CIVILIAN CAPACITY IN THE AFTERMATH OF CONFLICT:
INDEPENDENT REPORT OF THE SENIOR ADVISORY GROUP
As communities emerge from conflict, they often face a critical shortage of capacities needed to secure a sustainable peace. Yet the United Nations struggles both to recruit and deploy the range of expertise required, and to transfer skills and knowledge to national actors. The international effort to help countries emerging from conflict can be strengthened by enhancing the partnership between the United Nations and its Member States.
In March 2010 the Secretary-General appointed a Senior Advisory Group to review the civilian capacities provided by the international community in the immediate aftermath of conflict. The review analyzed how the United Nations and the international community can help to broaden and deepen the pool of civilian experts to support the immediate capacity development needs of countries emerging from conflict, and made concrete recommendations for improvement. The final report, published in March 2011, proposes a framework called OPEN designed to:
- Enable national Ownership
- Work in global Partnership
- Deliver with Expertise
- Be more Nimble in the face of turbulent transitions
The report proposes practical, concrete measures to improve civilian support to conflict affected countries. It foresees a core of United Nations staff, working more closely with host communities, and supported by civilians from Member States, regional organizations and civil society. It is focused on helping the United Nations deliver more without additional resources, in line with the Secretary-General’s continuing drive to build a more accountable, efficient and effective United Nations.