Mainstream peacebuilding approaches tend to assume that a conflict settlement must be in place before the process of social and economic development can begin. Humanitarian rather than development aid is therefore the norm for countries emerging from conflict, even after the violence has receded. Yet a recent evaluation of a UNDP project in the Democratic Republic of Congo concludes that development can be an effective tool to build peace, even in the midst of violence. In the war-torn district of Ituri, local initiatives for community development effectively enabled a shift from violence to relative peace. This article presents findings of the evaluation, and focuses on those most relevant to policymakers. It concludes that locally driven, community development processes constitute a tool for peacebuilding that is likely to work in other post-war contexts where poverty and marginalization are central issues in the conflicts in question.
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