10.3 |
Reconstruction: oil, commercial interests, debt relief, asylum and
stabilisation policy
the spread
of best practice, capacity building and burden sharing; and,
secondly, to
plan and
direct activities to create stability in post-conflict environments
in the period
immediately
following the cessation of hostilities.
“The PCRU
is nearly fully staffed and has reached an initial capacity to plan
for, and
support,
stabilisation activities. The Unit is building up a database of
civilian experts
who can be
deployed. It is also developing methods to help the Government
reach
an
understanding of, and plan responses to, individual conflicts. In
addition the Unit
is writing
a series of guidance papers on a range of specific issues that may
need to
be tackled
in post-conflict situations, such as security sector reform and
governance.
The PCRU is
also developing links with international organisations and
other
Governments
to ensure that the UK’s efforts are part of a co-ordinated
contribution
to the
international response to conflict. I expect the PCRU to be able,
if necessary,
to plan and
organise a large-scale deployment of up to several hundred
civilians,
including
police, as part of a post-conflict stabilisation operation by
mid-2006.”586
928.
In his
valedictory report on leaving the PCRU in December 2005,
Mr Schulte
described
it as “the most sophisticated and integrated arrangement we know
of”,
presenting
“a significant opportunity to influence international – and
particularly
American
and EU – thinking and practice”.587
But there
had been difficulties, including
finding
people with the right experience and skills who were willing to
join an unproven
organisation
and could be released quickly from their current jobs. There had
also been
“departmental
sensitivities over responsibilities and boundaries”.
929.
Mr Schulte
concluded:
“… senior
support will remain crucial for some time to ensure successful
PCRU
involvement
in cross-Whitehall work. The Unit relies critically upon the
development
of coherent
and effective cross-departmental working relationships. But they
all
impose
costs and demands on the staff time of others. We have learned that
it is
sometimes
difficult to persuade colleagues to take this on without direction
from
within
their own organisations.”
930.
A second
internal review of the PCRU was carried out at the request of
PCRU
Directors
in January and February 2006.588
Directors
agreed the recommendation for
a new
statement of the PCRU’s role to reflect the experience of its first
year:
“… to
provide HMG and its partners with integrated assessment and
planning, and
operational
expertise, to deliver more effective stabilisation
operations.”589
586
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 21 July
2005, column 155WS.
587
Minute
Schulte to Drummond, 19 December 2005, ‘Valedictory
Note’.
588
Paper PCRU,
March 2006, ‘PCRU Internal Review – Key Findings’.
589
Paper PCRU,
July 2006, ‘Principles for determining where PCRU deploy, what it
funds and for
how long’.
513