USAID: West Africa Regional FY 2002 Congressional Budget Justification

Program: WEST AFRICA REGIONAL
Title and Number: Early Detection and Response Mechanisms to Prevent Regional Conflicts Established and Functioning, 624-007
Status: New
Planned FY 2001 Obligation and Funding Source: $418,000 DA
Proposed FY 2002 Obligation and Funding Source: $462,000 DA
Initial Obligation: FY 2001 Estimated Completion Date: FY 2004

Summary: Since 1989, violent internal and cross-border conflicts have disrupted economic, social, and political development in West Africa with a great cost in human life and property. In the absence of peace and security, development programs cannot be sustained. The high costs of peacekeeping missions and rehabilitation activities have caused regional leaders to look more closely at strategies of conflict prevention. Thus far, not much progress has been made owing to a combination of reasons. First, piecemeal approaches and inadequate institutional frameworks have limited preventive activities. Secondly, although civil society organizations represent a potentially powerful force in conflict prevention, their efforts remain at the very early stages of development. Thirdly, donor programs have been focused largely on mitigation, with few activities in the area of conflict prevention. The result is an environment in which potential conflicts are frequently not identified and resolved before they escalate to a level where they extend beyond national boundaries.

The principal response to violent conflicts in West Africa has been through the Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), which has attempted to fill the power void in the region. The ECOMOG has conducted military and peacekeeping operations in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, with logistical and materiel support from the international community. While ECOMOG has been effective in containing the spread of war, it has not yet developed a successful model for preventing conflicts within the region.

The U.S. Department of State's International Affairs Strategic Plan emphasizes the prevention and elimination of conflict as a principal foreign policy goal. USAID recognizes that conflict prevention is essential for economic growth, poverty alleviation and sustainable regional development. WARP seeks to address this problem.

FY 2001 Development Assistance (DA) Democracy/Governance funding of $418,000 is planned to support conflict monitoring and mitigation activities. FY 2002 funds totaling $462,000 DA will be used to expand and institutionalize this effort.

Key Results: To be effective, a conflict prevention strategy must be regional in scope, agreed upon by multiple states, enforceable, and demonstrate African ownership. The WARP activity will provide support to one of the most comprehensive initiatives in this regard which has been put forward by ECOWAS. As the only sub-regional interstate organization with membership from all fifteen states, ECOWAS has the greatest potential to prevent conflict within the region. Its members have agreed on the establishment of a Conflict Prevention Mechanism (CPM), designed to detect and respond to potential conflicts throughout the region prior to the onset of hostilities, thereby diminishing the need for costly peacekeeping and rehabilitation. Although the term detection is used narrowly, it is understood that detection is essential to prevention, and therefore contributes to avoidance of conflict. The mechanism envisions the establishment of four Observation and Monitoring Centers (OMCs) within the region (located in Benin, Burkina Faso, The Gambia and Liberia) to collect, analyze, evaluate and disseminate data related to burgeoning conflicts.

Data thus collected will be sent to the ECOWAS Executive Secretariat for assessment by a Mediation and Security Council (MSC). The MSC recommends action by member states or refers the dispute for further mediation to an ad hoc body, the Council of Elders. The Council of Elders is comprised of respected opinion leaders from within and beyond the region. The various components of this mechanism are intended to work together with the Program for Coordination and Assistance for Security and Development (PCASED), developed by ECOWAS and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). PCASED's purpose is to coordinate regional actions to stem the illicit flow of light weapons and small arms throughout the region.

Although participation of civil society in conflict prevention, particularly women, has been marginal, it nevertheless represents an important feature in this new USAID activity. Civil society groups have formed a coalition for conflict management in Mali, and regionally, women have constituted the African Women's Anti-War Coalition with membership in four West African states. In December 1998, this organization issued a declaration urging international agencies and governments of industrialized nations to work towards the prevention of conflict. USAID believes that civil society can constitute an important advocate for pressuring states to end present conflicts and to prevent their recurrence in the future. Such organizations also play important roles in representation, media support, and dissemination of information.

