60571




Findings reports on ongoing operational, economic and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its
member governments in the Africa Region. It is published periodically by the Africa Technical Department
                                        on behalf of the Region.




                        Best Practice in War-to-Peace Transition:


                       The Uganda Veterans Assistance Program




Impact on the Ground:

Veterans and their dependents constituted a particularly vulnerable group due to their lack of
civic awareness, low skill level and few resources, a culture of dependency, and their potential
threat to security. UVAB assistance consisted of three components: demobilization, reinsertion
assistance (a transitional safety net cash equivalent to meet basic needs for a six-month period or
one crop-growing season) and reintegration (in particular counseling and training). In
conjunction with the general availability of land, the reinsertion assistance provide the means for
the successful economic reintegration of the majority of veterans and their families.

Social reintegration proved more difficult, and many veterans had to overcome initial community
resentment and mistrust, despite sensitization activities involving high-ranking government
officials. The communities finally accepted the returning veterans as, contrary to their
expectations, only few have shown antisocial behavior. The crime rate among veterans is below
the national average, and in many cases, the presence of veterans has actually improved the
security situation.

While it is too early to determine whether the long-term reintegration of veterans has been
achieved, the recently completed program is widely hailed as a success. Political will, needs-
based planning and donor coordination through the World Bank culminated in timely and
effective program completion.

Lessons Learned:

   ·   Preparatory studies to determine (i) the socioeconomic profile of the veterans (characteristics,
       needs, and aspirations), (ii) opportunities for veterans in product and factor markets, and (iii)
       institutional implementation requirements are essential for appropriate program design.
   ·   Issuing a non-transferable discharge certificate (i) ensures that veterans have access to their
       benefits and (ii) reduces the risk of targeting errors. The continuous provision of information to
       beneficiaries about opportunities, constraints, and procedures significantly enhances
       reintegration.
   ·   It is the interplay of a community's physical and social capital and a veteran's financial and
       human capital that determines the ease and success of reintegration.
   ·   Central coordination through a temporary agency, balanced by decentralizing implementation
       authority to the communities, makes for a powerful institutional arrangement. Field offices
       enable (i) beneficiaries to have easier access to program benefits and (ii) the government to
       make the program more responsive to local needs.

Key documents on Demobilization and War-to Peace Transition

Nat J. Colletta, M. Kostner and I. Wiederhofer, Case Studies in War-to Peace Transition, The
Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants in Ethiopia, Namibia and Uganda,
Discussion Paper No 331, Africa Technical Department Series, World Bank, 1996.

Nat J. Colletta, M. Kostner and I. Wiederhofer, The Transition from War to Peace in Sub-
Saharian Africa, Directions in Development series, World Bank, 1996.

World Bank, Demobilization and Reintegration of Military Personnel in Africa: The Evidence
from Seven Country Case Studies, Discussion Paper, Report No. IDP-130, October 1993.

World Bank, Demobilization and Reintegration of Military Personnel in Africa: Eight Country
Case Studies, Working Paper, October 1993.
For more information on this specific study, contact Nat J. Colletta, AFTHR Rm. J2-167, World
Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington D.C., 20433. Tel. (202) 473-4163.