By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 27 1998 (IPS)

The old adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” could be applied to the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) – currently spending billions of dollars in war-ravaged Third World nations.

Even UNDP Administrator James Gustave Speth admits it is far cheaper for the United Nations to spend on “preventive development” than to lay out “a fortune on curative development.”

Most conflicts like those in eight nations receiveing UNDP assistance – Mali, Rwanda, Guatemala, Central African Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Liberia and Sierra Leone – can be traced to economic factors. And Speth argues that, if more money was spent on poverty alleviation, and sustainable economic development, wars could be prevented long before they broke out.

The United Nations and its development agencies now spend about 4.8 billion dollars annually on economic and social development – primarily assisting Third World nations in such areas as health care, sanitation, agriculture, population, environment, children and food distribution.

Some 30 countries currently are embroiled in armed conflicts, and almost half of all U.N. assistance takes the form of humanitarian relief to these countries, mostly at the expense of long-term economic development.

The United Nations says that the 4.8 billion dollars in development aid is equivalent to about 81 cents per human being. In contrast, the world’s governments spend about 790 billion dollars annually in military expenditures, or the equivalent of 135 dollars per person.

UNDP last year earmarked about five percent of its core resources for special initiatives that “can prevent crises from deepening and build lasting peace.” But these core resources, voluntary contributions with no strings attached, have continued to decline – from 927 million dollars in 1995 to 844 million dollars in 1996.

The United States cut its contributions from 113.5 million dollars in 1995 to 51 million dollars in 1996, rising to 76 million dollars in 1997.

“The needs of the developing countries are at an all-time high, as are the opportunities for effective use of assistance,” says Speth, “And yet right at this moment of hope, many governments are cutting their official development assistance (ODA) in a spasm of short-sightedness that will prove most costly later.”

“We have a terrible tragedy on our hands,” he said, “because we have serious need for new development assistance to deal both with conflict-related situations and desperately poor nations.”

Asked how UNDP plans to cope with declining funds, Speth said: “We are struggling to do the best we can with the resources at hand.”

Tore Rose, UNDP Resident Representative in Mali, told reporters that over the last three decades, billions of dollars in development assistance had been poured into countries such as Somalia, Liberia and Sierra Leone. “And look where these countries are today,” he said.

Rose said there is a strong case for using development aid for peace building and security enhancement. If it is not used in this way, he pointed out, the international community would eventually spend much more reconstructing nations destroyed by wars.

Mali, which is being cited as model for post conflict reconstruction, is spending about 11 million dollars on re- establishing peace and stability. UNDP is playing an crucial role in peacebuilding in Mali, and has helped the government organise a meeting with ex-rebels in Timbuktu. Currently, about 200 million dollars in development assistance earmarked for Mali are awaiting disbursement. They can be disbursed only if there is peace in the country, Rose noted.

He said that UNDP is promoting peace-building by supporting a moratorium on the import, export and manufacture of small and light arms in Mali and in countries of West Africa. Additionally, UNDP is formulating a “code of conduct” for Mali’s security forces.

In Haiti, UNDP has provided assistance to help create and train the nation’s first civil police force. It has also helped organise democratic elections and launched three projects for the reintegration of returning refugees and internally displaced persons. UNDP has also rebuilt key Haitian institutions, including the parliament and the media.

As part of its post-conflict assistance in Liberia, UNDP is providing three-month vocational training programmes for war- affected persons. As of last month, more than 1,200 Liberians, both former combatants and civilians, have graduated from training sessions organised by local non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

In the Central African Republic, which has experienced three military mutinies pushing the country on the brink of a civil war, UNDP is spending more than 500,000 dollars promoting the role of women in the peace process.

In Guatemala, where a 36-year-old conflict recently ended, UNDP is helping to implement the peace accords and support comprehensive judicial reforms to improve criminal justice procedures, enhance human rights and help integrate former combatants into civilian life.

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