As the international donors gather in Kathmandu today, at the government's invitation, to attend a conference on rebuilding Nepal, there is a need to apply a 'conflict sensitivity lens' on reconstruction efforts which ensure that the humanitarian operations can contribute to long-term peace and avoid causing harm.As a starting point the foreign donors would do well to recognize that the country's arduous peace process had not ended on April 25. The long-promised constitution, which was at the heart of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, had not been written, and Nepal remained fractured along ethnic, caste, geographic and political lines. The reconstruction and peace/democracy efforts cannot be seen as separate; rather, the two efforts are symbiotic and progress in one area depends on progress in the other. More importantly, a mismanagement of humanitarian efforts could easily exacerbate dividing lines and inequities in communities, leading to significant conflict.
Already, we are seeing signs of conflict. Citizen distrust in the government emerged almost immediately after the earthquake with street protests and vitriolic commentary against the state circulating on social media. Amnesty International recently reported that some politicians are seeking to divert humanitarian assistance to their supporters, and there is a growing sense that unequal access to relief for women and marginalized groups may compound vulnerabilities and widen historical divides.
This is not at all surprising; the lesson that humanitarian operations can contribute to conflict has been proven again and again in recent emergencies. From the tsunami in Sri Lanka to the earthquake response in Haiti, government and international relief operations have inadvertently exacerbated divisions and contributed to destructive and violent conflict. There is an immediate need to take a 'conflict-sensitive' approach to managing the huge influx of funds and support that is flooding in. This means that all those involved must take concrete measures to do no harm and, moreover, ensure that their interventions strengthen the mutual collaboration among people and institutions which have been traditionally divided.
Do no harm: Humanitarian actors—including the donors and the government—have an obligation to assess the broader effects that their intervention is having on local dynamics. They need to look at their impact on the local food, labor and real estate markets. Those distributing materials should ensure that they are doing so equitably across all the dividing lines and make sure that they are not reinforcing ethnic or caste divisions. There are a host of tools to help humanitarian actors manage their role in the conflict dynamics.
Strengthen relationships between government and citizens: There is an enormous opportunity to address this striking dividing line which has been a key driver of conflict in Nepal. Citizens groups, particularly youth leaders, have mobilized their own relief efforts and are already working to rebuild. However, some of these groups have sought to work around government or have simply not had any way to connect to relevant authorities. There is a need to strengthen coordination and collaboration tools so that local citizens groups can work directly with the state to address their core needs and grievances. This will not only serve the democratization process but will also help aid get to all the places which need it.
Inform and engage in dialogue with beneficiaries: There is a need to ensure that the public in the affected parts of the country feel both engaged in the rebuilding process and informed as to what the government and humanitarian groups are doing. Through the media and community meetings, key actors can engage in much-needed dialogue about the ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts. This will ensure transparency, address key conflicts, and bridge gaps in trust. Such methods should be integrated into all humanitarian and reconstruction projects.
Continue to focus on participatory governance and the final phase of the peace process: Within this immediate crisis, it is important for both the government and the donor community to continue with steady progress in bringing the peace process to conclusion. This means that there should be ongoing funding to governance and democracy programming to facilitate a constructive environment for the political steps to be made.
Taking a 'conflict-sensitive' approach will not only help Nepal advance on its meandering course towards peace but will ultimately make the next phase of reconstruction much more successful.
Mulmi is Country Director of Search for Common Ground in Nepal (rmulmi@sfcg.org) and Shipler is the Asia Regional Director of Search for Common Ground (mshipler@sfcg.org)
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