Since 1999, Alert has been working on a range of initiatives that address economic issues and their links with conflict and peace. This has included work with the business community, including multinational and local private sector, which operates in conflict zones, to ensure that its conduct does not fuel tensions or even violence, but can contribute towards creating a stable political climate instead. We first laid out our agenda on the role of the private sector in conflict prevention and peacebuilding in 2000 in a groundbreaking report The Business of Peace . In all of our work we engage and collaborate with civil society organisations and researchers, business communities and governments, including donor agencies, to address the links between economic interventions and conflict and peace through research, awareness raising, capacity building, accompaniment and advocacy.

With a goal of putting peacebuilding at the heart of economic interventions, Alert’s Economy & Peace work focuses on three key areas of work:

In order to advance this work, our approach includes:

• Supporting Alert’s field programmes in their efforts to incorporate the economic dimensions of peacebuilding into their work

To view our organisational statement on how we work with the private sector please click here

Alert has been working since 1999 on promoting a conflict-sensitive role for the private sector. Alert’s extensive work on these issues to date has firmly established it as a leader in the field. We have been active both in-country and at international policy levels, through our engagement with a wide range of private sector actors, ranging from small and medium companies to multinational corporations, typically from the extractive industry.

Past and present company engagement includes work with Shell, Anglo American, Statoil and Petrobras. Alert has worked with these companies to develop, pilot and implement trainings, tools and guidance for analysis, planning and operations in conflict contexts. Its work has been informed by extensive consultations and field-testing across different parts of the globe, including Angola, Azerbaijan; Colombia; Indonesia and Uganda.

Partnering with Alert
Alert seeks strategic partnerships with companies where there is a genuine value added on both sides; clearly identified needs; and a willingness to review and improve practice in light of this engagement. After initial consultations and analysis with company staff, Alert together with company staff, will develop a tailored course of action.

The principal objectives of our work are:

• To understand and raise awareness of the impact of conflict dynamics on company operations, and in turn, of company practices on conflict dynamics
• To develop and promote innovative and tailored approaches to improve company practices in conflict-affected and high-risk environments, reducing impacts of and risks to company operations in these settings
  

Our principles for engaging with companies
In working with any actors in situations of violent conflict, we are guided by and committed to the principles laid down in our organisational Code of Conduct. They are:

Primacy of People in Transforming Conflicts
We believe that genuine conflict transformation is only possible with the participation and involvement of those most affected by the conflict.

Humanitarian Concern
Our primary motivation is the alleviation of human suffering and our engagement in situations of violent conflict is driven principally by concern for the societies and peoples at risk from such conflicts.

Human Rights and Humanitarian Law & Principles
We are committed to the principle and practice of promoting human rights in our work in situations of violent internal conflict. We urge compliance with international humanitarian law & principles and respect for human rights amongst all parties to the conflict.

Respect for Gender and Cultural Diversity
We respect the dignity and cultural diversity of all peoples and we make no discrimination on grounds of nationality, race, class or gender or religious, cultural or political beliefs. We recognise and endeavour to build upon the capacities of people to resolve their own conflicts and we support the distinctive peacemaking roles of women in societies affected by violent conflict.

Impartiality
We endeavour to be inclusive in our work, seeking access to the relevant parties to the conflict. We do not take sides in conflicts and we derive guidance from our adherence to the principles outlined in this Code which we strive to advance in appropriate ways at all times.

Independence
We are an independent organisation, free to formulate policies and operational strategies in accordance with our legally registered aims and the principles expressed in this Code.

Accountability
We are morally responsible to those whom we seek to assist and accountable to those with whom we work. We are bound by UK Charity Law through our trustees and accountable through regular reporting mechanisms to our donors.

Confidentiality
Whilst endeavouring to be open and transparent, we are committed to maintaining confidentiality in situations where the effectiveness of our programmes or the security of our staff and partners may be at risk.

Partnerships
We are committed to working in collaboration and complementarity with individuals, organisations, governments and other institutions which can contribute to the prevention and resolution of conflict.

Institutional Learning
We are committed to building up our collective pool of knowledge, institutional memory and experience through undertaking regular reviews and evaluations of our work and developing the skills of all our staff.

To view our organisational statement on how we work with the private sector please click here.

