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The UK’s peacebuilding efforts have achieved meaningful results, but a more credible and long-term funding approach would make them even better.
9 December 2022
The UK’s peacebuilding efforts are under fire in a new review published today, Friday 9 December, by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI).
Conflict is on the rise around the world, causing widespread death, destruction and suffering, entrenching poverty and widening inequality. ICAI’s review assesses examples of UK peacebuilding activities – ie aid and diplomatic efforts to address the drivers of conflict and establish the conditions for lasting peace – from a selection that the UK Government has identified as likely to achieve positive outcomes, in areas where the risk of failure is high. is
ICAI’s review shows that the UK’s efforts have made a meaningful contribution to peacebuilding. The report highlighted the UK’s work in Colombia as a “significant success”, as it helped advance the implementation of the Colombia Peace Agreement through a combination of program funding and diplomacy. ICAI appreciates the UK’s long-term commitment to peacebuilding in the country and the way the UK has adapted its efforts to the Colombian political context.
The report found that the UK’s results could have been better with more consistently reliable and long-term funding commitments. It also notes the potentially harmful effects when funding is suddenly cut. ICAI highlights an example in Nigeria, where a project aimed at improving women’s rights was “rushed to a close” by recent UK aid budget cuts. Aid watchdog reports that this left women at risk of exposure by participating in unprotected sex.
ICAI awards an overall green-amber score – meaning an area where UK aid is making a positive contribution, but could do more – and makes six recommendations.
Commenting on the review findings, ICAI Commissioner, Tamsin Barton said:
“Billions of people around the world are suffering the devastating consequences of violent conflict. Breaking the cycle of conflict and creating the conditions for lasting peace is extremely challenging and the international community often fails.
“We saw many areas where UK work has supported peace and made a significant difference to people’s lives, as well as areas where success was more modest. The UK’s long-term approach, staff expertise, strong relationships with other governments and reliable funding were key to the UK’s areas of success.”
According to the report, the UK used its strong and long-standing ties with Colombia and Nigeria to help each government’s peacebuilding efforts, despite reputational risks from their “extreme” human rights records. Aid Watchdog reports that the UK’s role as a ‘trusted critical friend’ is valued by both countries and is seen as a key part of the international peacebuilding effort.
ICAI reports that cross-government cooperation could improve UK peacebuilding work. The report notes that the newly established Office for Conflict, Stabilization and Mediation could guide the UK’s peacebuilding efforts, but it currently lacks strong senior backing in relevant departments and has little incentive to cooperate with counterparts outside the FCDO.
The report found that FCDO staff were not always able to visit the programs they were managing in conflict-affected countries and gather local knowledge directly. In Nigeria, ICAI notes that FCDO’s travel rules were more risk-averse than most other donors, as ICAI has seen in its work in relation to other countries.
The report highlights the importance of engaging with marginalized groups in peacebuilding. The watchdog found that the UK’s work was aligned with the UK’s women, peace and security commitments, but that people living with disabilities received less attention than the UK’s disability strategy requires. ICAI also found that the UK does not ensure that conflict-affected communities are continuously involved in decisions that directly affect their lives, and that some UK government officials lack awareness of the importance of such ongoing accountability.
ICAI’s six recommendations to strengthen the UK’s peacebuilding efforts include: the UK should strengthen its responsibility towards conflict-affected communities; Focus on countries with which it has strong ties; Build on initiatives that pursue both peacebuilding and environmental goals; And learn from other countries on balancing the risks of travel.
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