GiftsAt a glance
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Photo: Colin Spurway/Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps works almost exclusively in high-risk conflict and post-conflict environments. We currently have programs in more than 40 countries; the vast majority of these (73 percent) fall into the category of fragile or critically weak states. In addition, more than 92 percent of the places where we work are considered to be at a high or moderately high risk of instability. While we recognize that these are difficult places to operate, we believe that transitional environments — countries affected by civil wars, economic and political crisis, or natural disasters — also offer tremendous opportunities for positive change.
Violent conflict takes a terrible toll on developing countries. It destroys infrastructure, disrupts trade, distorts markets and can reverse decades of development. Conflict-affected nations suffer severe refugee crises and population loss.
There are now around 26 million internally-displaced persons and more than 42 million refugees worldwide, most of whom are fleeing from violence. Generations of children have grown up believing that violence is the only way to find a job, to find meaning or to simply stay alive. These destabilizing elements combine to create ‘conflict traps’ that keep countries in cycles of violence for decades.
Helping people find ways to break the cycle of violence and promote peaceful change is at the heart of Mercy Corps’ mandate. We believe that — given the right tools, skills and support — people are eager to understand the complex tensions and challenges they face and to address them in a way that promotes both peace and development. We currently implement 34 peacebuilding programs in some of the world’s toughest places, including Iraq, Somalia, Sudan and Nepal.
Our current work builds on an exceptionally strong historical foundation. Since the late 1990s, Mercy Corps has implemented more than 95 peacebuilding programs in over 30 countries and regions, making Mercy Corps a true leader in the field.
To learn how we help people leverage the benefits of conflict management, take a look at the following information:
December 2, 2011 1:43PM
Building Peace through Economic Development
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The Maluku Economic Recovery program in Indonesia helped restore the livelihoods of families after the war
Peacebuilding through Economic Development
The vast majority of Mercy Corps’ programs are in fragile states and conflict-affected environments. In these settings, we have found that one of the most effective approaches is to integrate peacebuilding and economic development interventions. Our integrated economic development and peacebuilding programs go beyond conflict sensitivity to actively build peace through market development and economic activity.
Uganda November 28, 2011 9:11AM
Building Peace in Pastoralist Communities in Uganda
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Mediating local conflicts: a villager from the Kotido District in Uganda's Karamoja region
From 2009 to 2011, Mercy Corps implemented the USAID/CMM-funded Building Bridges to Peace program in northeast Uganda’s Karamoja region, an area that has been plagued by conflict and poverty for decades. The program sought to promote reconciliation and address causes of conflict by engaging agro-pastoralist communities in a range of economic and peacebuilding activities. Its main objectives were to strengthen local mechanisms for conflict mitigation, support reconciliation through dialogues and trust-building measures, and build cooperation and address key causes of violence through joint livelihoods projects.
Ethiopia October 11, 2011 1:54PM
Moving Up or Moving Out
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Moving Up or Moving Out? A Rapid Livelihoods and Conflict Analysis in Mieso-Mulu Woreda, Shinile Zone, Somali Region, Ethiopia
A report published by Mercy Corps and Tufts University
August 23, 2011 3:30PM
Conflict and Economic Development Assessment in Acholiland region, Uganda
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While the links between poverty and conflict are widely recognized, economic development interventions and peacebuilding interventions are often implemented separately. This results in missed opportunities to harness economic development to promote peace and to open the doors to development by reducing violence. To address this gap, Mercy Corps conducted a combined conflict and market assessment looking at the relationship between economic development and conflict in the Acholiland region of Uganda.
The assessment found that a number of economic factors drive land disputes, including limited economic opportunity and the failure of investors to engage with communities in a manner that is transparent and respectful of local values. Land disputes in turn discourage private sector investment and inhibit the productivity of small-scale farms. In line with the World Bank’s 2011 World Development Report on conflict, security, and development, the report recommends a two-pronged approach that simultaneously addresses land conflict and fosters market development through private sector investment.
