Background :
The Guiding Principles for Stabilization and Reconstruction ( Guiding Principles ), published in 2009 , was the first effort to consolidate experiences and lessons for civilians engaged in peacebuilding missions . The Guiding Principles was informed by institutional documents from bilateral and multilateral donors , who participated in stabilization and reconstruction ( S & R ) missions . Inputs from over 2000 documents from donors revealed a high level of convergence on key principles , which are distilled out into this publication . As a result , the Guiding Principles was able to translate the concept of the comprehensive approach to stabilization and reconstruction into concrete considerations , illustrated by empirical examples . The resulting publication underscored the intersection of functional fields of assistance through a number of crosscutting principles and highlighted the challenges of managing trade-offs between short-term and long-term objectives as well as conflicting objectives .
Developed by the United States Institute of Peace and the U . S . Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute ( PKSOI ), the manual offers two important contributions : 1 ) a comprehensive set of shared principles and 2 ) a shared strategic framework . The “ Strategic Framework for Stabilization and Reconstruction ” is based on a validated construct of common End States , Cross-Cutting Principles , Necessary Conditions and Major Approaches . Although it has never been officially cleared or adopted by any one contributor to guide its actions , it has been widely used in the United States and overseas . Since 2001 , civilian and military actors have been required to operate together through all stages of the conflict cycle to a degree unheard of since post World War II reconstruction . Nevertheless , this interaction is only likely to increase , even as resources diminish , underscoring the importance of improving common understanding , effective communication , and when desirable , collaboration .
Therefore , the leaders of this working group wanted to assess the relevance and utility of the Guiding Principles for contemporary S & R missions of today , and to examine its applicability to missions located in other parts of the conflict spectrum .
Workgroup 1 : Guiding Principles author Ms . Beth Cole collaborates with the group on the way ahead .
Working Group Objectives : The working group had three objectives :
• To evaluate the utility of the Guiding Principles to S & R missions in the current operating environment ;
• To identify sections of the Guiding Principles requiring revision : what should be those revisions , what additions and deletions are appropriate to current challenges ; and a potentially more useful / absorbable format of publication
• To test the applicability of the Guiding Principles beyond S & R missions to a Transition case like Somalia .
Working Group Deliberations :
Beth Cole , USIP lead author presented the genesis and purpose of the Guiding Principles . COL James Schultze ( PKSOI ) followed with the practitioner survey findings on the continued relevance of the Guiding Principles . These two presentations were meant to launch WG discussions .
Working group participants initially discussed the continued relevance of the Guiding Principles to contemporary S & R missions . Specifically , they debated the time frame , scope , terminology and empirical evidence .
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