ALNAP Global Study on Beneficiary Consultation and Participation

This study examines humanitarian practice in Guinea, as a country at the heart of a region that has experienced a complex succession of conflict-related displacement, focusing on all major refugee camps in Guinee Forestiere, and some surrounding villages.

The Case of Guinea - Executive Summary

Part 1

INTRODUCTION
The participation and consultation of affected populations and beneficiaries in humanitarian action now seems widely accepted as crucial to effective social targeting, resource utilisation, accountability, sustainability and impact. Beyond operational considerations, for some, participation is a fundamental right of citizenship, essential to survival, self-protection and self-actualisation in humanitarian emergencies. It is also a means through which humanitarian actors can demonstrate their respect for disaster-affected populations. As such, the participation of affected populations has become a central tenet of policy for a number of humanitarian agencies.

Despite policy-level commitments, there remains wide variation in practice. It is against this background that ALNAP commissioned the Global Study on Consultation with and Participation by Affected Populations in the Planning, Managing, Monitoring and Evaluation of Humanitarian Action, seeking to understand how participatory approaches can be established in crisis contexts.

Guinea is one of six country cases studies chosen on the basis of geographic and socio-cultural diversity within emergency contexts. It is a country at the heart of a region that has experienced a complex succession of conflict-related displacements; a West African ethnography and culture; a broad variety of humanitarian actors attempting to meet profound assistance and protection needs on both a national and international level. Humanitarian action in Guinea, as elsewhere in the region, has largely taken place in the absence of a highly-developed national legal framework or strong national structures able to deliver basic services.

In Guinea, research was carried out in all the major refugee camps in Guinée Forestière, as well as in some surrounding villages, including Krimissadou, Farawaya, Boréah, Madina, Yomadou, Télikoro and Lainé.

The main aim of our research was to determine whether in Guinea the participation of the affected population in humanitarian action is both feasible and beneficial in terms of project outcomes and long term social impact.

Part 2

OPERATIONAL CONTEXT
Since the early 1990s, West Africa has been gripped by a succession of violent conflicts. The three main conflict zones, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast, have created several million refugees or internally displaced. Refugees from each of these conflicts arrived in Guinea, in addition to a large number of internally displaced from within the country. In January 2002, Guinea was cited by UNHCR as hosting the largest number of refugees in Africa.

The conflicts can be briefly summarised as follows: in Liberia over the past two decades, a series of civil wars and almost permanent high levels of insecurity led large numbers of Liberians to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Numbers have been particularly high in the past two years with the emergence of the Liberians United for Reconciliationand Democrarcy (LURD) and the ensuing civil war.

In Sierra Leone during the 1990s, the emergence of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led to a brutal and protracted civil war, where almost unimaginable acts of violence and intimidation were directed at the civilian population, particularly in rural areas. Insecurity, a lack of access to land, and widespread economic collapse saw some 600,000 Sierra Leoneans become refugees in neighbouring countries in the sub-region, especially in Guinea.

In September 2002, conflict broke out in the hitherto relatively stable Ivory Coast, where clashes between various rebel groups and government troops in the northern and western parts of the country marked the beginning of civil war that continues to the time of writing. The extent of the crisis in Ivory Coast can be measured by the number of internally displaced persons, which has been estimated as high as 1,300,000.

Part 3

FINDINGS
The Study identifies a range of different issues concerning participation. Discourse in respect of what drives participation is equally varied. Some aid agencies are pragmatic, seeking participation as a means to increase operational efficiency, for example through savings in costs or time. Others see participation as a means of facilitating access to affected populations. Above all, though, participation is sought because populations demand it.

The different forms and applications of participation were studied in relation to each stage of the project cycle. Given that the crisis in West Africa has given rise to such high levels of displacement, the analytical framework that has been used has been to look at participation in each of the main stages of a population movement. Participation is then further explored by sector.

1 Participation throughout the various stages of population movement

Preliminary period

Phase 1: Arrival in host country During an acute emergency phase, the urgent nature of refugees' needs, with key protection priorities, together have an impact on the cost/benefit relationship of implementing participatory techniques with the affected population

Phase 2: Temporary settlement A quick understanding of the major ethnic and cultural considerations specific to the affected populations and their early integration into humanitarian programmes is essential in the temporary phase. Indeed, the failure to involve refugees in important processes such as allocating tent space or adopting `prescriptive' ways of organising the population such as creating refugee committees or tent/zone leaders) will usually heighten tension and ethnic or cultural sensitivities.

Settling-in period

Phase 3: Creation of a refugee camp The participation of host and refugee or IDP communities in the siting and setting up of refugee camps can make an obvious and important contribution to the establishing of good relations between refugees and villagers. Participation is an important means of building upon rather than jeopardising the solidarity that host communities usually feel for refugees on their arrival.

Phase 4: Day-to-day running of the camp Participation is critical for the effective day-to-day running of the camp. In Guinea, information is passed to refugees via representatives from UNHCR and from the Bureau National de Co-ordination de Refugiés (BNCR), as well as via Refugee Committees in the camps. However, the BCR stated that it would like more information as it endeavours to participate more fully in co-ordination activities. Since the Refugee Committee is a central pillar within the camp, it is informed about activities that will be implemented in the camp and is responsible for passing on this information directly to the refugees. Committee members are certain that for many activities, their participation guarantees maximum effectiveness.

Phase 5: Transfer to new locations For voluntary transfer to take place, communication with affected populations, at the earliest possible stage of the process of planning transfers, is essential.

