Page 9 - Coespu Magazine 2018-2
P. 9

Union  and  other  international  partners,  and,  not  least,  national
                                                      authorities.
                                                      Beyond  the  necessity  for  joint  information  and  analysis
                                                      production, the Policy links the military and police activities in
                                                      UN Missions with concrete assistance for civilians. In its narrow
                                                      definition,  this  implies  close  work  by  ÙN  military  and  police
                                                      with the civil affairs  component, which now totals almost 900
                                                      UN staff members in over 10 operations. A vital role in in this
                                                      mutually  reinforcing  dynamic  is  played  by  UN  Quick  Impact
                                                      Projects,  usually  managed  synergistically  by  a  Mission’  civil
                                                      affairs,  rule  of  law,  disarmament,  demobilization  and
                                                      reintegration, human rights, military and police components. In
                                                      the 2017-18  budgetary  cycle, Quick  Impact Projects amounted
                                                      to almost USD14 million worth of projects, focused on national
                                                      capacity-building at the local and state levels. All these projects
                                                      are coordinated by major Mission players and Country Teams,
                                                      and  create  job  opportunities,  revenues  for  communities  and
                                                      generate support for national reconciliation. For example, in the
                                                      Central  African  Republic,  they  allow  for  reconstruction  of
                                                      schools,  town  halls,  police  stations,  water  wells,  and  so  on.
        These ‘quick-win’ projects – often administered in close cooperation by the uniformed and civilian components
        – help missions establish a relationship of trust with the local communities, facilitating the flow of information
        and, ultimately, the achievement of the political objectives.
        In addition to CIMIC officers in military and police unit, Heads of UN Missions usually designate a special
        Chief Officer or even a unit (as
        in  the  Democratic  Republic  of
        the  Congo)  to  deal  with  Quick
        Impact Projects and other peace
        support  related  programmatic
        activities.  These  Officers  and
        units  are  expected  to  develop
        appropriate            operating
        procedures, plans, delineation of
        responsibilities   and     other
        instruments facilitating effective
        delivery.  Furthermore,  some
        operations  practice  co-location,
        a  useful  managerial  tool  which
        may also involve development, human rights and other actors on the ground. At the Mission top, CIMIC-related
        and  similar  integrated  activities  are  coordinated  by  the  Mission  Senior  Leadership  Teams  or  Groups,  often



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