Conflict and Development
World Vision recognises the important interaction between conflict and the prospects for development.
In the Area Development Programmes (ADPs) that form the basis for World Vision’s engagement with communities in many countries around the world, peace and conflict issues are seen as integral to our development efforts.
This is based upon the recognition that conflict is, in fact, a normal aspect of life in communities, in the sense that conflicts of interest exist in all societies.
Problems arise when there are not adequate community structures and mechanisms for dealing with conflicting interests and thus conflicts become violent and destructive. As a result, one aspect of our approach to development is enabling and strengthening appropriate mechanisms for handling conflict effectively and positively.
Our programmes usually cover a large geographic area of operation which relies on the interaction and co-operation of a wide number of people with different religious, ethnic and political identities.
As a result, they represent considerable potential for encouraging the formation of constructive civil society interaction and the potential for developing a level of trust and cooperation that can be the basis for peacebuilding and reconciliation processes when conflicts threatens to divide the community.
To read more about World Vision’s approach to conflict, development and peacebuilding, please see the following report: