Conflict Resolution Training for PNPM Fasilitators and Village Leaders Duration: 12 months (January 2009-January 2010) Location: All NAD Province Project budget: US$ 400,000 Implementing agencies: Forum LSM Aceh

National Community Empowerment Programs in Indonesia

The World Bank supports two large Government-implemented programs, the Support for Poor and Disadvantaged Areas (SPADA) project, which operates in 20 rural districts (kabupaten) of Aceh and Nias, and the National Community Empowerment Program-Rural (PNPM Perdesaan—formerly known as KDP), which will operate in all sub-districts (kecamatan) and kabupaten in Aceh. Both fall under the National Community Empowerment Program (PNPM) umbrella, the cornerstone of the Government of Indonesia's anti-poverty strategy. Both KDP and SPADA provide major mechanisms for resources to be channeled to those most in need across Aceh, including in areas that were affected by conflict. They both employ participatory planning processes where decisions over resource allocation are made by consensus at meetings at the village, kecamatan (sub-district) and kabupaten (district) levels. 

Dealing with Conflict Related to Community Development and Post-Conflict Tensions in Aceh

PNPM Perdesaan and SPADA use managed competition over development resources as a way of improving the technical skills and cognitive abilities of those who participate in the development planning process, including ordinary villagers, elected representatives and line agency personnel, and to help ensure that funds are used in effective ways.  As such, they promote local conflict as a means of improving the efficacy of project outputs. 

A wide range of local conflicts have emerged subsequent to the signing of the Helsinki MoU. These include conflict over development resources, political competition in the run-up to 2009 general elections, vigilante violence and violent crime, and simmering tensions between groups on opposite sides of the conflict (such as between former GAM members and the military).  Projects like KDP and SPADA are affected by these conflict dynamics, but can also shape them in positive ways.

Building the Capacity of Facilitators to Deal with Conflict

The implementation of KDP since 1998 in Aceh has shown that the role of facilitators is the key for the success or failure of the project.  SPADA facilitators play an equally important role. Facilitation, mediation, negotiation and communication skills are needed if the projects are to be successful.

Experience of KDP in Aceh, and elsewhere in Indonesia, shows that high quality facilitation is needed to ensure that tensions built-in to the project mechanism have productive impacts rather than escalating into broader (violent) conflict.  There is a need to enhance the capacity and confidence of KDP facilitators to constructively manage and resolve tensions and conflict, which can arise at numerous times throughout the facilitation and sub-project implementation processes. A similar need exists for the SPADA facilitators, who will facilitate the process of negotiating diverse interests at kapubaten level and provide financial oversight to projects implemented by government line agencies through local contractors. 

Training Design and Implementation

Conflict Resolution training specialists are working with the Conflict and Development team to develop basic and advanced training modules that are drawn from international best practice but tailored to the local conditions in Aceh.  The training will be implemented by a local NGO and delivered to over 750 SPADA and KDP facilitators in Aceh and Nias.

Evaluation of Training Impacts

The Conflict and Development team's commitment to deliver a training of this scope and scale  highlights the importance of designing a monitoring and evaluation component that can rigorously assess not only the training itself, but also the impact this training has in the field.  The evaluation, designed in collaboration with a conflict mediation specialist form Yale University, will address the following questions:

• How does CRT and advanced CRT affect perceptions among the "winners" and "losers" in the competition for resources engendered by the PNPM process?  Does the training result in higher levels of satisfaction, perceptions of fairness, and confidence in the ability to have one's needs addressed through peaceful political means?
• How does CRT and advanced CRT affect public satisfaction with and participation in PNPM meetings, overall satisfaction with the PNPM process, and the outcomes of the process?
• How does CRT and advanced CRT for facilitators affect the facilitators' confidence in their conflict resolution capacities and their satisfaction with their participation in the conflict resolution process?
• How does CRT for PNPM facilitators affect village-level indicators of conflict and violence, in particular development-related conflicts?
• How do the effects of CRT persist through the second year of the PNPM facilitation process? What impact does providing a second advanced CRT program have on this?

Link to Brief of Conflict Resolution Training

Link to Modules on Peacebuilding

Link to Modules on Peaceful Leadership

Link to Presentation Material of Modules on Peacebuilding

Link to Presentation Material of Modules on Peaceful Leadership

Link to Documentation of Conflict Resolution Training

Link to the PNPM Mandiri

Link to the PADA-PMU