August 15, 2011 2:36PM
Understanding Poverty and Conflict
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A significant body of knowledge exists on the relationship between poverty and conflict. Research has shown that low per capita income and slow economic growth drastically increase the chances that a country will experience violence. Driven in part by these findings, donors and their partners are implementing increasing numbers of economic development programs in conflict and post-conflict environments, based on the assumption that these will contribute to both poverty reduction and conflict management.
To test this assumption, Mercy Corps implemented the USAID-funded Evaluation and Assessment of Poverty and Conflict Interventions (EAPC) research project. Over the 18 month life of the project, Mercy Corps worked with its field teams in Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Uganda to 1) develop indicators and data collection tools, 2) field test these indicators and tools, and 3) begin to assess several theories of change that inform Mercy Corps’ programs.
Findings from the research project are shared in three key documents:
• Conflict & Economics: Lessons Learned on Measuring Impact, a summary of learning about M&E in conflict-affected environments, including indicator menus and data collection tools.
• A case study highlighting findings from Uganda.
• A case study highlighting findings from Indonesia.
Please contact Jenny Vaughan at jvaughan@bos.mercycorps.org for further information.
Uganda June 29, 2011 2:21PM
Cattle Raiding in Karamoja
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While the links between poverty and conflict are widely recognized, economic development interventions and peacebuilding interventions are often implemented separately. This results in missed opportunities to harness economic development to promote peace and to open the doors to development by reducing violence. To address this gap, Mercy Corps conducted a combined conflict and market assessment looking at the relationship between cattle raiding and economic development in the Karamoja region of Uganda.
The assessment found that economic interests are the primary drivers of cattle raiding, that most raids are conducted by youth for their own personal gain, and that cattle raiding is becoming increasingly commercialized and sophisticated. In addition, the assessment identified a number of systemic market weaknesses that can be addressed in order to provide viable economic opportunities and reduce incentives for raiding. In line with the World Bank’s 2011 World Development Report on conflict, security, and development, Mercy Corps argues for an integrated approach that addresses both poverty and conflict incrementally and in tandem. The report concludes with recommendations for integrating economic development and peacebuilding programming in Karamoja.
Kenya June 1, 2011 11:03AM
Understanding Political Violence among Youth
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What makes youth prone to engage in violent movements? And what program strategies show the greatest potential to mitigate this risk? Mercy Corps recently undertook research to better understand these questions, based on data from its Local Empowerment for Peace (LEAP) project in Kenya. The study sheds light on the debate over whether young people’s economic conditions are a major driver of violence. It provides hard evidence on a number of social, political, and economic factors that influence youth propensity towards violence in Kenya. The findings have clear implications for peacebuilding programs in environments like Kenya where underlying tensions periodically erupt into violent conflict.
Iraq May 31, 2011 11:00PM
Governance Promotion through Conflict Management in Iraq: Final Evaluation
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Since 2009, Mercy Corps has supported The Network of Iraqi Negotiation Experts (NINE): a nationwide network of 87 Iraqi leaders committed to promoting good governance and reconciliation through consensus-based negotiation. NINE members include Sunni and Shia, Arab and Kurd, religious leaders, government officials, and other community members who resolve potentially violent conflicts using negotiation and mediation.
March 29, 2010 3:32PM
Conflict Management: Peacebuilding Programs in Africa
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Most instability in Africa stems from a variety of factors including weak government; ethnic, religious and political divisions; large populations of unemployed and unengaged youth; and depressed or declining economic opportunities. To address these causes of instability, Mercy Corps works to bridge divisions between people by creating opportunities for collaborative engagement around mutual interests.
September 15, 2009 3:33PM
Conflict Management Sector Approach
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Our goal is to provide people in conflict and post-conflict societies with the tools, skills and support they need to peacefully manage and address the issues that lead to violence.
