Published: 23 October 2008
Operating in Insecure Environments
The Department for International Development (DFID) has given priority to the needs of the poor in insecure countries, but DFID could be better & faster at learning lessons, according to a National Audit Office report.
It has delivered benefits for the poor in difficult circumstances, but the higher risks run in insecure environments have led to lower project success rates.
The damaging effects of insecurity have hindered progress in reducing poverty.
DFID spends an increasing amount, now over £1bn a year, on providing aid to insecure countries, but it has had limited experience of operating in such countries and insufficient evidence on how best to adapt its approach to counter the risks posed by insecurity.
There has been progress against some important indicators, such as those for health, but income poverty has not yet reduced in most insecure environments.
Guidance for staff needs to be adapted to reflect the challenges of working in an insecure environment.
DFID teams in insecure countries assess the extent & nature of conflict, but it is less clear how far these assessments inform the design & management of programmes.
In order to improve the effectiveness of aid operations, DFID needs to apply the lessons from practical experience more quickly; for example by better assessing and managing security risks and finding new ways to keep track of progress when site visits are dangerous.
Staff recognise the skills of senior managers in country teams in insecure environments, but there are still difficulties in building skilled and experienced teams.
DFID’s management of security risks for its staff has been variable.
Though the majority of staff feel satisfied with security arrangements, further steps could be taken in some locations to ensure staff feel adequately protected.
Since the National Audit Office study began, DFID has conducted an internal review to help tighten its security arrangements.
Much of DFID’s work in insecure countries is delivered through partners such as host government agencies and international or voluntary organisations, but two thirds of the projects the NAO reviewed from insecure environments had problems arising from weak partner capacity.
DFID has assessed partner capacity in specific cases, but has not looked systematically at potential partners in insecure countries to make maximum use of existing capacity.
Working in insecure countries also makes the monitoring needed to assess performance and guard against corruption more difficult for the Department.
Tim Burr, head of the National Audit Office, said:
"DFID staff work hard – often in difficult and dangerous situations – to deliver real benefits to some of the world’s most vulnerable people.
DFID could still make better use of its teams’ growing experience in this field to adapt standard aid practices to meet the challenges presented by insecurity."
DFID have a presence in the following countries, which are classed as insecure: Afghanistan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Liberia, Nepal, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
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