 3, 2006, pp. 325–6.

37 Thania Paffenholz, ‘Civil Society in Peace Negotiations: Beyond the Inclusion–Exclusion Dichotomy’, Negotiation Journal, vol. 30, no. 1, 2014, pp. 69–91.

38 Achim Wennmann and Alexander Ramsbotham, ‘Conclusion: From Coercion to Consent’, in Ramsbotham and Wennmann, Legitimacy and Peace Processes, p. 116.

39 Extractive Industries Review (EIR), Striking a Better Balance: The World Bank Group and Extractive Industries – Volume I (Washington, DC: EIR, 2003), p. 18.

40 Oxfam, ‘Moral Hazard? “Mega” Public–Private Partnerships in African Agriculture’ (Oxford: Oxfam, 2014).

41 Interview by Brian Ganson.

42 Botha and Lumerman, Inclusion.

43 Lindie Botha with Pablo Lumerman, The Art of Representation: An Interview with Mia Quiaoit-Corpus (The Hague: ACCESS, 2015).

44 Cécile Renouard, ‘Are We Working Well With Others?’, in Ganson, Management in Complex Environments, pp. 168–170.

45 Kiikpoye K. Aaron and John M. Patrick, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Patterns and Conflicts in Nigeria’s Oil-Rich Region’, International Area Studies Review, vol. 16, no. 4, 2013, pp. 341–56.

46 Interview by Brian Ganson.

47 Helena Puig Larrauri, Rodrigo Davies, Michaela Ledesma, Jennifer Welch, New Technologies: The Future of Alternative Infrastructures for Peace (Geneva: Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, 2015), p. 3.

48 The Global Database on Events, Location and Tone (GDELT) is a freely available database that monitors the world's news media in print, broadcast and web formats, in more than 100 languages, with daily updates. See http://www.gdeltproject.org.

49 Puig Larrauri, Davies, Ledesma, Welch, New Technologies, p. 3.

50 See http://cureviolence.org/the-interrupters.

51 See Wesley G. Skogan, Susan M. Hartnett, Natalie Bump, and Jill Dubois, ‘Evaluation of Ceasefire Chicago’, 19 March 2009, http://www.skogan.org/files/Evaluation_of_CeaseFire-Chicago_Main_Report.03-2009.pdf. Also see http://cureviolence.org/results/scientific-evaluations/.

52 Simon Mason, Insider Mediators: Exploring Their Key Role in Informal Peace Processes (Berlin: Berghof Foundation for Peace Support, 2009).

53 Interview by Brian Ganson.

54 Chevron, ‘Chevron Increases Support for Niger Delta Partnership Initiative’,Pressrelease, 10June2014, http://www.chevron.com/chevron/pressreleases/article/06102014_chevronincreasessupportfornigerdeltapartnershipinitiative.news.

55 See http://p4p-nigerdelta.org/about.

56 Merrick Hoben, David Kovick, David Plumb, and Justin Wright, Corporate and Community Engagement in the Niger Delta: Lessons Learned from Chevron Nigeria Limited's GMOU Process (Cambridge: Consensus Building Institute, 2012), pp. 9–10.

57 High Level Panel on Infrastructure, see World Bank, Overcoming Constraints to the Financing of Infrastructure: Success Stories and Lessons Learned (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2014), p. 3.

58 Lisa J. Laplante and Suzanne A. Spears, ‘Out of the Conflict Zone: The Case for Community Consent Processes in the Extractive Sector’, Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal, vol. 11, 2008, p. 115.

59 Ibid., p. 69.

60 United Nations, Guidance for Effective Mediation (New York: United Nations, 2012); United Nations

 

 

 

Department of Political Affairs (UNDPA) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Natural Resources and Conflict: A Guidance for Mediation Practitioners (New York and Nairobi: UNDPA and UNEP, 2015).

61 John Kania and Mark Kramer, ‘Collective Impact’, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2011, p. 40.

62 National Peace Council, Strategic Plan 2013–2017 in Accordance with the National Peace Council's Mandate under Act, 2011 (818) including a Plan to Implement the Peace Fund (Accra: National Peace Council, 2013).

63 Ministry of Interior of Ghana (MoIG), National Architecture for Peace in Ghana (Accra: MoIG, 2006).

64 Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), Annual Report 2010 and Review FY 2000–10 (Washington, DC: International Finance Corporation, 2010).

65 Gutierrez, Pinto, Arenas, Guzman and Gutierrez, ‘The Importance of Political Coalitions in the Successful Reduction of Violence in Colombian Cities’, p. 3143.

66 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and World Bank, Crime, Violence, and Development: Trends, Costs, and Policy Options in the Caribbean (Vienna and Washington, DC: UNODC and World Bank, 2007), p. 124.

