UNDP hosts forum for Chad's displaced to discuss development

05 January 2010 [MediaGlobal]: This week, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) sponsored a forum in Chad for leaders of people displaced by the seven-year conflict in Sudan, which borders eastern Chad. On the agenda were ways to promote peaceful co-existence, environmental protection, and sustainable development. Attendees included internally displaced persons (IDPs), religious leaders, government officials, and military officials. The event, for which UNDP provided technical and financial support, invited leaders through local administrative agencies. “The forum was a unique opportunity to bring populations from all parts of the region together to discuss on issues related to sustainable development and environmental protection,” said Joseph Rostand Olinga Biwole, a social-economic expert with UNDP’s operations in Chad. He continued to tell MediaGlobal that by allowing locals to discuss development issues, they would have less incentive to become involved in conflict again. By providing an atmosphere where locals can discuss how to improve the lives of IDPs in a peaceful and productive manner, the the forum hopes to foster the full and peaceful reintegration of IDPs into society, who can then take steps toward economic and social development. For this to happen, though, peace and security are tantamount. Biwole pointed out the discussions “should be combined with appropriate responses to their [i.e., the IDPs] urgent needs and improvement of security in the region.” The forum was a continuation of what has been an active UNDP presence in Chad, one of the world’s least developed countries. The UNDP’s “Early Recovery Program” for Chad has been operating since 2008, and aspires to three core goals: rule of law and social cohesion, socio-economic development, and coordination of recovery efforts. The concept of a forum involving multiple actors working together peacefully is potentially a model for further development efforts, as the forum in Chad was able to include a variety of voices from different actors, all seeking to advance developmental goals. Ryan Dicovitsky