Approaches to Improving the Delivery of Social Services in Difficult ...
Approaches to Improving the Delivery of Social Services in Difficult ...
Approaches to Improving the Delivery of Social Services in Difficult ...
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<strong>Approaches</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Improv<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Delivery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Social</strong> <strong>Services</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Difficult</strong> Environmentsoutside India and Ch<strong>in</strong>a. Aga<strong>in</strong>, leav<strong>in</strong>g aside India and Ch<strong>in</strong>a, <strong>the</strong> samestates account for approximately:• 49% <strong>of</strong> maternal deaths,• 54% <strong>of</strong> people without access <strong>to</strong> safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water,• 51% <strong>of</strong> children out <strong>of</strong> primary school and• 58% <strong>of</strong> people liv<strong>in</strong>g on less than a dollar a day.10. In <strong>the</strong> Democratic Republic <strong>of</strong> Congo one out <strong>of</strong> every 5 children diesbefore <strong>the</strong>ir fifth birthday and <strong>the</strong> statistics may be even worse for SierraLeone, Angola and Somalia 11 . It will not be possible <strong>to</strong> reduce <strong>the</strong> stark<strong>in</strong>equities with<strong>in</strong> and between countries, or <strong>to</strong> elim<strong>in</strong>ate poverty andvulnerability, without improv<strong>in</strong>g our engagement with service delivery <strong>in</strong>difficult environments.II.2 Meet<strong>in</strong>g urgent humanitarian needs11. Donors provide humanitarian assistance <strong>in</strong> difficult environments because<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir commitment <strong>to</strong> an impartial humanitarian response and allocation<strong>of</strong> fund<strong>in</strong>g accord<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> need. This was agreed at <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational meet<strong>in</strong>gon Good Humanitarian Donorship <strong>in</strong> S<strong>to</strong>ckholm <strong>in</strong> 2003. INGOs and UNagencies with a humanitarian mandate are key providers <strong>of</strong> services <strong>in</strong>many situations where political will is lack<strong>in</strong>g or where <strong>the</strong>re is ongo<strong>in</strong>gconflict. To ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir operat<strong>in</strong>g space, <strong>the</strong>se agencies work with<strong>in</strong>humanitarian pr<strong>in</strong>ciples <strong>of</strong> neutrality, impartiality, and <strong>in</strong>dependence.12. Humanitarian <strong>in</strong>terventions are effective at meet<strong>in</strong>g immediate needs, butmay be less so at facilitat<strong>in</strong>g longer-term systems build<strong>in</strong>g. This is becausehumanitarian aid is designed <strong>to</strong> bypass host governments <strong>in</strong> order <strong>to</strong>rapidly and effectively relieve human suffer<strong>in</strong>g. One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> issues that thispaper explores is <strong>the</strong> extent <strong>to</strong> which humanitarian aid can be used moreprogrammatically <strong>to</strong> enhance its impact on longer-term development.II.3 Service <strong>Delivery</strong> as A Catalyst for Longer-Term Pro-Poor <strong>Social</strong>,Economic and Political Change13. Service delivery <strong>in</strong>terventions can provide an entry po<strong>in</strong>t and trigger forlonger-term pro-poor social, political and economic change <strong>in</strong> difficultenvironments. For <strong>the</strong> purposes <strong>of</strong> this paper, a pro-poor social, politicaland economic environment is one <strong>in</strong> which poor people are empowered <strong>to</strong>demand <strong>the</strong>ir rights (<strong>to</strong> services, <strong>to</strong> livelihood opportunities and <strong>to</strong> socialprotection) and <strong>the</strong> state is responsive <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> voices <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> poor. Clearly,many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se conditions do not exist <strong>in</strong> difficult environments. Chang<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> situation is likely <strong>to</strong> require susta<strong>in</strong>ed engagement over time and it ishypo<strong>the</strong>sised that service delivery provides one possible entry po<strong>in</strong>t.14. The provision <strong>of</strong> basic services has <strong>the</strong> potential <strong>to</strong> break <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tergenerationalcycle <strong>of</strong> poverty and <strong>in</strong>crease economic opportunity.Agencies may have <strong>to</strong> work for change <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> medium <strong>to</strong> long term.11 Black, RE et al (2003)This work<strong>in</strong>g paper is <strong>in</strong>tended <strong>to</strong> stimulate public discussion. It is not necessarily DFID orUK Government policy10