CONFLICT SENSITIVITY

CONSORTIUM

1 December 2011 UpdateCCP Annual Event

What is conflict sensitivity?

A conflict-sensitive approach involves: Gaining a sound

understanding of the two-way interaction between activities and context;

Acting to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts of interventions on conflict;

Within an organisation’s given priorities and mandate.

Key elements: Carry out a conflict analysis

and update it regularly; Link the conflict analysis

with the programming cycle of your intervention (design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation);

CS integration at the institutional level.

Conflict Sensitivity Consortium Factsheet

4 country consortia: Kenya, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, UK

35 member agencies: CARE, Save the Children, ActionAid, CAFOD, World Vision, Plan, International Alert, Saferworld, …

Lead agency: Care International UK

Duration: July 2008 to March 2012

Funded by DFID

CS

C H

IGH

LIGH

TS Maralal May 2011 – children; Maralal May 2011 – community meeting; Sri

Lanka annual event February 2011

Project Goal: Greater impact of development and humanitarian assistance through improved and more widespread mainstreaming of conflict sensitive approaches.

Project Objectives: Shared understanding of CSA across a network of

international and local development, humanitarian and peace building organisations;

Lessons and recommendations for mainstreaming effective CSA across a range of contexts and sectors disseminated to policy-makers, donors and practitioners;

Strengthened expertise and capacity amongst member organisations and civil society partners to institutionalise and implement CSA, at HQ and local levels.

Key strands

Shared definition of conflict sensitivity

Assessing and building institutional capacity: self-assessment, change objectives, peer support and progress monitoring by 35 agencies in 4 country consortia

Piloting innovative approaches

Capturing and disseminating lessons learnt

Influencing the policies and practices of peer agencies, partners, donors and governments

KEY

HIG

HLIG

HTS

KEN

YA

SIE

RR

A L

EO

NE

CAFOD Maralal and CARE Kibera pilot projects

CS sensitisation and capacity-building of National Cohesion and Integration Commission (IDP resettlement policy)

Work on CS media reporting for ICC trials and campaigning for 2012 elections

CARE Conservation Agriculture and Red Cross Community Animation and Peace Support pilot projects

CS and aid effectiveness: dialogue with peer NGOs, donors and government and engagement in International Dialogue in Peacebuilding and Statebuilding

CS and extractive industries

KEY

HIG

HLIG

HTS

SR

I LA

NK

AU

NIT

ED

KIN

GD

OM

Peace and Community Action pilot project Do No Harm and CS guidance in local

languages Donor policy review and in-depth case

studies CS in partnership strategies

CS integration in strategies and policies at headquarters level

Outreach and influencing: Comic Relief, DFID, contribution to UK civil society preparations for Busan

CS in Emergencies: research, launch of paper in London, Geneva, Freetown, Islamabad, implementation of recommendations and influencing of the humanitarian sector

Some lessons learnt……

Conflict analysis: fundamental but key challenge: link to intervention; needs to be regularly updated (including through light-touch continuous context monitoring); can be integrated in broader assessment processes (ex: ActionAid PVA)

Importance of flexibility and capacity to adjust implementation plans

Relevance of CS for emergency responses Relevance of CS: not just at project and programme

level but for all departments in an organisation Importance of senior management buy-in

WORK IN PROGRESS:HOW TO GUIDE

How to integrate CS into…. an interventiono Project management cycle (analysis, design,

implementation, monitoring and evaluation)o Emergency response

How to integrate CS into…. an organisationo Organisational strategies and policieso Human resources, staff awareness and capacityo Programming frameworkso Finance, procurement, …

Working with others: beneficiaries, partners, government, donors

WORK IN PROGRESS:POLICY BRIEFS

Business case: why should CS be a priority for donors?

Benchmarks for donors: how to enable and promote conflict-sensitive approaches