Bridging community gap to build human security

The focus of humanitarian interventions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) should be on bridging divided communities rather than on narrower technical goals, according to the recommendations of participants at a recent international conference on "Promoting Human Security in the DRC". The primary focus of the conference, organised by the United Nations Development Programme's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, the Institute for Human Security (Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy) and the Feinstein International Famine Center, was the conflict in eastern DRC. Other recommendations included that consideration should be given to potential micro-credit schemes; road rehabilitation, schools and health care programmes; and the facilitation of means of communication. In parallel, local capacity building must be prioritised, the participants said; that would include giving support to local decision-makers, community-based organisations and local administrators, including those in the health and education sectors. The "Promoting Human Security" conference from 27 February to 1 March brought together people who - either through their work in the field, or through scholarship and research - have "a deep understanding" of the issues confronting the international community in the DRC, the UNDP stated. A series of concise policy recommendations for those working on the political and economic dimensions of the DRC conflict were the result of the conference, held in Boston, USA, according to its facilitators. [To access the recommendations, go to: http://www.fletcher.tufts.edu/humansecurity/conference/briefs/DRCpoliticalbrief.htm http://www.fletcher.tufts.edu/humansecurity/conference/briefs/DRCdevelopmentbrief.htm] The recommendations received input from a wide-range of people, including representatives of Congolese civil society, nongovernmental organisations, policy makers and scholars from the US and Europe, and UN officials working on the ground and in headquarters, the UNDP added.