Responses to International Conflict – NGOs and Conflict Management (Study Notes)

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Document Title: “RESPONSES TO INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT – Highlights from the Managing Chaos Conference: NGOs and Conflict Management”
Author: Pamela R. Aall (United States Institute of Peace – USIP).
Central Theme: Examination of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) as critical actors in conflict management, humanitarian relief, and peacebuilding in post–Cold-War complex emergencies.

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Table of Contents / Key Points (with pagination in original booklet):
- Preface (p. 1)
- 1 Reframing the Issues (p. 3)
- 2 The Changing Nature of NGOs (p. 5)
- 3 New Roles for NGOs (p. 7)
- 4 The Challenge of Coordination (p. 11)
- 5 NGOs as Conflict Managers (p. 14)
- Contributors, Agenda, About the Author, About the Institute (pp. 15-25)
Implicit message: growing complexity and multiplicity of NGO functions demands systematic analysis.

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Post–Cold-War Conflict Characteristics
- Shift from interstate wars to internal, identity-based conflicts (ethnic, religious, communal).
- These sub-national conflicts generate massive refugee flows, collapse of state services, famine, epidemics, and regional spill-overs.
- Labeled “complex emergencies” – e.g., Rwanda, Somalia, Bosnia.
Role of NGOs
- Provide non-military alternatives: humanitarian relief, preventive action, conflict resolution, development assistance, institution-building.
- Relief NGOs usually first on the scene → operating amid violence; forced to expand into de-facto governance & political-stability tasks.
- Ongoing debate within UN, member governments, and NGO community regarding appropriate NGO roles across conflict cycle.
Diversity & Typology of NGOs
- United by mission to improve world conditions but differ in objectives, structure, methods.
- Two broad categories:
1. Operational NGOs (direct action – relief, conflict resolution).
2. Advocacy NGOs (policy change, awareness, rights monitoring).
- Traditional humanitarian relief doctrine = neutrality; aid regardless of affiliation.
- Complex emergencies force reconsideration of neutrality when aid inadvertently fuels conflict.

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Necessity for Cooperation with Governments
- NGOs increasingly work with state structures to deliver assistance.
- Funding streams may need to shift from pure relief to integrated programmes linking $\text{relief} \rightarrow \text{development} \rightarrow \text{conflict resolution}$ .
Four Fundamental NGO Roles (preview)
1. Early-warning.
2. Human-rights monitoring.
3. Relief & rehabilitation.
4. Conflict-resolution / peacebuilding.
Early-Warning Nuances
- Field proximity gives NGOs situational awareness; they can alert international actors to impending governance or inter-group breakdown.
- Debate: Should NGOs remain information providers or also lobby governments for preventive policy? Ultimately states must muster political will.
Peacebuilding Linkage
- Advocacy for strategies binding short-term relief to long-term sustainable development via grass-roots & mid-level initiatives, favouring indigenous capacities over top-down donor models.
Coordination Imperative
- Large numbers of heterogeneous actors → risk of duplication & counter-productive overlaps.
- Proposal: comprehensive strategies combining diplomacy, military capability, and NGO expertise under a UN mandate.

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U.S. Government Reform Suggestion
- Consider single entity for foreign relief with one senior official → streamline decisions & improve UN interface.
Accountability Context
- NGOs not bound by same accountability framework as states/IGOs yet rarely operate in isolation; major powers supply leadership, NGOs operate within that context.
Question Posed: Are NGOs equipped to address violent conflict dimensions or only certain aspects? Their competency is role-specific and should fit within integrated relief-development framework.

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Historical Backdrop: Post-Cold-War Era Defined by
- Rwanda, Somalia, Bosnia: genocide, atrocities, state collapse, refugee crises.
- Emergence of NGOs as new international actors tackling “complex emergencies.”
Humanitarian Relief NGOs
- Drawn most directly into violent crises; increasingly provide governmental services (food, shelter, medical, administrative). Example: failed-state scenarios.
“Managing Chaos” Conference (USIP, Fall 1994)
- Explored new diplomacy, conflict tools, and NGO expansion.
- Participants questioned appropriateness & capacity of NGOs to assume governance-like functions.
Coordination Gap
- No single entity aligns NGO efforts with other interveners.
Neutrality Challenge
- Difficult to stay impartial when relief benefits perpetrators as well as victims.
USIP Follow-up Initiatives
- Post-conflict Bosnia NGO support, NGO–military relations study with U.S. Army War College, and conflict-resolution trainings (ICREST).

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Operational vs. Advocacy Distinction Illustrated
- Operational NGOs concentrate on direct aid/service; advocacy NGOs on information dissemination & policy influence.
Neutrality Debate Expanded
- Somalia & Rwanda cases where relief inadvertently benefited conflict perpetrators → some NGOs now question unconditional neutrality.
Advocacy NGOs are explicitly non-neutral, often adversarial toward authorities.
Conflict-Resolution NGOs
- Facilitate dialogue without taking sides.
Growth Metrics
- Example budgets: CARE USA $\approx 346\,\text{million}$ ; World Vision >140\,\text{million}.
- InterAction coalition (160 NGOs) revenue $2.3\,\text{billion}$ ( $\frac{5}{6}$ from private donations).
- $\approx 1{,}500$ NGOs registered with UN (largely international; excludes many indigenous NGOs).
Complexity Metaphor
- John Paul Lederach: NGO system resembles medieval Europe—diffuse, decentralized, hard to orchestrate during emergencies with limited time.
Funding Alignment Challenge
- Internal disagreement within NGOs when conflict-management tasks (e.g., mediating water-source disputes) do not match existing budget lines.
Call for Skill Development
- Lederach: “Like it or not… you’re actually doing conflict resolution; develop the skills accordingly.”

