Nature and Extent of Post-Conflict Assistance

GAO’s work over the past 10 years on Bosnia and Kosovo, and our recent  work on Afghanistan, indicate that post-conflict assistance is a broad,  long-term effort that requires humanitarian, security, economic,  governance, and democracy-building measures. A number of international organizations  involved in the Bosnia peace operation, including the Office of the High  Representative, the United Nations, and the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe, helped develop government institutions and  supported democracy-building measures and police training. Post-conflict assistance efforts differ in the extent of multilateral  involvement. While the post-conflict situation in each location has varied, certain  similarities are apparent, chief among them that assistance efforts  continue to be provided in volatile and highly politicized environments  where local parties have competing interests and differing degrees of  support for the peace process. Essential Components for Effective Post- Conflict Assistance

Our work has consistently shown that effective reconstruction assistance  cannot be provided without three essential elements: a secure  environment, a strategic vision for the overall effort, and strong  leadership. Secure Environment

In Bosnia and Kosovo, humanitarian and other civilian workers were  generally able to perform their tasks because they were supported by large  NATO-led forces. Challenges to Implementing Assistance Operations

Among the challenges to implementing post-conflict assistance operations  that we have identified are ensuring sustained political and financial  commitment, adequate human resources and funds to carry out  operations, coordinated assistance efforts, and local support. In Afghanistan, coordination of international assistance in general, and  agricultural assistance in particular, was weak in 2002. Mechanisms Used for Accountability and Oversight

Over the course of our work, we found that the international community  and the United States provide a number of mechanisms for accountability  in and oversight of assistance operations. Over the past 10 years, GAO has evaluated assistance efforts in 16 post- conflict emergencies, including those in Haiti, Cambodia, Bosnia, Kosovo,  and Afghanistan.
Why GAO Did This Study

The circumstances of armed conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan differed in many respects, but in all three cases the United States and the international community became involved in the wars and post-conflict assistance because of important national and international interests. Over the past 10 years, GAO has done extensive work assessing post-conflict assistance in Bosnia and Kosovo and, more recently, has evaluated such assistance to Afghanistan. GAO was asked to provide observations on assistance efforts in these countries that may be applicable to ongoing assistance in Iraq. Specifically, GAO assessed (1) the nature and extent of post-conflict assistance in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan; (2) essential components for carrying out assistance effectively; (3) challenges to implementation; and (4) mechanisms used for accountability and oversight.

What GAO Found

Humanitarian assistance following armed conflict in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan--as well as in Iraq--is part of a broader, long-term assistance effort comprising humanitarian, military, economic, governance, and democracy-building measures. While the post-conflict situations in these countries have varied, they have certain conditions in common--most notably the volatile and highly politicized environment in which assistance operations take place. During years of work on post-conflict situations, GAO found that three key components are needed for effective implementation of assistance efforts: a secure environment where humanitarian and other civilian workers are able to perform their tasks; a strategic vision that looks beyond the immediate situation and plans for ongoing efforts; and strong leadership with the authority to direct assistance operations. GAO also observed a number of challenges to implementing assistance operations, including the need for sustained political and financial commitment, adequate resources, coordinated assistance efforts, and support of the host government and civil society. Finally, GAO found that the international community and the United States provide a number of mechanisms for accountability in and oversight of assistance operations.