03 Do no harm
Youth organisations have a huge responsibility they need to shoulder when implementing projects in developing countries. One approach is the do-no-harm principle, which means being vigilant that a project does not have a violence-aggravating effect and that the causes of a conflict are not intensified. The principle should also help avoid making a conflict situation worse.
The approach was developed in the 1990s by Mary B. Anderson of the consulting institution Collaborative for Development Action (CDA), together with several development organisations, and was used in case studies.
How to use the do-no-harm principle
When implementing a project in a region where there is a current or a potential conflict, you need to make sure that the project has as little conflict reinforcing impact as possible. This means assessing the impact of the project's content and practical realisation on the conflict, the risks (cf. also security analysis) and the true effect of the project. Knowing the local situation and the potential impact of the project on the youth and the local community are equally important. In other words, it means systematically checking the individual project elements before and during the project (project planning and project monitoring) for implicit ethnical messages and conflict-reinforcing factors or activities. If certain steps are shown to have a conflict-reinforcing effect, the project planning needs to be changed and/or the project targets adapted.
It is important to check the individual project elements in collaboration with the partner youth organisation, since they know the local situation, their values and objectives best. However, before beginning the partnership, it is just as important to carefully consider which partner organisation you will work with (enquire with organisations active in the region; cf. the Links and Literature. The collaboration in and implementation of a project might push an organisation - depending on their orientation and their target youth profiting from them - to take sides in a conflict, thus reinforcing the tension. Choosing a neutral and professional partner organisation is therefore essential to avoid doing any damage.
Links:
Collaborative for Development Action (CDA), Do No Harm
http://www.cdainc.com/cdawww/project_profile.php?pid=DNH&pname=Do%20No%20Harm
Do no harm, SDC
http://www.deza.admin.ch/de/Home/Themen/Konfliktpraevention_Transformation/Konfliktpraevention/ressources/resource_en_92757.pdf
PDF version [Download]