Acting on commitments

How EU strategies and programming can better prevent violent conflict

Summary The European Union's declarations of its commitment to conflict prevention have been welcomed because development and poverty reduction are unsustainable in the face of ongoing or renewed violent conflict. A comprehensive prevention approach and emphasis on tackling root causes of conflict are vital not only for improving the lives and livelihoods of directly affected populations, but also because instability and war can often spill across regions. They can have global ramifications on security and prosperity.

This paper focuses on three major challenges for the EU in 2007 and beyond:

1. Achieving coherence among the different aspects of EU action. This involves aligning political dialogue, economic incentives and external assistance so as to make them mutually reinforcing.

2. Finalising Country Strategy Papers (CSPs), Regional Strategy Papers (RSPs), National Indicative Programming plans and Economic Partnership Agreements which are conflict sensitive - minimising negative effects and maximising positive impacts in conflictprone and affected contexts. After its failure to reaffirm its 2001 conflict prevention commitments
through all the new Financial Instruments, the EU needs to ensure that its programming addresses the root causes of violent conflict and lays the foundations for sustainable peace and poverty reduction.

3. Following through on policy commitments already made. Much progress has been made in the field of
security, but it remains for the EU to implement action to ensure better outcomes for those who suffer from violence and human rights abuses.

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