this volume. The key point relevant to decision making in the context of violent conflict prevention is to ensure that the development process and its outcome is conflict sensitive and does not exacerbate latent tensions. • Institute a zero-tolerance policy on corruption, and establish full transparency in revenue generation and use. Without political leadership and support, anticorruption efforts fail. A sustained zero-tolerance approach to corruption and a commitment to transparency in revenue generation and use is important. • Accept that contestation of revenue ownership, management, and sharing is part of a consensus-building process on how revenue should contribute to national development. Accepting that contestation is inevitable—and that it provides an opportunity to decide how revenue can best be used for national development—is a precondition for dialogue. Leadership is also critical in the process of negotiating revenue ownership, management, and sharing and in defining solutions that can be agreed upon by contesting parties. • Call for and keep on the agenda the demilitarization of society, the empowerment of youth, and the resolution of local and interethnic conflicts. Experience shows that unless the infrastructure of violence is dismantled, measures to prevent or resolve conflict are likely to fail. Keeping in focus the political goal of demilitarizing society, empowering youth, and resolving localized violent conflicts is a critical step in efforts to make peace work and reduce the potential of petroleum-related violent conflict. • Institute a zero-tolerance policy on human rights violations by public security forces. As are anticorruption efforts, a political commitment to condemn any human rights violations by public security forces is an important way to build trust in public security and keep civilian control of the armed forces. • Hold oil and gas companies accountable to international standards for their conduct in the country. In addition to established international standards for social (including human rights) and environmental performance, this chapter has offered a list of measures needed to ensure that exploration and production companies “do no harm.” A political decision to hold oil and gas companies accountable to international standards and a “do no harm” approach in a fragile context are important. These political decisions, along with the technical measures detailed later, are outlined in table 11.2.
The Toolbox for Prevention The literature on measures that reduce vulnerability to petroleum-related violent conflict is broadly focused on conflict prevention in natural resource management.10 Measures listed in this literature relate to national policy, regional and international instruments, and external support activities. A list of tools emerging from different sources is summarized in table 11.3.
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Balancing Petroleum Policy