In Georgia, a farmer proudly displays his produce. The IRC works in 17 post-conflict countries like Georgia helping local people rebuild their communities.

A functioning civil society, where there is good governance and rule of law, is generally a society where disputes can be resolved through peaceful means and socio-economic development can flourish.

This is not the case in the environments where most humanitarian aid organizations finds itself. Rather, we are confronted with failed states, repressive or dysfunctional sociopolitical systems, instability and insecurity and sometimes anarchy. Local populations are most often governed by elites through authoritarian, military or rebel systems; or they are displaced, with little to no voice regarding the decisions that affect their lives. The effect of these scenarios is quite varied: communities may have no tradition or experience of self-governance, or may understand governance as a hierarchal non-representational instrument; they may have a high degree of dependency, or conversely have a great deal of autonomy but perhaps be isolated from the larger community; they may have limited capacity to manage their own development or great capacity, but no trust in their leaders or each other to develop and deliver a workable system.

Our Goals

Because the IRC works from the onset of conflict until stabilization occurs, we seek to assist communities from the very beginning - even during conflict - to create or support basic structures that respond to the population's needs. This helps ensure that citizens have a voice within those structures, and that they have the capacity to contribute to their community's socio-economic development.

Our goal is to support transitioning countries advance the principles of partnership, participation, social cohesion, and capacity building through structural responses driven by community-based programming. By enabling this development (of process and management capacity) during protracted conflicts, we aim not only to assist in restoring dignity and rebuilding the self-reliance of local communities, but also to lay foundations that support the development of a functional, transparent and accountable public and private-civil sector systems.

Our Approach

• We seek to ensure participation, social cohesion, strategic partnership and capacity building, and drive thinking and programming at the field level.
• We seek to ensure each intervention is context specific, carefully coordinated and integrated at local levels with all actors, both internal and external.
• We seek social, human and economic revitalization and reintegration through structural responses driven by community-based work.
• We seek to build local capacity for the management of social services and advocacy, supported by transparent, accountable and responsible processes and structures.
• We seek to assist in creating the essential linkages between the public, private and civil sectors to ensure that long-term sustainability can be achieved.

What Does Our Work Look Like?

Supporting Local Aid Organizations

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where violent conflict continues, the IRC incorporates developmental approaches in an emergency/ relief setting - focusing on priority areas of health, food security and livelihoods development. The IRC builds the capacity of local organizations and groups to provide for their own humanitarian needs, supplying financial capital as well as operational and managerial project training and support. The program not only ensures basic service delivery is met by local populations, but that foundations for sustainable, civil society development are laid.

Community Development for Refugee and Internally Displaced Populations

In Georgia and Azerbaijan the IRC facilitated establishment of representative community development councils in refugee and IDP settlements and trained them in participatory planning, community resource mobilization, project management, leadership development, financial management, transparency and accountability. The IRC makes funds available to the councils, which in turn survey community needs, develop program strategies and budgets and oversee implementation of projects that involve and employ community members. In addition to IRC funding, the councils link up with other service providers and donors to support their development initiatives.

Decentralization, Local Governance and Community Development

Following years of emergency and rehabilitation assistance following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and ensuing war, the IRC phased into community development and good governance programs. The IRC worked with Rwanda's Ministry of Local Governance, the World Bank and other aid organizations to increase participation and socio-economic development through community-based interventions. We assisted in developing the structure and processes for community councils, committees and community development plans; trained local communities in good governance procedures; provided technical assistance for community credit and approximately 300 community-driven infrastructure projects; and promoted the subsequent implementation of decentralization and civil society programming within the country.

Civil Society Development

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, as international assistance moved from relief to post-conflict development, the IRC focused on supporting local resources such as non-governmental organisations (including formal and informal grassroots citizens' groups), local government, and local entrepreneurs and businesspeople to come together to discuss social and economic revitalisation priorities for their communities, and undertake joint action. The program significantly strengthened the organizational and advocacy capacity of Community Service Organizations, employing strategies of integration, needs-led training and small grant support.

Good Governance and Community Development for Local Communities

Working with community councils and committees in Kosovo, the IRC has implemented projects that improved citizen and government understanding of respective rights and responsibilities within new civic structures; promoted broad community participation in public decision-making; and assisted citizens and government to identify and address local problems, supporting their positive role in community improvement and reducing dependency on external actors. The IRC has assisted citizens and governments in 14 villages to cooperatively build a functioning, pluralistic society.