CPRNewslettercrisisprevention
and recovery

Securing development, peace and justice for all
Winter 2005, Volume 1, Issue 1

About This Newsletter
Welcome to the first quarterly Crisis Prevention
and Recovery (CPR) Newsletter. This is part of an
ongoing effort to increase the awareness of United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) staff
and partners of our support to CPR initiatives. In
each newsletter, we will introduce one or two programmes, recent policy issues, new developments
and publications, upcoming events and a few of thededicated UNDP staff worldwide who lead ourwork in this area. The coverage of programmes andpolicies in this newsletter is not meant to becomprehensive. The aim is to highlight UNDP’s
successes and innovations, and share experiences
and lessons learned on CPR. The newsletter will be
issued on a quarterly basis, with the second issue
scheduled for March 2006. Contributions fromcountry offices on programmes, policies and upcoming events are welcome. We would like to take thisopportunity to thank colleagues and partners
around the world for their support of the Bureau for
Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) and, more
importantly, for strengthening UNDP’s performance in crisis prevention and recovery.

About BCPR
Created in 2001, the goal of BCPR is to strengthen UNDP’s capacity at all levels to respond tocrisis and post-conflict situations faster and more
effectively. The Bureau’s main areas of work are:conflict prevention and peacebuilding; transitional
recovery; natural disaster reduction; mine action;
small-arms reduction; disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR); transitional justiceand security-sector reform; and special initiatives
for countries in transition. BCPR helps ensurethat UNDP plays a pivotal role in transitions
between relief and development. It promotes links
between United Nations (UN) peace and security
and development objectives, and enhances thecapacities of governments to manage crisis andpost-conflict situations.

In This Issue...
Programming Highlights
Rule of Law in Somaliland . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Dis armament, Demobilization, andReinte gration in Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Policy Updates

BCPR Internal Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Transitioning from War to Peace . . . . . . . . . . .3

What’s New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Who’s Who in CPR . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Building Rule of Law
in Somaliland
Lessons learned in justice-sector reform
By Douglas Keh, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Administrator*

In Somaliland, an area recovering from decades ofconflict, a groundbreaking UNDP initiative, theRule of Law and Security Programme (ROLS),
offers a path for real reform. ROLS has helped bring amore reliable form of governance to the Somaliland
region of Somalia through its focus on capacity buildingin the legal system—training legal professionals,
establishing legal clinics, and supporting policing. The
success of the ROLS programme has not only brought
hope to a country affected by weak governance, but also
impar ted valuable lessons that could be used i ndesigning future crisis and recovery programmes in thearea of justice and security sector refor m.
In addition to focusing on building a federal structure of governance in Somalia, UNDP implemented its
ROLS programme—channeling a large porti on of
resources to the quasi-independent state of Somaliland.
There, the government became a close partner in reforming the police, judiciary and correctional services.
Through ROLS, legal professionals were offered acourse on the fundamentals of legal analysis and humanrights. In addition, an innovative legal clinic,which targets vulnerable groups including women and children,
was established to provide free legal support to thoseunable to afford legal recourse.

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1CPR Newsletter, Winter 2005, Volume 1, Issue 1

Rule of Law in Somaliland (continued)
Another key component of ROLS is support topolicing. One of the crowning achievements of ROLS is
the Mandera Police Academy in Somaliland, which is
the linchpin of the state’s effor ts to establish a national
police force that is professional and aware of humanrights standards. The academy provides six-monthcourses for all recruits. ROLS supports the training oftrainers, as well as operating costs and upkeep, while
the government covers the staff’s salaries.
The programme has received generous funding from
Norway, EC, Sweden, Canada, Germany, Denmark,UNDP/BCPR, US, and UK. A 2004 Department forInternational Development (DFID) review of the programme had generally positive findings and called forcontinued support. In particular, ROLS’ emphasis on thetriad of police, judiciary and corrections—what BCPR
defines as justice and security sector reform—caught theeye of the international community. Based on the successof ROLS in Somaliland, the programme is being expanded to Puntland and, when conditions permit, will bescaled up in the center-south of Somalia as well.
The encouraging experience of the ROLS programme provides BCPR with a number of lessons thatwill prove particularly valuable with the Bureau’s recent
establishment of a new Justice and Security Sector
Reform Unit. First, having a dedicated national counterpart—in this case the Somaliland Ministry of Justice—isthe basic prerequisite for enacting real reform in thejustice sector. Second, while a vision for UN efforts is
crucial, flexibility is also essential, as is a focus on manageable, realistic goals. Third, successful support in ruleof law involves holistic planning across the full spectrumof institutions that play a part in upholding the law.
According to the DFID review, the ROLS programme has produced a number of impressive results,
despite a difficult operating environment. It is still
early in the state-building process in Somalia, andmany hurdles lie ahead. But the progress achieved by
ROLS deser ves mention and proves that, even in themost difficult of situations, progress is possible. CPR*This article was written in his former capacity as Seni or Advisor i n BCPR.

Photo By: Sonya Laurence Green2

BCPR’s Internal Reviews
A renewed strategic vision for the Bureau
By BCPR StaffN

ext year marks the beginning of a critical time for
the UN system, which must adapt to a changing
international development and security environment marked by the challenges of delivering on theMillennium Development Goals, new aid modalities, andincreases in the flow of official development assistance.
UNDP, as the UN’s global organization for development
and steward of the Resident Coordinator system, is at thecenter of this shifting landscape. As UNDP’s lead on crisis
prevention and recovery, BCPR has a particularly important role in ensuring that UNDP can provide global leadership in addressing the needs of fragile states. To help
address these challenges, the Bureau commissioned threeinternal reviews. Here are their key findings.
Internal Review Key Findings—BCPR’s support ofcrisis countries and contributions to UN inter-agency discussions on crisis-related issues are of great value. The followingchanges would strengthen its effectiveness:  A coherent
medium-term strategic vision that can guide the Bureau’s
work  A bureau-wide strategy for gender mainstreaming A more rational and transparent financial reporting
framework  Stronger monitoring and evaluation capacities.
Gender Review Key Findings—BCPR has madepositive steps toward integrating gender sensitivity into its
policy and programming, especially in mine action, smallarms, and demobilization. Recommended changes include: Clearer gender policies for each area of BCPR expertise Data collection to build gender-sensitive indicators for
Bureau-supported programmes  Partnerships with key
actors in the field  Promotion of gender-sensitive policereform initiatives to lead a global discussion on more accountable security-sector reforms  Active engagement in a UN
inter-agency effort to end violence against women in conflict.
Small-Arms Review Key Findings—BCPR has an innovative approach to small-arms programming, but there isroom for improvement in the following areas:  Reliable baseline information on the availability and distribution of
weapons, and on the social and political context for insecurity
and weapons demand  More realistic targets for small-arms
programmes  Further clarification of the division of labor
between different partners involved in small-arms programmes  Elaboration of indicators that better measure theimpact of small-arms programmes on people’s lives.
In response to the review’s recommendations,
BCPR has launched a bureau-wide strategic visioning
and planning process, which should be completed byearly next year. It is designed to include wide-spreadparticipation of BCPR staff members and consultation
with key UNDP partners. The inputs and feedback we
receive will help ensure that UNDP continues to deliver excellent support and services to countries undergoing or emerging from crisis. CPR

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CPR Newsletter, Win ter 2005, Volume 1, Issue 1

Transitioning from
War to Peace

What’s New

UNDP’s role in disarmament,
demobilization and reintegration (DDR)

Early Recovery
Cluster

By Spyros Demetriou, Small Arms and DDR Specialist, BCPR
isarmament, demobilizati on and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants is an importantpart of establishing a stable environment inpost-conflict countries. Since the early 1990s, UNDP
has been key to supporting DDR programmes in bothpeace keeping and non-peaceke eping contexts—
keeping in mind broader recovery processes andreinforcing national peacebuilding, addressing security issues, and providing alternative livelihoods for thishigh-risk group of people.
UNDP helps prevent further conflict in transition
contexts in several ways thr ough its DDR support andprogramming, including: Building confidence in the peace process by supporting participants in identifying DDR options fortheir country.
 Reducing further armed violence through efforts
to disarm combatants, communities and other highrisk groups.
 Contributing to the effective dismantlement ofmilitary units by ensuring proper demobilization anddischarge of combatants.
 Ensuring that ex-com batants ar e reintegrated
into social and economic li fe in order to prevent future
conflict.
 Enhancing community security through violence
prevention and human security programming.
BCPR has played a critical role in strengthening
UNDP’s engagement in DDR through policy andstrategic advice, as well as financial and technical support at the countr y level . Since 2004, UNDP/BCPR has
had a lead rol e alongside the UN Department of
Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and other agencies
in promoting a common approach to DDR within theframework of integrated UN peace operations.
This “integrated” approach is currently bei ng
piloted in Haiti and Sudan. In Haiti, UNDP is working
with DPKO, UNICEF, and other partners to implement an innovati ve DDR strategy that focuses onar med groups and the communities that will hostthem. This unique approach improves reintegration bysituating DDR within a community development (asopposed to military) framework. In Sudan, an integrated UN DDR section brings together expertise,resources and staff from DPKO, UNDP, UNICEF andother agencies, and has been critical to supporting thepeace negotiations and the development of Sudan’sinterim DDR programme. CPR

