Guidelines for the Design of Violence Reduction Projects

Guidelines for the design of violence reduction projects. p.cm. (Sustainable Development Department Best practices series ; SOC-135) Includes bibliographical references. (RE2/FSS). Consultant reports by Martin Anderson (independent consultant), Katherine Christoffel (Chil-dren's Hospital of Chicago) and Ronald Slaby (Harvard University and the Educational Development Center) provided important background information for the document. Helpful comments and suggestions were received from many Bank staff. Lessons Learned 23 Bibliography 26 Foreword This document, written in response to requests from both Bank administration and project teams, provides Bank staff guidance on the selection of interventions to reduce violence, whether in the context of stand-alone violence reduction operations or as components in other types of loans. These guidelines are a work in progress, which will be expanded and modified as the Bank gains more experience in violence reduction activities. Actions to prevent violence fall within the Bank's mandate to promote development and reduce poverty, given the fact that violence both hinders growth and worsens poverty. In addition, the Plan of Action from the 2001 Summit of the Americas enjoined the multilateral development banks to intensify their support for countries' efforts to tackle the problem of violence. IDB-financed violence reduction activities will emphasize preventive measures that have a proven track record of success. Prevention activities will be emphasized for two fundamental reasons: they are generally more cost-effective than control measures, and they are more consistent with the IDB's mission as a development bank. These guidelines detail promising interventions in the following sectors: information systems and research; health; education; justice, media, police, and prisons (rehabilitation of inmates). In addition, promising approaches in situational prevention, social prevention, community-based initiatives and violence reduction legislation are described. In supporting these types of interventions , the Bank will seek to collaborate with other international agencies, as well as foster partnerships between government and civil society. These guidelines also provide recommendations on how to evaluate violence reduction operations , as well as a synthesis of the lessons learned to date in the preparation and execution of violence reduction projects.