Source: Business Day
Officials of both the World Bank and the African Union (AU) on Monday in Addis Ababa launched the World Development Report 2011 published by the World Bank. Sarah Cliff, World Bank representative, and Ramtane Lamamra, the AU commissioner for peace and security, represented the two bodies at the occasion.

Presenting the executive summary of the report which was titled ‘Conflict, Security and Development’, Cliff said it focused on peace, security, conflict, human rights violation, suffering of people and violence.

“It focused on development initiative and development in Africa, impact on development and violence, trends of violence and development, forms of violence as it affects development, increased crime and drug trafficking in Africa,” she said.

Cliff said the report also looked at internal and external pressures on society, among other issues.

“These are the high level of unemployment, youth recruitment into rebel movements and gangs, and impacts of economic shocks, especially from high prices of food.”

She said some of the solutions identified by the report include violence prevention between states and citizens, restoring confidence between groups, societies, organisations, nations and communities.

Cliff said the report also identified the role of regional organisations like the AU Commission in having a regional approach and solution to economic crisis beyond individual countries.

She said lessons learnt from Ghana, Liberia and Mozambique which recovered from economic shocks include the use of bottom-up approach.
“This approach is to empower citizens for economic growth, ensure security, justice, reform mixed with traditional institutions and job creation for the youth.

“Women agencies should also be incorporated in poverty reduction and eradication programmes, while the strengthening of anti-corruption agencies will ensure judicious use of state resources,’’ Cliff said.

The World Bank representative said about 1.5 billion people were affected by violence and conflict.

This means that children of those affected were deprived of schools, decent accommodation, adequate food and water, among other health issues,” she said.

Earlier, Lamamra had said the AU Commission would continue to collaborate with the World Bank, especially in the area of conflict prevention, management and continental development in general.

He assured that the AU would strengthen its partnership with the World Bank in order to reduce conflict on the continent. The 58-page report was divided into three parts.

The report’s part one focuses on the challenges of repeated cycles of violence, while its part two talked about a roadmap for breaking cycles of violence at the country level.

The roadmap included restoring confidence and transforming the instrument that provides citizen security, justice and jobs.

Part three discussed the reduction of risks of violence as a direction for international policy which includes adopting community level programmes designed by country context.

This is the first time the report was launched in Africa.