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Four Fundamental NGO Roles Detailed (Andrew Natsios)
1. Preventive early-warning.
2. Human-rights monitoring.
3. Relief & rehabilitation.
4. Conflict resolution (mediation/reconciliation).
Separation Principle
- Mixing roles can endanger staff & mission integrity (e.g., relief workers should not simultaneously conduct rights monitoring).
Early-Warning Debated
- Jan Eliasson outlines stepped approach: fact-finding → early-warning → peacebuilding.
- Vivian Derryck argues operational NGOs should advocate policy, leveraging field insight to influence government decisions (e.g., Rwanda – urging earlier U.S. intervention, addressing disarmament in camps).
- Lionel Rosenblatt: failure not lack of data but lack of political will; proposes six policy initiatives:
1. Retool intelligence & diplomatic reporting for early response.
2. NGO–UN partnerships for negotiation & reconciliation.
3. UN rapid-deployment force.
4. Counter-terrorism capabilities where local government fails.
5. Mechanisms for internally displaced persons, not only refugees.
6. Comprehensive reintegration planning (housing, livelihoods) for returnees.
Linking Relief → Sustainable Development (Lederach)
- Need decadal perspective; embed emergency actions within strategies for reconciliation & economic recovery.
- Cautions against solely top-down approaches; emphasises middle-level actors & community networks.
- Advocate use of indigenous resources (cultural practices, women’s networks); example: Somali women’s inter-clan communication.
Resource Dilemmas (Natsios)
- Introducing goods (food) alters power dynamics; without security (often military–provided) resources can fuel conflict.
- Misconception that relief automatically generates goodwill; must plan for contention over scarce/high-value inputs.

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Coordination Shortfalls
- Numerous actors, limited mutual awareness; grass-roots initiatives often invisible to higher tiers.
- NGO-military relations: historic mistrust; Rwanda/Somalia showed effectiveness when cooperative. Need shared communications, mission clarity.
- Divergent timelines: military seeks rapid exit; NGOs focus on nation-building – acceptance of differing end-states but harmonisation of immediate objectives is needed.
Rosenblatt: incorporating humanitarian operations into military training enhances readiness for post–Cold-War missions.
- Advocates single emergency coordinator & streamlined command structures.
Somalia Case Study
- Role confusion: NGOs handling security, military rebuilding roads → lost chance for local employment & indigenous development.
Structural Differences & Policy Inclusion
- Governments/IGOs operate nationally; NGOs locally; military obeys national command; NGOs accountable to boards/donors.
- Julia Taft: NGOs once “eccentric relatives,” now at policy table; coordination still lagging.
Mohamed Sahnoun Proposal
- New international institution for conflict management → coordinate & decentralise simultaneously; create synergy among local, regional, international levels.
Accountability & Leadership Concerns
- Lederach: NGOs replacing state functions in failed states raises “to whom are they accountable?”
- Rosenblatt: U.S. should unify its humanitarian apparatus to set example for UN reforms.
- Natsios: Ultimate leadership must come from great powers; NGOs cannot substitute for major diplomatic/military leverage.

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Criteria for NGO Engagement in Conflict Management (Vivian Derryck)
1. Deep knowledge of country & regional institutions.
2. Strong indigenous partnerships.
3. Staff trained in mediation/negotiation.
4. Field personnel aware of personal risk.
Lederach’s Endorsement
- NGOs’ cultural insight, local relationships, and grasp of relief–development continuum make them valuable peacebuilders.
Consensus Points from Conference
- NGOs can unintentionally influence conflict dynamics; coordinated multisectoral strategy needed.
- NGOs provide early-warning, advocacy to spur governmental will, and community-level capacity-building for civil society reconstruction.
- Integration of NGO work into wider intervention toolbox is indispensable in post–Cold-War conflicts.

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Contributor Highlights (selection)
- Chester A. Crocker: Former U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs; architect of Namibia peace accords.
- Vivian Lowery Derryck: President, African-American Institute; extensive field work.
- Jan Eliasson: Swedish Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs; ex-UN Humanitarian Affairs chief.
- John Paul Lederach: Scholar-practitioner, expert on community-level peacebuilding.
- Andrew Natsios: VP, World Vision; ex-USAID Food & Humanitarian Assistance chief.
- Mohamed Sahnoun: Former UN SRSG for Somalia; analyst of “missed opportunities.”

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Managing Chaos Conference Agenda Snapshot (Nov 30–Dec 1 1994)
- Sessions on character & sources of 21st-century conflict, NGO roles, preventive diplomacy, Bosnia, Sudan, new diplomacy, cross-cultural negotiation, information tech tools.
- Keynote speeches: Les Aspin (values-based interventions); Ted Koppel (global information revolution); closing dinner with Henry Kissinger (21st-century diplomacy perspectives).

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Additional USIP Activities Noted
- ICREST (International Conflict Resolution Skills Training) for diplomats, military, NGOs.
- Post-conflict Bosnia initiative, Africa humanitarian/conflict conference (Sept 1995), NGO–military relations research.

Page 14 – 32 (Institutional & Publication Data)

Author Bio: Pamela R. Aall—USIP program officer for Education & Training; leads NGO initiative; background at Rockefeller Foundation, Harvard, Columbia, LSE.
USIP Board leadership detailed; statutory mandate: to promote research, education & training on peaceful conflict resolution.
Peaceworks series context: This report is Peaceworks No. 5; previous numbers include conference keynote addresses & analyses of sources of conflict.
Contact Information: USIP, 1550 M St NW, Washington DC 20005; phone, e-mail, gopher.