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UNITAR Hiroshima Series in Post-Conflict Reconstruction

Training and Human Capacity-Building in Post-Conflict Countries

Edited by Nassrine Azimi and Takashi Takahatake

“When I am asked to describe the challenges facing countries trying to restore peace and stability after years of conflict, I often say it is like trying to tie your shoelaces while running – it is an impossible task, but it must be done.” 

Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Keynote Speaker, UNITAR HOAP Inaugural Conference

Rebuilding countries after war has never been easy and history offers too few successes to serve as examples.  In the post-Cold War era and now the post 9/11 period, there are even greater obstacles to peace-making, peacekeeping and peace-building. War not only destroys the physical infrastructure needed for economic development and the institutions responsible for coordinating reconstruction activities, but it also affects the very psyche of the people who are the real and only resources in the reconstruction process. The problems, prospects and also past experiences surrounding the creation of a sustainable human capacity in post-conflict situations are therefore important matters to understand and tackle, by experts and laypersons alike. 

With this in mind, the inaugural conference commemorating the opening of the UNITAR Hiroshima Office for Asia and the Pacific was dedicated to the theme of training and human capacity-building in post-conflict countries. Held in Hiroshima in November 2003, this high-level gathering brought together some 100 people from various government ministries, international donor and development agencies, non-governmental organizations and academia to discuss pertinent issues dealing with reconstruction. Many experienced practitioners and scholars in the field of post-conflict reconstruction contributed papers. These, and transcripts of closed and often animated discussions, are brought together in this volume.  They will provide both experts and laypersons stimulating and thought-provoking insights into some of the pressing issues regarding the prospects for people who face the daunting task of rebuilding their countries.

UNITAR Hiroshima Series in Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Training and Human Capacity-Building in Post-Conflict Countries, Hiroshima, November 2003, Edited by Nassrine Azimi and Takashi Takahatake, Printed at United Nations, Geneva, United Nations Publication, 2004, 312 pages, ISBN 92-9182-022-4

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