India's advice to UN on rebuilding nations

Post-conflict peace-building remains one of the most serious challenges for United Nations, India has said, favouring the involvement of troop-contributing countries in rebuilding nations coming out of conflict.

Intervening in a Security Council debate on post-conflict peace-building, Indian Ambassador Nirupam Sen roundly criticised Bretton Woods institutions, including the International Monetary Fund, for non-involvement of such nations in the planning for development.

The debate is being held in the backdrop of several nations coming out of conflict with the help of the United Nations falling back into chaos within years because of lack of development and involvement of the people.

Calling for 'national ownership' of development programmes, he told the 15-member Council that it is not just a question of sovereignty but a functional matter.

To buttress his point, he gave the examples of schools and clinics constructed by multiple agencies and non governmental organisations, which were later found unsustainable, leading to duplication and wastage.

"National ownership mitigates this. It is national ownership that has to assess critical requirements and gaps and shape this assessment institutionally with those who have the ability to deliver," he said.

This, Sen said, would also help answer the problem posed by the inadequacy of international resources to help stabilise post-conflict countries.

He also said Indian peacekeepers follow an effective 'winning minds and heart' programme.

Referring to Bretton Woods institutions, Sen said they advised Cambodia to reduce its civil service by 20 per cent after Pol Pot had already decimated it.
 
"Four countries in Africa that collapsed into civil war were in the preceding ten years 62 to 83 per cent under an IMF programme. Mining companies sometimes leave next to nothing to government for expenditure on social infrastructure. IMF pressure to privatise makes such imbalanced contracting more likely. It would be useful for World Bank or another expert body to develop model auction procedures and model contracts."

Supporting the concept to establish a rapidly-deployable civilian capacity, Sen said this idea must be elaborated through open, inclusive and transparent negotiations, to give the end result greater legitimacy.

"India hopes to participate fully in discussing this concept, which potentially holds the promise of a new paradigm of cooperation between developed and developing States. Once the concept is fully elaborated, recruitment of those who can deploy the appropriate talents, skills and technologies would greatly help in peace-building," he said.

Agreeing that post-conflict peace remains one of the most serious challenges that UN faces collectively, Sen called for more creative and flexible approaches to meet it.

"We cannot, however, produce more creative and flexible approaches to address this challenge unless we are willing to move beyond the fixed positions. Our effort must be based on a more collective and inclusive approach," he added.