World Development Report 2011- Conflict, Security, and Development

This World Development Report (WDR) asks what spurs risks of violence, why conflict prevention and recovery have proven so difficult to address, and what can be done by national leaders and their development, security, and diplomatic partners to help restore a stable development path in the world’s most fragile and violence-torn areas. The central message of the Report is that strengthening legitimate institutions and governance to provide citizen security, justice, and jobs is crucial to break cycles of violence. Restoring confidence and transforming security, justice, and economic institutions is possible within a generation, even in countries that have experienced severe conflict. But that requires determined national leadership and an international system “refitted” to address 21st-century risks: refocusing assistance on preventing criminal and political violence, reforming the procedures of international agencies, responding at a regional level, and renewing cooperative efforts among lower-, middle-, and higher-income countries. The Report envisages a layered approach to effective global action, with local, national, regional, and international roles. Because of the nature of the topic, this Report has been developed in an unusual way— drawing from the beginning on the knowledge of national reformers and working closely with the United Nations and regional institutions with expertise in political and security issues, building on the concept of human security. The hope is that this partnership will spark an ongoing effort to jointly deepen our understanding of the links between security and development, and will foster practical action on the Report’s findings.