World Bank says development depends on security, stability

Sustainable development in some of the world’s poorest countries can only be guaranteed if there is political stability, according to a new report issued today by the World Bank.

This is of course entirely obvious. Earlier this year the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) also stated the obvious when it issued a report showing that children in war zones get worse educations.

But if these conclusions are self-evident why does aid continue to put sticking plasters on open wounds rather than preventing the injuries in the first place?

Developing the kind of institutions that mean when the fighting stops it stops for good is difficult, expensive and not terribly visible. By contrast, airdropping a payload of branded emergency items is a quick-hit that gets publicity. So if you are an aid organisation scraping about for funding which one are you going to do?

The World Bank report says that, right now, there are 1.5 billion people living in countries affected by organised violence. That’s one in every five people on the planet.

It adds that more than 90% of the civil wars during the first decade of this century happened in countries that had suffered civil war in the last 30-years.

Here in Africa those countries include some perennials seemingly in a constant state of conflict (Somalia, DR Congo), some familiar faces where fighting erupts as regularly as the seasons change (Ivory Coast) and some surprising new entrants (Libya). However the countries got there the list for Africa is depressingly long.