Alert believes that by adopting a proactive approach to conflict-sensitive business practice, businesses can reduce risks to their operations in conflict-affected regions and to the communities around them, promote stability and improve relations with local populations. If the economic benefits of their operations are distributed more fairly and transparently, they can play a significant role in building the strong economic foundations that are vital for lasting peace.

We work towards making this possible in three ways – by undertaking research into the links between business and conflict, then developing tools for businesses to use when planning and carrying out work in conflict prone zones, and pushing for the adoption of policy, principles and guidelines so that multinational corporations, governments and multilateral organisations better understand and contribute to building peace. Our CSBP tools and materials have thus far been developed in the following areas:

Many international organisations, such as the European Union or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as a number of governments now acknowledge the critical role economic actors play in conflict. They have published key policy documents and are increasingly turning towards the potential of the private sector to contribute to peacebuilding. There is growing debate on the need for clearer international guidelines and constraints on companies operating in conflict prone zones.

In order to ensure that this issue remains on the international agenda, we make specific recommendations at the international policy level to inform thinking on how governments and multi-lateral agencies can integrate conflict-sensitivity into their economy-related policies, for example:

In May 2008, we published the Red Flags document, together with Fafo, drawing on several years of work with other organizations such as Collaborative for Development Action, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, OECD Watch, International Committee of the Red Cross, and Global Witness, to promote a clearer regulatory environment for companies doing business in conflict-prone zones.

Alert is one of seven NGO representatives to the Voluntary Principles on Human Rights and Security Group, which is made up of oil, gas and mining companies, governments and NGOs. The Voluntary Principles aim to guide companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within an operating framework that ensures respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

We are also an active member of the UN Global Compact’s multi-stakeholder dialogue on conflict prevention and peacebuilding

Peacebuilding policies and practices have become more sophisticated over the years due to the attention paid to the negative impact of economic activity in conflict zones. But even during a war, businesses operate: electricity gets generated, water gets supplied, food gets distributed, buses run, planes take off, and regular commercial activities, including banking, continue, although often at a higher cost.

The behaviour of local businesses can potentially fuel conflict but can also find creative ways of coping with insecurity and violence, and often plays a role in promoting peace by ensuring stability through their conduct and presence.

While domestic entrepreneurs often act as community leaders to bridge conflict divides, the peacebuilding and development communities often fail to harness this potential.

Based on a review of lessons from over 20 countries, including our and others’ work in this area, we present recommendations on strengthening domestic enterprises’ support to peace in five areas. In each case, local business leaders can bring unique skills and capacities to bear that complement those of other, more traditional, peace constituencies:

• Supporting political processes and peace negotiations
• Promoting economic recovery
• Supporting peaceful relations among communities
• Helping tackle insecurity
• Promoting women’s participation, politically, economically and socially.

For the overall report, including introduction, full individual country case studies, conclusions and summary of findings, click here.The report was disseminated widely and served to deepen our engagement with local business and peacebuilding initiatives, including those below.

We support domestic enterprises in promoting peace efforts in a number of ways: accompaniment and advice; dialogue facilitation; and developing resources and training, including for example

Sustaining Business and Peace: a CSR Resource Pack for Small and Medium Enterprises

Over the years, we have worked with a variety of business initiatives and institutions, including:

• Colombia: Fundacion Ideas Para La Paz
• Nepal: Nepal Business Initiative
  
• Philippines: Philippines Business for Social Progress
  
• South Caucasus: Caucasus Business and Development Network
  
• South Africa: National Business Initiative
  
• Sri Lanka: Business for Peace Alliance
  
• Sri Lanka: BizPACT

For more information, contact Canan Gündüz

Indeed strengthening the private sector and market-based economies has become a key concern for development assistance, including in countries affected by conflict. Given the important role that the allocation of resources and lack of economic opportunities play in many conflicts, such economic recovery and development efforts are bound to affect core conflict dynamics, and the economic legacies left by war.

But while the links between peacebuilding and the economy may be obvious, it is less clear how a peacebuilding approach to economic interventions can be achieved in practice, and how they can be made conflict-sensitive. Understanding the ways in which economic interventions can impact conflict dynamics is therefore crucial, and needs to inform programming and implementation.