Departure

Phase 6: Resettlement, repatriation and camp closure During this phase, it is essential that humanitarian actors aim to communicate with affected populations with as much transparency as possible. Providing regular information on the number of available places for resettlement, details of application procedures and the status of ongoing applications will reduce misunderstandings and should significantly lessen any negative effects of resettlement, repatriation or camp closures. The `closing-down' process clearly illustrates how important it is for actors to instigate and continue to implement participatory methods throughout the existence of the refugee camps. This can be done by nurturing dialogues initiated while setting up the camps and continually expanding communication strategies.

2 Participation by sector

Sector 1: Basic services (such as food, water and sanitation, health, non-food item distribution and shelter) In too many humanitarian oprtations, the needs assessment phase is often reduced to a series of highly technical sectoral assessments. The involvement of refugees or refugee organisations (committees, associations or groups of refugees) in the design phase is currently extremely limited. It is often pointed out by humanitarian actors that refugees do not have the specific skills or experience required for this task, but the case study does not support this assumption.

Sector 2: Education Issues related to cultural specificity are especially significant when providing education services to refugee populations. Language and appropriate curriculae are key factors in determining participation.

Sector 3: Economic activity Where good relationships are forged between refugees and villagers, they often can be explained by the existence of economic benefits available for villagers. Identifying these can depend on the way in which humanitarian actors and villagers establish contact. Equally important is the degree of participation of landowners, and host communities in the decision about where to set up the refugee camps. Good practice here can significantly limit the risk of conflict between refugee and host populations.

Sector 4: Socio-cultural activities Once basic needs are more or less provided for, a general mobilisation should occur within a refugee community in order to complete a range of socio-cultural activities proposed by humanitarian actors. It is the responsibility of aid agencies to consult with affected populations in order to identify which activities are most appropriate for them to implement, and to dedicate the necessary resources to doing so.

Part 4

CONCLUSIONS
As was concluded in the earlier ALNAP studies, the main lesson from Guinea is that the participation of affected populations in humanitarian action is not only feasible, desirable and beneficial, but essential. However, the degree to which participatory approaches are undertaken, in what form and with what success, remain highly dependent on three elements that are intrinsically linked: These are,

i Contextual (eg, security, access, phase of population movement, urgency of meeting basic needs, level of resources available for humanitarian programmes etc)

ii Institutional (eg, the type of institution involved and whether it is national or international; its principles, knowledge, experience, ability and commitment of staff etc)

iii Demographic (eg, the history and culture of the refugee population, length of time they have already spent in the camp or as refugees elsewhere, past structures of internal organisation etc)

The Guinea study identifies a wide range of significant advantages of participation in refugee contexts. In order for humanitarian actors to achieve those benefits, they need to invest in the following steps:

i Improving communication, in order to overcome both cultural and linguistic barriers,

ii Responding to certain needs that humanitarian programmes do not routinely provide for,

iii Establishing a good relationship between refugees and host communities,

iv Synchronising programmes in sectors such as education with existing systems in the country of origin, in order to give activities the necessary long-term outlook,

v Promoting self-reliance amongst affected populations.

The study also identified a number of reasons for why past humanitarian programmes have not involved affected populations to the extent that is considered both desirable and necessary. The primary causes were as follows:

i The critical physical and psychological state in which many refugees arrive;

ii The limited capacity of humanitarian actors to be able to respond to the expectations of the population;

iii The difficulties experienced by many international organisations in collaborating with Guinean NGOs and refugee associations;

iv A shortage of skills required to implement participatory methods and tools;

v A feeling among some humanitarian actors that whatever is offered, refugees will always demand more.

The Guinea study highlights the importance of taking into account the other `actors', not just humanitarian actors and understanding participation as a genuinely two-way process and not as a top-down relationship.

Part 5

RECOMMENDATIONS
The recommendations of the study identify six main areas that address both conceptual and practical considerations:

Participation is an approach agencies must continually strive to push the message that participation is an approach that must permeate all aspects of their humanitarian work at all times, and not just a box to tick. Institutional mandates, values and ways of working all have a role to play in reinforcing this central message.

Comprehensive participatory needs assessment current needs assessments tend to lack an overall vision of the expectations and needs of affected populations, and instead concentrate on basic needs. It is essential that aid agencies make better use of the views of local actors, individual refugees, and traditional representative bodies in their quest for designing the best possible interventions and at the same time building trust.

Coordinating approaches humanitarian actors need to extend their coordination efforts to include sharing experiences on participation, and carrying out group reflection on the most effective strategies and working methods for increasing the involvement of affected populations.

Having the right staff with the right capacities humanitarian actors need to do more to encourage participation. Options include promoting training programmes for international and national staff on participatory techniques, and allocating sufficient resources in programme budgets for these activities. It is also crucial for them to try to limit high staff turnover, especially of expatriate staff.

Improving communication systems humanitarian actors need to communicate more routinely with refugees on important issues that concern them.

Participation and linking relief, rehabilitation and development if involving affected populations in decisions that affect their future in the short-term is important, it is absolutely essential for decisions involving their long-term futures, such as whether or not to return to their countries of origin, settle where they are, or seek resettlement in a third country. Opportunities exist to adopt participatory approaches for each alternative, such as by giving the population the opportunity to meet and talk with groups of refugees who have already returned, or with NGOs present on the other side of the border. For refugees who opt for the alternative of settling in the host country, the participatory strategy should be based on providing them with support in their efforts to integrate into local communities, which may reduce possible stigmatisation.

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