Security and Development: Violence as the primary cause of poverty

Security and Development:
Violence as the primary cause of poverty
Presentation of the 2011 World Development Report
„Conflict, Security and Development“
in Vienna/Austria
_____________________________________
Invitation
Modern violence is becoming the primary cause of poverty. Countries not affected by
destructive cycles of violent conflict escape poverty (The economics of violence, The
Economist 16 April 2011). And, new forms of violence has potentially a large impact on the
world as a whole.
Modern states focus and answer the concerns and demands of their citizens (Robert Rotberg,
2004). The report describes how injustice, corruption, unemployment, bad governance and
human rights abuses can precipitate violence, and how confidence between the state and its
citizens and the creation of legitimate institutions can resolve it.
Over a third of the poor in low-income countries, that is 1.5 billion people, live in fragile and
conflict-affected states, hence, no fragile or conflict-affected state has yet achieved a single
MDG (Robert B. Zoellick, President, World Bank Group).
Today’s engagement needs conflict-sensitive approaches in countries where conflicts are
clearly present, but have not yet become violent. Naturally, women play an important role in
keeping the peace and building the economy.
Time: 6 June 2011, 14:00 h – 17:00 h
Venue: Peter Quantschnigg Saal
Hintere Zollamtsstraße 2b, 1030 Vienna
Please confirm your participation
until 31 May to: rosa.kugler@bmf.gv.at

All in all, interventions are political. Therefore, dealing with conflict-affected countries is a
team effort. These problems require a focused and coherent approach, referred to as the 3C
approach, a coordinated, complementary and coherent action in fragile situations. It is a
pleasure to see that the Worldbank, the International Network on Conflict and Fragility and
others are moving in the same direction.
Main topics of the Worldbank Development Report 2011 are:
1. Security and justice as key components of peacebuilding: This means investing in
the justice sector, demobilising combatants by providing jobs and supporting
inclusive peace arrangements.
2. Inclusive enough coalitions to build resilient states: Immediate action is required to
strenghten state-society relations. New peacebuilding and statebuilding strategies
build upon articulated human security needs.
3. Employment to stop fragility: Short term results for tax payers to get their share of
the peace dividend and sustainable solutions encouraging private sector
development have to be addressed simultaneously.
The ground-braking report tries to translate these findings into an improved involvement at
the state level and better cooperation of multilateral and other players to assist genuine
ways to peace, security and development. [uwp]
Quelle: Stadt Wien – ViennaGIS
www.wien.gv.at/viennagis/

1400 h Introduction
Draft Programme
6 June 2011
Peter Quantschnigg Saal
Hintere Zollamtsstraße 2b, 1030 Vienna
Thomas Wieser, Austrian Ministry of Finance – Words of Welcome
14.10 h The Report - Presentation of Main Findings
Sarah Cliffe, Director, Worldbank, Teamleader of WDR 2011
„The new modes of handling fragile situations“
14.40 h Coherent action in fragile situations – new answers to situations
of fragility and their impact on Austrian policies
Panelists:
15.40 h Discussion
Reinhard Trischak, Brigadier General, Austrian Ministry for Defence and
Sports – „The socio-economic impact of peacekeeping missions“
Yvonne Kasumba, Civilian Planning and Coordination Office, African
Union – “Civilian capacities within the African Standby Forces” (tbc)
Wolfram Schaffar, Department of Development Studies, University of
Vienna, „Intervention in fragile situations, an academic perspective“
Max Santner, Platform Global Responsibility, Austrian Red Cross –
„How civil society meets the security challenge in fragile contexts“
Konstantin Huber, Austrian Executive Director, Worldbank,
„Recommendations and implementation by the Worldbank“
Chair: Amb. Freudenschuss-Reichl, Director General, Austrian
Development Cooperation
Followed by a Reception (end 1700 h)