D

As part of ongo ing efforts
to improve the t imelinessand effectiv enes s of thehumanitarian
response,
the Inter-Agency Standing
Co mmitt ee ( IASC) has
Photo By: Pedro Cote, UNDP embarked upon an initiative t o strengthen leadership and accountability innine key “clusters” of the humanitarian response.
Am ong thes e is the cluster f or “early recovery”—ac omplex area that is critical in linking immediate
responses to disast ers with medium and long -term
rec overy effort s. UNDP was designated as the leadagency for this clust er. Working wit h 17 humanitarian and dev elopment partners, U NDP identified
c ritical gaps in early recovery and prepared a planf or 2006 that ident if ied priority act io ns andresource requirements, in order to improve capacities and apply the cluster approach to crisis situations. This, along with the plans for the other eightc lusters, were reviewed by the IASC W ork ing
Group on 21-22 Nov ember 2005 and were submitted f or endorsement by the IASC Principals on
12 December 2005. While this new cl uster
approac h is expected to be implement ed in early
2006, the early recovery cluster has already had
experience applying its key strateg ies during assist ance eff orts for the Pa kistan eart hquake o f
O ctober 2005. There, the cluster played a key rolein coordinating early recovery activities, conducting a joint needs assessment, and produc ing a UN
System Early Recov ery Framework, which waspresented to the donor c onference held i n
I slamabad on 19 Nov ember 2005. For more information, contact kay oko.gotoh@undp.org.

Practice Note on DDR
BCPR rec ently publis hed a Pract ic e Not e o ndisarmament , demobilizat io n and reintegratio n( DDR) of ex- combatants. This Pract ice No te outlines UNDP’s key role within the DDR pro cess. It
reflect s less ons learned and best pract ic es fromprev io us UNDP-supported DDR program mes. Itt hen reviews the programming cyc le f ro m discussions on when and how to engage, through theim pl em entat io n of DD R prog rammes. The
Prac tice Note of fers guidance for DDR polic ym akers and practitioners, and provides a f ramework fo r future UNDP interv entions in the f ield,

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CPR Newsletter, Winter 2005, Volu me 1, Issue 1

linking DD R initiatives to wider peac e and recov ery strateg ies. The English version of the PracticeNote can be downloaded at www.undp.org/bcpr;
French and Spanish vers ions will b e available
early next y ear. The Prac tice Note co ntributes towider UN efforts t o enhance cooperation andimprov e effectiveness in D DR. U NDP is working
closely with 13 other UN departments, agenc ies
and funds to dev elop integrated DDR standards
that will guide all UN ag encies when implem enting DD R. The UN DDR Working Group is also creat ing a joint training and capacity development
strategy for all agencies, and implementing integrated DDR programmes in Haiti and Sudan. For more
information or to provide feedback on the PracticeNote, contact geraldine.ocallaghan@undp.org.

Exploring UNDP’ s
Engagem ent
wit h Non-State
Armed Gr oups
In November 2005, morethan 30 UNDP staf f parPhoto By: Robert Maass, UNDP ticipated in an onl ine
discussion on how UNDP
should engage with non-st at e armed groups(NSAGs). The demand f or such discussion arosefrom t he c hallenges posed b y engaging witharm ed groups ( who can block t he deliv ery o f
dev elopment ass ist ance) , and the legal and political im plications of such engagem ents. The discussion aim ed to support field staff in making
inf orm ed dec isio ns o n whether or not and how toengage with NSA Gs based on U NDP-wide experiences . The discussion started with a strong
belief that a strategy on NSAG s is inevitable formany co untry o ffices. The ex periences shared
clearly m ade the cas e t hat t he issue o f engaging
NSAGs is intertwined with how UND P designs
and im plem ents effective programs that fulf ill its
mandate. Reaching isolat ed populations, work ing with lo cal communities, prov iding sec urity,
and running conflic t-sensitive pro gramm ing all
imply so me form of engagement with NSAGs.
The disc ussion offered assuranc e that the UNDP
has a wealth of knowledge abo ut how to engage
with these gro ups. Participants shared many concrete approac hes t hat they have dev eloped forunderstanding arm ed groups in their areas, analyzing the impact of these groups on t heir pro grams and on the c onflict context, and construc tively engaging with t hem. Based o n the richreso urces shared, BCPR is developing a summaryand do cument for UNDP staff work ing in suchsituat ions in the f uture. For mo re information,
contact katrin.kinzelbach@undp.o rg .

