recovery package returned to their origins . To address the fear factor , dialogue teams were created by the Ministry of Social Solidarity in partnership with the UN Development Programme ( UNDP ). These teams prepared both recipient communities and IDPs for their return , hosting multiple meetings and mediation processes . “ Given the complex and often contradictory process of land titling , the government decided not to hold the IDPs hostage to the protracted land and property challenges but rather to encourage IDPs to return even though they did not have valid legal titles to land . […] Instead of verifying legal title , the dialogue teams accompanying the return process sought confirmation from community leaders on whether or not the returning IDP families had lived in a particular house . Contrary to initial fears , returning IDPs faced little to no tensions and almost no re-displacement ,“ ( Wassel , p . 16 ). Overall , this return process was quite successful . Although underlying land title reform concerns were not all legally resolved , these local-level accommodations made resettlement more durable the second time around .
Recommendation .
1 . Local-level reconciliation and dialogue processes should be used to facilitate refugee and IDP return . These processes should have local ownership and utilize traditional and customary processes as much as possible .
2 . Lessons from peacebuilding efforts such as dialogue and reconciliation processes should be shared with the security sector and national government . Various actors ( international / UN , humanitarian , security sector reform , and government ) need to coordinate instead of compartmentalize .
3 . “ If the UN is involved in the building of new institutions , these should be developed in a way to work immediately on potential root causes to conflict rather than simply applying standardized solutions that create hollow institutions that are unable to effectively deal with complex issues ,” ( Wassel , p . 20 ). This is especially true in terms of land reform .
4 . Utilize creativity in addressing property reform in a situation in which there are competing land claims , legal precedents , and yet a political and humanitarian need for swift resettlement . This can be accomplished , for example , through local dialogue teams who can verify property ownership even without legal titles .
Implications .
If local-level processes of dialogue and reconciliation are not utilized to facilitate refugee return , underlying tensions between various groups of people may remain unresolved , which may erupt into further conflict . If these processes are used , however , especially with local ownership and traditional processes , they can re-build trust in communities . If peacebuilding efforts and lessons from processes of reconciliation are not incorporated into planning at the
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