Performance and Prospects: The WARP activities will focus on building the institutional capacity of ECOWAS to establish and operate the conflict detection portion of the conflict prevention mechanism. Protocols and other documents governing the operation of the OMCs will be drafted and adopted and staff assigned to four Centers. In addition, member states must cooperate in human, financial, and material aspects of the project. At a minimum, they will ratify a protocol with appropriate policies, methods, and tools for operation. They must also constitute an effective Council of Elders, and consult regularly with their civil society and donor partners. At present, neither the protocols nor the OMCs exist. As an implementation strategy, USAID will recommend to other partners adoption of an incremental approach to the establishment of the OMCs. In part, this recommendation is made on the basis of practical considerations, primarily the availability of financial resources, but also in view of the many logistical and procedural questions that are likely to arise in conjunction with actual operation of the facility. Such issues should be addressed and resolved before proceeding with the establishment of the additional centers proposed. Based on available logistical data (relative to infrastructure and telecommunications issues, as well as proximity to Abuja-the seat of the ECOWAS Secretariat), the first site will be established in Benin.

The WARP will also enhance the capacity of regional civil society organizations (CSOs) to participate in conflict detection and response. Involvement by civil society organizations will complement the work of ECOWAS. At the same time, they will provide an essential channel for data communication at the grass-roots level and serve as a check on potential abuse of the system. Success of the conflict prevention mechanism depends on a broad-based and unbiased reporting of indicators of potential conflict throughout the region. As such, civil society organizations are critical to the success of the observatories. While USAID anticipates working with existing CSOs, particularly those involved in decentralization efforts, these organizations will need additional specialized training and technical assistance in monitoring, analysis, conflict mediation at community levels, and advocacy in support of objectives of the conflict prevention mechanism.

Finally, increased donor coordination will be necessary in building regional capacity to detect and respond to regional conflicts. Activities will be initiated to support the establishment and operation of the conflict prevention mechanisms (CPMs), doing so in a fully coordinated and consistent fashion. As previously mentioned, a strong base of donor support of the CPM already exists, both in the form of technical and monetary assistance. These individual efforts must be melded into a cohesive strategy, that ensures that all components essential to operation of the CPM are addressed, and that implementation proceeds in a manner that avoids duplication of effort, competitive or inconsistent approaches. USAID anticipates that the need for careful donor coordination will be an ongoing necessity that will continue over the life of the program. As such, existing ad hoc donor coordination efforts should be rationalized, and semi-annual donor coordination meetings should be scheduled to review progress towards goals, and to allow for modifications of the implementation strategies, as dictated by practical realities of program operation.

Possible Adjustments to Plan: This is a new activity. No adjustments are envisioned at this time.

Other Donor Programs: The EU is the primary donor supporting the ECOWAS CPM. The UNDP provides support and assistance to PCASED.

Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: Activities will be implemented through direct grant(s) and/or contracts to U.S., international, and/or local NGOs (yet to be determined).

Selected Performance Measures: WARP is a new program with the first obligation planned in 2001. Baselines and targets are being developed.

U.S. Financing

(In thousands of dollars)

	Obligations		Expenditures		Unliquidated
Through September 30, 1999	0	DA	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD	0	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	0	DFA
Fiscal Year 2000	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA
Through September 30, 2000	0	DA	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD	0	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	0	DFA
Prior Year Unobligated Funds	0	DA
	0	CSD
	350	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA	418	DA
	0	CSD
	0	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001	418	DA
	0	CSD
	350	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
			Future Obligations		Est. Total Cost
Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA	462	DA	1,500	DA	2,380	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD	0	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	350	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	0	DFA

WEST AFRICA REGIONAL PROGRAM

Activity Data Sheet

U.S. Financing