unusual language

A remarkable example of a plain-speaking UN report (Word)

• The project failed to understand the realities of Kosovo. Weapons in exchange for development (WED) only works when weapons are owned by the community. In societies where weapons are owned by individuals a communal approach does not provide the appropriate incentives.
• Incentives have to be attractive. Kosovo has received relatively substantial development aid and aid linked to weapons surrender was not so attractive as for communities who had not seen much aid prior to the WED project.
• Project administrators did not listen sufficiently to local people. Project administrators should have listened to the community leaders from the selected municipalities who informed UNDP that they could no longer participate as they could not guarantee to produce any meaningful results in terms of weapons collected against the background of a deteriorating security situation.
• The period for the amnesty of one month was too short.
• The project management made a ‘panic’ decision to extend to all communities half way through the collection process.

I guess admissions of failure are rare enough not to have become complacent and jargonised.