Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF) and Religious Actors

Both Haynes and Rees have highlighted that secular development institutions have overlooked religious actors in the past and the recognition of the importance of involving the religious organizations in the development programs in these modern times148:

According to Rees, the third phase of WBG operations can be understood as the continuing secular subordination of religion through the economistic philosophy of the SAP regime. At the same time, the third phase is also characterized by sacral elements of resistance as religious actors emerged both in coalitions opposed to SAPs and as distinct respondents to SAPs. The WBG shift to a comprehensive ethos of development situated religious actors to a central place among civil society actors in pursuit of grass-roots participation and change.149_{. Haynes also asserts that numerous}

religious actors are now publicly interested in a variety of areas of concern with direct

146 World Bank 2011, 1-54 147 _{Rees 2001, 86} 148 Haynes 2007, 53 149 _{Rees 2001,.84-86}

51

relevance for human development, including: economic growth; conflict, conflict resolution and peace building; human rights; and social justice. Such concerns are found in a variety of countries, at different levels of human development and economic growth.150

In the past, the world of religion has been an unacknowledged and often

unrecognized force for many development practitioners. Many of the reasons are, good and many bad, have been given to explain this divorce. Some of these reasons are long traditions of separation of state and religion that are deeply engrained and deliberately erect a divide between development and issues of faith151. Some institutions such as the multilateral development banks which interact with governments as a matter of basic institutional structure may find limited vehicles to interact with a broad range of institutions of civil society including religious institutions. Sometimes, the vocabulary and approach of spirituality seemed inimical to the technical, hard-nosed approach of development practice but religion is still highly valued and practiced at both individual and community level to the extent that any attempt to ignore it has had important, even grave consequences in some situations152. This accounts for the reason why in recent years, religion has made a remarkable return to prominence in development circles, thus confounding the expectations of secularist, religion has a strong and perhaps a growing significance as a strong source of identity for millions of people in the developing world. Consequently, religious individuals and faith-based organizations, as carriers of religious ideas, play an important role in many societies, both as a source of conflict and as a tool for conflict resolution and peace-building.153.

Broadly speaking, the complex issues of social justice, and the links between social conflict, social cohesion, and social change, seen by many as the root causes of fundamentalist movements, are issues that suggest strong links between

150 _{Haynes 2007, 28} 151 _{Katherine Marshall 2001, 5-6} 152 Marshall 2001, 5-6 153 _{Haynes 2007,.75}

52

modernization and development strategies coupled with programs and religious thinking and institutions.154

According to Wolfensohn, the failure of the efforts made so far to overcome poverty was the hitherto disconnected and project orientated approach of all involved, from the faith-based organisations to the World Bank and government agencies.155. The World Faith Development Dialogue (WFDD) is a modest attempt to link the faith communities with the international institutions. The CDF, therefore, has given the opportunity for the faith institutions to partake in the national planning process. Wolfensohn, touching on the importance of faith institutions, drew attention to two particular issues-the leading role that religion plays in the fight against corruption and a world-wide data base, which he is planning to set up with the help of Bill Gates.156. This will enable an exchange of knowledge as well as the collection of essential information on what is being done in the field of development.157.

Wolfensohn again places emphasis on the moral duty of the faith communities to be aware of their temporal accountability and their responsibility to seek new ways of working more effectively to overcome poverty. The religions’ role in emphasizing the improvements in the quality of lives of the poor, rather than just the quantity was undisputed. He thinks that religions have a clear role in the prevention of conflicts and conflict resolution as well as in reconciliation and after war reconstruction work.158. He thinks that the interactions between the faith communities and the WB provide a golden opportunity for faith institutions to take up the challenge to recover their misplaced mission to integrate politics and economics with ethical principles underlying their engagement on development issues.159

According to Katherine religious institutions, especially the non-governmental organization, which have developed as operational, service arms of many faiths, have a long-standing and much honored role in development work. These NGOs and other faith-development institutions have engaged with many development organizations

154 Marshall 2001, 6 155 WFDD 1999 156 WFDD 1999 157 WFDD 1999 158 WFDD 1999 159 WFDD 1999

53

since they took form from the early 1960s. There are also significant institutionalized links between international development agencies and faith institutions. Due to the significant role of religious organizations, there has been an upsurge of research about religion and development at several higher academic institutions.160 So are the faith- based institutions are ready to cooperate fully with the IFI in the fight against poverty? The faith-IFI cooperation would be a challenging one. The world Faith Development Dialogue (WFDD) which sought to unite the faith and secular development oriented actors was defined and through the frameworks of the CDF and MDG, and the HIPC and PRSP processes.161 The IMF and the WB have become partners to the WFDD so because of the supremacy of these IFIs, the religious actors would be demanded to submit to the structures of these secular institutions.162 This development would not be welcomed by the faith actors. This means that the future of faith-WB partnership is very bleak.163

After having detailed the expected role of religious institutions in the CDF, I would proceed to analyze Rees´s account of the CDF.

4.5 Analysis of Rees´s Account of the Comprehensive Development Framework