Do no harm and the convergence of relief, development & conflict resolution : examining how conflict sensitivity and peace-building contribute to peace in Haiti

Abstract

Much has been said about the negative effects of international aid and for good reason, especially in high conflict contexts. Yet this need not be- aid, when done with a conflict sensitive mindset has great potential to be a force for peace. The hypothesis of this thesis is that proper relief and development work (often together referred to as "aid" or "assistance") has potential to create peace in two ways. First, conflict sensitive practice helps to mitigate conflict in relief and development programs. Second, relief and development help satisfy the underlying causes driving conflict, thus removing one source of fuel from the conflict and contributing to peace. The frameworks for practical implementation of conflict sensitivity (i.e. "Do No Harm") are introduced in the first half of this paper. The second section will demonstrate the interconnectivity of peace-building and conflict sensitivity, and will examine how relief and development programs can contribute to peace in their contexts. The third section will examine the specific case of relief and development in the fragile state of Haiti. It will seek to understand the causes of conflict and then investigate whether the programs of one large international non-governmental organization (NGO), World Vision, helps to satisfy the unmet needs. In doing so, this paper seek to support the hypothesis' second tenant- that World Vision's work helps to build peace. This report draws information from a variety of sources including books and publications by humanitarian organizations and consortiums, as well as interviews with practitioners, policy makers, and authors. [...]