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East Asia & Pacific is facing some great development challenges today: urbanization, protection of the environment, the need to find renewable energy sources and many others. This site wants to create a conversation around those important issues. More »

Conflict and Development

Government response? Impact of conflict and violence in the Philippines, 2000-2010 - Survey results (II)

Submitted by Ed Bell on Tue, 2012-04-17 22:10
View the slideshow

I recently wrote a piece here with highlights from a survey about the impacts of violent conflict on the population of Central Mindanao, in the Philippines--you can also view the main points in the slideshow to the right.

So how has the government responded to these findings? In their joint message commending the report, the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development and the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process have urged all agencies to use the survey data to improve their assistance in the affected areas. They want to see greater understanding of people’s experience of governance, security and access to services, and decisions based on detailed knowledge of how livelihoods, access to land, credit and food vari es from place to place.

What should be done now?The report does not make specific recommendations because concerned agencies have such a wide range of mandates and capacities. Some strategy and operational implications, however, are emphasised:

Indonesia: A return to Aceh amidst hopes for peace and prosperity

Submitted by Dini Djalal on Tue, 2012-03-27 10:18

Juga tersedia di Bahasa

My first trip to Aceh was in August 1998, four months after the resignation of former President Soeharto. It was the height of Indonesia's pro-democracy Reformasi movement, and many journalists thought that travel permits were still required, as it had been for decades. My friend and I were venturing as 'tourists'. In many villages, the legacy of repression remained: razed houses, shuttered schools, and households run by widows. Poverty was unavoidable; violence and economic growth are often incompatible.

Indonesia: Kembali ke Aceh di tengah harapan bagi perdamaian dan kesejahteraan

Submitted by Dini Djalal on Tue, 2012-03-27 10:17

Available in English

Saya pertama kali berkunjung ke Aceh pada Agustus 1998, empat bulan setelah mantan Presiden Soeharto meletakkan jabatannya. Saat itu adalah puncak gerakan Reformasi di Indonesia, dan banyak wartawan yang mengira bahwa masih dibutuhkan izin kunjungan untuk pergi ke Aceh, seperti yang memang dibutuhkan selama beberapa dekade. Saya dan rekan saya berkunjung sebagai “wisatawan”. Warisan penindasan memang masih banyak tersisa di banyak desa: runtuhan rumah-rumah, sekolah-sekolah yang tutup dan rumah tangga yang dikepalai oleh janda-janda. Kemiskinan tidak dapat dihindari: kekerasan dan pertumbuhan ekonomi hampir tidak pernah berjalan bersama.

Impact of conflict and violence in the Philippines, 2000-2010 - Survey results (I)

Submitted by Ed Bell on Sun, 2012-03-18 23:54

We know the impact of violence can last generations. We also know that people can be affected by repeated cycles of conflict and instability. The result is that the poor get poorer and become less resilient to further shocks, whether natural or man-made.

A new report, Violent Conflicts and Displacement in Central Mindanao: Challenges for recovery and development (available at www.worldbank.org/ph), looks at vulnerability in some of the most conflict-affected areas of southern Philippines. A joint initiative between the World Bank’s State and Peacebuilding Fund and the World Food Programme, it examines people’s experience of conflict and the effect of violence on their daily lives. 

The results provide, I believe, some of the most extensive and detailed insights into local needs and concerns for almost a decade. You can find our data and analysis at www.emindanao.org/conflict-and-displacement and judge for yourself. 
 
How bad did things get?
In the Philippines, it has been the people of Central Mindanao that have had the worst experiences of violent conflict. “All Out War” in 2000 and hostilities in 2008 each led to the displacement of nearly a million individuals. Repeated bouts of conflict and forced displacement have hit poor communities hard. 
The World Bank-WFP survey shows that:

 

- Four in every ten households had experienced displacement between 2000 and 2010. As many as one in ten had been forced to leave their homes five times during the decade. In the province of Maguindanao, as many as 82 percent reported experiencing displacement in that time.

Tujuh tahun kemudian: Mengingat tsunami di Aceh

Submitted by Dave Lawrence on Mon, 2012-01-02 01:14

Juga tersedia di English

Jumlahnya terus meningkat. Pada awalnya dilaporkan 13.000 jiwa. Keesokan harinya menjadi 25.000. Lalu dilaporkan kembali 58.000. Di penghujung minggu, pada tanggal 1 Januari 2005, jumlah korban tsunami di Asia telah mencapai 122.000. Dan jumlah tersebut terus meningkat, tidak ada satu orang pun yang tahu kapan jumlah tersebut akan berhenti meningkat.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

 
 

Seven years on: Remembering the tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia

Submitted by Dave Lawrence on Sat, 2011-12-24 13:43

Also available in Bahasa

The number just kept getting bigger and bigger. At first it was a staggering 13,000. The next day, over 25,000. And then, 58,000. By the end of the week, on January 1st, 2005, the death toll of the Asian Tsunami had reached 122,000. Yet the number kept climbing, and nobody knew when it would stop. 

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer