With IRC funding, a community committee in Kibungo employed local workers to rehabilitate the Gihinga primary school. (Photo: Kate Holt for IRC)

The International Rescue Committee's Post-Conflict Development Initiative (PCDI) was created in 2002 to support conflict-impacted communities and countries in their transition to sustainable peace and development. Building on experience gained through humanitarian interventions, we operate in nearly 17 protracted and post-conflict countries in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, conducting a range of developmental programs to assist communities attempting to find durable solutions to conflict.

The nature of conflict in the world is changing, impacting communities in very different ways than past wars. Today's wars are primarily the result of broken totalitarian regimes or internal civil conflicts that actually target civilians. (In the wars of the 1950's, the death rate of soldiers to civilians was 9 to1. Today it is the reverse: for every soldier killed, nine civilians die.) Today's political forces often use ethnic, nationalist or religious differences as the pretext or rationale for war. Countries are not only physically destroyed, but the human capital and social fabric are torn asunder.

Because of these changing forces, assistance to war impacted communities cannot solely be provision of humanitarian assistance. Assistance must also attempt to restore physical and social infrastructure, as well as (re) build and restore the social balance, trust, hope and confidence between people and their institutions. It is through these combined efforts that we can perhaps best help communities to stabilize and normalize toward sustainable peace.

Based in London, the Post Conflict Development Initiative specifically seeks to:

Combine field based findings and academic research to improve our ability to understand the nature of conflict and its impact on society, and define appropriate responses to assist communities to find durable solutions.

Support IRC field programs around the globe in delivery of quality interventions that help reduce tensions, foster community cohesion and promote socio-economic development.

Promotes advocacy for long-term, intensive, needs-led responses to the rebuilding process as the most effective means of achieving sustainable peace.

IRC works in-country on average ten years, and as such generally knows the terrain, community, and appreciate and respect the forces at play. Our work focuses on understanding the root cause of conflict, its impact on society and forging essential relationships and trust with community and leaders alike. Because grass roots community is the heart of society, we generally (but not exclusively) work at the local level, partnering with civilian populations, civil society groups, district and provincial governments, and private sector actors to find durable solutions to issues causing, and created by, conflict.

Our work in post-conflict settings focuses on structural responses driven by community-based programming that is capable of replication, emphasizing integration between the sectors of:

Good Governance, Civil Society and Community Reconstruction
Statistics show that many of today's conflicts are the result of failed states and repressive or dysfunctional systems, and that when good governance principles are applied and supported by a functioning civil society and rule of law, disputes can be resolved through peaceful means and socio-economic development can flourish. IRC seeks to assist communities not only after, but also during conflict to create basic structures responsive to the populations' needs, to ensure communities have a voice within those structures, and that they have the capacity to manage them for their own socio-economic development.

Click here to read more about this program.

Socio-Economic Reconstruction
Extreme poverty, exacerbated by the socio-economic impact of war, can create precisely the framework conducive to renewed violence. If stability is ever to hold and reconstruction is to be sustainable, then effort must focus on rebuilding the social welfare and economic development capacity of conflict-impacted communities. IRC places specific emphasis on rebuilding the health, public infrastructure, education, psycho-social and livelihoods development sectors, linking grass roots interventions with sustainable structural design and development.

Participation: Local communities have the need and the right to design and implement their own projects, ensuring inclusivity of all voices, transparency and accountability. By taking ownership of projects' processes and outcomes, communities are not only able to restore dignity and self-reliance often lost during war, but are far more likely to develop a stronger voice when it comes to maintaining or promoting peace.

Capacity Development: Destruction of human capital and the lack of educational systems or opportunities in war-time generally leaves conflict-impacted countries with a shortage of trained, skilled individuals. If it is local communities who must do the rebuilding, then our role is to develop and nurture existing resources within communities. We support, assist, encourage and facilitate their efforts. IRC is now placing specific emphasis on mainstreaming capacity building throughout all program interventions.

Partnership: Working with local groups, communities, governments, and leaders to develop their capacity to deliver services and find durable solutions means we work in partnership. At the same time, we must recognize that the significant needs engendered by conflict necessitate integrated partnerships with international bodies and civil society agencies, collectively capitalizing on our individual strengths to achieve maximum impact. IRC is increasingly placing emphasis on partnering at all levels and in all sectors of work.

Social Cohesion: Repairing the damage that war inflicts on people's relationships with each other and their public institutions is a critical challenge in the aftermath of conflict. Restoration of social capital and cohesion is a principle that must underline all our work. IRC, no matter what sector of intervention, is now defining ways to instill this trust and confidence as a means of fostering an environment conducive to peace and development.

Inclusion: Targeting sub-populations at the expense of the community writ-large often creates lasting resentment. At the same time, reintegration, refugee return, support for vulnerable groups, and the needs and roles of women and youth must be given particular consideration in the aftermath of conflict. IRC employs a holistic approach, ensuring communities respond to the special needs of all constituents.

Research Library

- Manual: The IRC’S Approach to Community Driven Reconstruction
- Lessons Learned on Community Driven Reconstruction

The Role of Culture, Islam and Tradition in Community Driven Reconstruction: The International Rescue Committee’s Approach to Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Program

- Report
- Abridged Report

Provided in printer-friendly Adobe PDF format.