DDR in Sudan
Disarmament, demobilization andreintegration in the region
By Maximo Halty, DDR Coordinator, SudanT

he first step towards establishing a secure environment in Sudan, after signi ng the peaceagreement and separating opposing forces, is to
reduce new outbr eaks of violence. In order to do so,
ex-combatants (who m ight undermine peace anddevelopment) need to be reintroduced to civi liansoci ety through a programme of disarmament,
demobilization, and reintegration (DDR).
DDR in Sudan will take place i n an extremely
diverse environment. Its context will vary greatly
between regions and will thus require flexible strategies and interventions. As previous experience has
shown, the success of DDR is dependent on having aneffective socioeconomic reintegration pr ocess that has
been designed and implemented with all main stakeholders included. Here is how the issue is being
approached in Sudan.
One of the main objectives of the DDR approach in
Sudan is to create a DDR programme that will be incremental, integrated and manageable by the Sudanese government. For this purpose, three key institutions are being
established: two separate DDR Commissions in the northand south to lead design, implementation and management; and a National DDR Coordination Council responsible for policy formulation, coordination and evaluation.
These institutions face challenges that will require them tofocus on several important areas in DDR:
 Demobilizing and reintegrating armed forces thatare disorganized and lacking in clear procedures.

Photo By: Ruth Mas sey, UND P

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CPR Newsletter, Win ter 2005, Volume 1, Issue 1

 Addressing the l ikelihood of exponential growth inorganized armed crime due to the proliferation ofother armed groups, small arms, and unr egulated natural resources, and the fact that reliable forms of governance will be slow to take shape.
 Taking into account disparities among regions interms of infrastructure and basic capacity, and the lowlevel of economic development in southern Sudan.

The success of DDR is dependent on“ ”

an effective socioeconomic reintegration process designed with all
main stakeholders included.

 Allowi ng for the limited national capacity to plan,manage and implement DDR.
 Supporting communitie s whose resources andcapacities have already been stretched to the extr eme
through the conflict.
 Addressing the unique needs of women in the DDR
process—particularly those who were associated witharmed forces.
 Managing expectations regarding DDR and its support mechanisms (often expected in the form of monetary packages).
 Ensuring earl y dem obili zation of children wh omay be reluctant to return to com munities becauseof poverty, lack of opportunities or abusi ve family
situations, or may anticipate gre ater ben efi ts
from going thr ough the adult demobi lization
programmes.
 Addressing the issue of the higher risk of HIV/AIDS
in former combatants and how this complicates theirreintegrati on into society.
Despite the challenges, DDR in Sudan is expected
to begin on time and bring much needed support tothe peace process. With the support of the international community the parties have agreed to form andimplement an interim DDR programme. The main
objective of the interim programme is to build thecapacity of DDR institutions and civil society, while
initiating basic DDR processes for priority groups suchas children and women associated with the armed
groups, and the physically and psychologically disabled ex-combatants.
The interim programme also works in coordination with the Security Sector Transformation process
and a Community Security Fund to address challenges
in high-risk, high-priority communities throughout
the country. Its successful development andimplementation will lay the groundwork for the future
impl ementation of a multi-year programme tocomplete the DDR process. CPR

Upcoming Events
Global Review of Experiences inPreventing Violent Conflict
6-8 March 2006, Istanbul
In recent years, the UN has emphasized the need to support
Member States in building their capacity to settle disputes
peacefully. In his 2001 report on the prevention of armed conflicts, the UN Secretary-General called on the UN to work withboth governments and civil society in this regard. In responseto this report, UNDP and the UN Department of Political
Affairs (UNDPA) started a joint programme to assist national
actors in building their capacities for conflict prevention.
Now, national stakeholders and UN staff will have the opportunity to review the lessons learned from these experiences at
an event co-hosted by UNDP and UNDPA on 6-8 March 2006
in Istanbul. Through a facilitated, experience-sharing exercise,participants will focus on the UN’s work with national actors
to build capacities for preventing the occurrence of violent
conflict. This exercise, which will involve both national counterparts and UN staff engaged with conflict prevention
initiatives, has two main goals: 1) To allow national actors
from countries that have engaged with the UN in efforts toprev ent violent conflict, to share experiences and develop
ideas for furthering their efforts; and 2) To allow UN colleagues who have supported these activities to learn fromother experiences, such as how to develop approaches forthese initiatives and obtain buy-in from colleagues and offices.
For more information, contact chetan.kumar@undp.org.

Past Events
Global Disaster Risk Reduction
Mainstreaming Workshop
22-23 September 2005, Geneva
How can we integrate disaster risk reduction more eff ectively into development program ming? The UNDP’s
Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development
Workshop, held in Geneva on 22-23 September 2005, initiated the consultation process and dialogue to address thisquestion. Through discussions with selected UNDP country offices and key international organizations, the initiative
aimed to work towards three main objectives: 1) To support
the development of appropriate policies, tools and humanresource c apacity for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction
into development activities; 2) To provide a platform foradvocacy and exchange of mainstreaming experiences; and3) To s upport the harmonization of these tools andpractices among development actors. There was strong
consensus among the participants that mainst reaming disaster risk reduction is not an option but should be madepart of the regular development programming within
UNDP, and that UNDP needs to work both internally andwith partners to move this objective forward. For more
information, contact jennifer.worrell@undp.org.

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CPR Newsletter, Winter 2005, Volume 1, Issue 1

Who’s Who in CPR
Highlighting staff who contribute to crisis prevention and recovery efforts

Susan Finch

Peace and Development
Advisor, Office of the Resident
Coordinator, Macedonia
As Peace and Develo pm ent
Advisor, Susan helps ensure UND P
country programmes are conflictsensitive and ref lect political developments. Wo rk ing closely wit h the UN Country Teamand UN Depart ment of Po lit ic al Affairs, her adv ice hasb een inst rumental in supporting the implementation of
the c onflict prev ention strategy. Susan has extensive
experienc e work ing in the Balkans and in Africa, start ing
with her assignment in 1993 working with CA RE Canada
and the UN peacekeeping mission to Croatia and BosniaHerzeg ov ina. D uring her serv ice for t he Canadian
Department of Foreign A ffairs, she spearheaded an outreac h programme of the Internat io nal Commission on the
I nterv ention and State Sovereignty and was also responsible for a peac e and security programme for W est A frica.
Prio r to joining UNDP in 2004, Susan worked in implement ing peaceb uilding prog rammes in A fric a for the
Canadian Internat io nal Development Ag enc y. She has a
B.A . in Biolo gy and a Masters in Public Adm inistrat ion
with a focus o n international develo pment.

Raul Rosende

Advisor to the
Resident Coordinator,
UNDP Colombia
Raul has more than 16 years of experience in designing and coordinating
conflict resolution and humanitarian
prog rammes in diverse conflict andpost -co nflict settings. Since 2003, he has advised and supported the Resident Coordinator for Colombia on a v arietyof CPR issues, including the designing and managing of the
Donors’ Fund. Through UNDP Colombia’s Reconciliation
and Development prog ramme, whic h he took part inbuilding and coordinating, he works on a range of issues,
such as landmines, disast er prevention, comm unit ystrengthening and local governance. He has also provided
strategic analysis and policy advice on specific interventionsin DDR and led the programme on preventing rec ruitmentof youth. Befo re joining UNDP Colomb ia, R aul advised theSpecial Representatives to the Secretary-General in the UN
missions in Afghanistan and in Guatemala. Before joining
UNDP, he worked in the Organization of American States in

6

Nicaragua and Guatemala. O ver the years, he has handled
complex situations such as negotiating response t o crisis
with armed public and civilian actors, promoting return andreintegration of displaced populations, and carrying out
DDR of ex-comb at ants. Raul’s thematic experience isbacked by his extensive experience in resource administration and management.

Yasmine Sherif

Team Leader and Senior
Advisor, Rule of Law Unit,
UNDP Sudan

Since joining UNDP Sudan in June
2004 to set up the Country Office’s
Rule of Law Unit with one laptop
and one staff member, Yasmine has
led the growth of the programme, which now employs 26
staff and has projects at the field and national levels.
Working with the government, national non-governmentalorganizations, civil society and the UN Mission in Sudan, theprogramme seeks to restore the social contract on the basis ofconfidence and capacity building. With major projects being
implemented at state and community levels, the Rule of Law
Programme conducts awareness raising in basic humanrights, domestic law and Sudanese ethical frameworks; runs
a number of legal aid centers and legal networks; conducts
community policing; and builds capacities of rule of law
institutions, suc h as the Judicial Service Commission and thenational judiciary. Before joining UNDP, Yasmine spent 17
years as a human rights lawyer with the UN both at headquarters and in crisis situations, such as Afghanistan, Bosnia,
Cambo dia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She
also worked as an Adjunct Profess or at Long Island
University, lec turing on international human rights, humanitarian aff airs and the Middle East, and has published extensively in these fields.

Feedback
If you have comments or questions about
the CPR Newsletter, or would like tosubmit an article, event, or news item forconsideration in upcoming issues, contact:elisabeth.diaz@undp.org.

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