The objectives of the overall project are three-fold:

1. To identify lessons in order to generate evidence-based resources and guidance for policymakers and practitioners to improve the conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding impacts of economic interventions

2. To promote uptake of such good practice

3. To put the links between economic recovery and peacebuilding on the agenda of relevant national and international actors through advocacy, outreach and networking

‘Peacebuilding Essentials for Economic Development Practitioners’ is a series of practice notes produced in partnership with leading experts and practitioners from relevant fields. It aims to:

• Introduce economic development practitioners to key economic recovery and peacebuilding challenges in conflict-affected and post-conflict countries
• Share lessons and good practice on how to strengthen the economic dimensions of peacebuilding
• Provide practitioners and planners with the knowledge and tools to ensure that their interventions are conflict-sensitive
• Promote experience-sharing between economic development and peacebuilding practitioners, to enhance synergies between the two

Topics covered in the series include:

• Market Development in Conflict-Affected Contexts
• Foreign Direct Investment in Conflict-Affected Contexts
• Business Environment Reforms in Conflict-Affected Contexts
• Socio-Economic Reintegration of Ex-Combatants (forthcoming)
• Economic Dimensions of Peace Processes (forthcoming)
• Natural Resource Governance in Conflict-Affected Contexts (forthcoming)
• Economic Legacies of War (forthcoming)

If you are interested in partnering with Alert on this series, please contact Joost van der Zwan

• Uganda: Enabling peace economies through early recovery

• Nepal: What role for business in post-conflict economic recovery?

• Sri Lanka: Rethinking the nexus between youth, unemployment and conflict

• Colombia: The challenges of supporting ‘alternative’ livelihoods opportunities for peacebuilding

For key lessons and recommendations from the studies, click here.

The third component of this project is design and delivery of trainings to strengthen the economic dimensions of peacebuilding, for different international and in-country audiences. This includes:

• A partnership since 2009 with the Sri Lanka-based Peacebuilding and Development Institute to deliver an annual one-week course ‘Strengthening the Economic Dimensions of Peacebuilding’ for South Asian peacebuilding and development practitioners. This is an innovative programme combining classroom-based teaching and field exposure.

• A partnership since 2006 with the Swedish Folke Bernadotte Academy and a group of international experts to run an annual, week-long training seminar on The Role of Economic Actors in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding. The aim of the course is to familiarize participants with economic actors and issues that relate to conflict prevention, and to introduce them to strategies and methods for involving them in peacebuilding efforts, including through Local Economic Development planning.
• The project team also works with Alert’s Training and Learning Team and Transition International to support the delivery of the annual high-level Reintegration of Ex-Combatants: Advanced Training Course, designed to bring together a group of experienced practitioners, policy makers and donors to share best practices and lessons learnt from from reintegration experiences in different parts of the world.

The project team also works to design and delivery tailor-made courses in this area. For inquiries, please contact Canan Gündüz

Aside from research, guidance and training, we respond to ongoing opportunities and invitations for outreach, awareness raising and advisory work, in partnership with different international organisations. Past examples include:

EVENTS

• two-day international conference co-hosted with BMZ, DFID and GTZ in 2006 on ‘Private Sector Development and Peacebuilding – Exploring Local and International Perspectives.’ This brought together some 140 experts in the fields of private sector development (PSD) and peacebuilding, with the aim of better integrating the two fields
• Participation in the Donor Committee on Enterprise Development’s Expert Meeting on Private Sector Development in Post-Conflict Situations in 2008

IDENTIFYING AND PROMOTING GOOD PRACTICES

COMMISSIONED WORK

• Participation in USAID AMAP’s initiative to explore the role of value chain interventions in accelerating the transition from conflict to sustainable economic growth. Alert co-published two case studies on the mutual impacts of violent conflict and specific commodity value chains, one on the fisheries sector in Sri Lanka, and one on the coffee sector in Colombia. We also produced a study on options for conflict-sensitising value-chain interventions in conflict contexts, including step-by-step questions guiding practitioners through a combined conflict – and value chain analysis.
• Work 2009-10 on a DFID project to adapt PSD strategies and programming to conflict contexts by designing and piloting a ‘PSD in conflict’ tool. 

This project has received funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the United States Institute for Peace, and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We continue to fundraise for future phases.