The Central African Republic (CAR) is a highly
fragile country with a history of...
The Central African Republic (CAR) is a highly
fragile country with a history of recurrent conflict, the most recent of which
took place in 2013 between multiple armed groups. The violence that followed
the 2013 crisis greatly damaged public assets and infrastructure, disrupted
service delivery, and further weakened the social fabric, and exacerbated
people’s poverty and vulnerability to shocks. As a result, roughly one-quarter
of the population was internally displaced or had to flee as refugees to
neighboring countries. Forced displacement has disrupted livelihoods, depleted
the assets of the poor, and put an additional strain on service delivery in
areas of displacement.
Improvements in the security situation have
resulted in the voluntary return of displaced populations, primarily in the
northwest and southwest of the country. It is estimated that about 15 to 20
percent of the displaced population has returned spontaneously. However, the
return of the displaced to the areas of origin remains fragile and dependent on
the overall security situation. The reintegration of displaced populations and
provision of social safety nets is a short-term priority and essential to the
stabilization and economic revitalization of the country.
To this end, the World Bank is
supporting the Government of CAR to prepare a project to increase access to
basic services, infrastructure and social safety nets by communities affected
by forced displacement. The project will be implemented through UNOPS, and it
will work in the following areas: Kaga-bandoro, Batafongo, Bria, Bambari and
Bangui.
The project adopts a multifaceted approach in
support of communities affected by displacement in CAR and it entails several
components and sub-components to include:
1) support to enhance the delivery of local
services and availability of local infrastructure to benefit communities
impacted by displacement;
2) financial support to the most vulnerable
households among displaced populations and local communities;
3) working with local communities and displaced
populations to enhance their capacity to address the impact of displacement and
promote peaceful coexistence of different groups; and 4) to enable local
authorities (territorial administration and communes) to participate in
planning and overseeing the execution of all activities executed under this
project.