67 Pilar Rukavina de Vidovgrad, What Role of the Private Sector in the Prevention of Election Violence? The Case of Kenya (Geneva: Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, 2015), p. 5.

68 Mary B. Anderson and Marshall Wallace, Opting Out of War: Strategies to Prevent Violent Conflict (Boulder, CO: Lynner Rienner, 2013), pp. 10–11.

69 Brian Ganson and Nicklas Svensson, An Evaluation of Conciliation Resources: Decennial Review, 2000–2010 (Stockholm: Swedish International Development Agency, 2010).

70 Trixie Akpedonu, Ben Lumsdaine and Aminata Sow, Keeping the Peace: Lessons Learned from Preventive Action towards Kenya's 2013 Elections (Geneva: Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, 2013), pp. 11–12.

71 Hendrik Kotze, Mediating Economic Interests in the Context of Xenophobia (The Hague: ACCESS Facility, 2015).

72 Andries Odendaal, A Crucial Link: Local Peace Committees and National Peacebuilding (Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace, 2013); Chetan Kumar and Jos De la Haye, ‘Hybrid Peacemaking: Building National “Infrastructures for Peace”’, Global Governance, vol. 18, no. 1, 2011, p. 13.

73 Andries Odendaal, An Architecture for Building Peace at the Local Level: A Comparative Study of Local Peace Committees (New York: UNDP, 2010).

74 Odendaal, A Crucial Link, p. 70.

75 Chris Spies, ‘South Africa’s National Peace Accord’, in Catherine Barnes (ed.), Owning the Process: Public Participation in Peacemaking (London: Conciliation Resources, 2002), pp. 20–5.

76 See Niger Delta Partnership Initiative Foundation, http://ndpifoundation.org.

77 Volker Boege, Anne Brown, Kevin Clements and Anna Nolan, ‘Building Peace and Political Community in Hybrid Political Orders’, International Peacekeeping, vol. 15, no. 5, 2009, p. 606.

78 Ganson and Svensson, An Evaluation of Conciliation Resources.

79 Ibid.

80 Aaron Ausland and Gerard Tonn, Partnering for Local Development: An Independent Assessment of a Unique Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Relations Strategy (Johannesburg: Barrick Gold Corporation, 2010).

81 Patricia I. Vasquez, Oil Sparks in the Amazon: A Look at Local Conflict, Indigenous Populations, and Natural Resources (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2013).

82 Anderson and Wallace, Opting Out of War, p. 98.

83 Béatrice Pouligny, State–Society Relations and Intangible Dimensions of State Resilience and State Building: A Bottom-Up Perspective (Florence: European University Institute, 2010).

84 Conciliation Resources, ‘The International Contact Group on Mindanao’, http://www.c-r.org/featured-work/internationalcontact-group-mindanao.

85 Achim Wennmann, The Political Economy of Peacemaking (Abingdon: Routledge, 2011), p. 82.

86 Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, White Paper on Peacebuilding (Geneva: Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, 2015), p. 8.

87 George Kohlrieser, Hostage at the Table: How Leaders Can Overcome Conflict, Influence Others, and Raise Performance (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2006).

88 I. William Zartman, ‘Dynamics and Constraints in Negotiations in Internal Conflict’, in I. William Zartman (ed.), Elusive Peace: Negotiating an End to Civil Wars (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 1995), p. 20.

89 See, for instance, Bradbury and Healy, Whose Peace is it Anyway?; Mary B. Anderson, Dayna Brown, and Isabella Jean, Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of International Aid (Cambridge, MA: CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, 2013); Antonio Donini, Larry Minear, Ian Smillie, Ted van Baarda and Anthony C. Welch, Mapping the Security Environment: Understanding the Perceptions of Local Communities, Peace Support Organizations and External Aid Agencies (Medford, MA: Feinstein International Famine Centre, 2005).

90 Brian Ganson and Achim Wennmann, Confronting Risk, Mobilizing Action: A Framework for Conflict Prevention in the Context of Large-scale Business Investments (Berlin: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2012), p. 4.

91 Paul Eavis, Working Against Violence: Promising Practices in Armed Violence Reduction and Prevention (Geneva: GDS, 2011), pp. 57–8.

92 Kumar and De la Haye, ‘Hybrid Peacemaking’, p. 13.

93 David K. Leonard, Where are ‘Pockets’ of Effective Agencies Likely in Weak Governance States and Why? A Propositional Inventory (Brighton: Institute of Development Studies, 2008).

94 Paul Richards and Jean Pierre Chauveau, Land, Agricultural Change and Conflict in West Africa: Regional issues from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire (Paris: OECD, 2007).

95 Ganson and Wennmann, Confronting Risk, Mobilizing Action.

96 See Tania Hohe, ‘Local Governance after Conflict: Community Development in East Timor’, Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, vol. 1, no. 3, 2004, pp. 45–56. Anderson and Wallace, Opting Out of War.