INEE Working Group on Education and Fragility

Why conflict sensitivity?

• An organisation is part of the context it operates in • We have intended and unintended results, positive

& negative • Improve development results if we can reduce the

unintended negative side-effects• Highly dynamic / fragile / conflict-affected

operational contexts require an adapted working approach

A Quick ‘Refresher’ – What is Conflict-Sensitivity?

Conflict sensitivity refers to the ability of an organization to:

Step1: Understand the context in which the organization operates;

Step 2: Understand the interaction between the organization's intervention(s) and the context; and

Step 3: Act upon the understanding of this interaction, in order to avoid negative impacts and maximize positive impacts.

Conflict-Sensitivity vs. Peacebuilding?

Conflict sensitivity is attributed to the working in conflict.

Peacebuilding is attributed to the working on conflict.

A Quick ‘Refresher’ – What is Conflict-Sensitivity?The conflict sensitivity cycle

10 principles for good engagement in fragile states and situations

1: Take context as a starting point2: Do no harm3: Focus on state building as the central objective4: Prioritize prevention5: Recognize the links between political security and

development objectives6: Promote non discrimination as a basis for inclusive and

stable societies7: Align with local priorities in different ways and in different

contexts8: Agree on practical coordination mechanisms between

international actors9: Act fast but stay engaged long enough to give success a

chance10: Avoid pockets of exclusion

What we did……

•Process

•Analysis

•Next steps

•Activity

Overview

•Process

• Identified existing approaches of WG member agencies;• Identified commonalities, strengths and opportunities to

further increase conflict sensitivity;• Shared analysis;

• Now…..develop guiding questions;• Then….develop a ‘checklist’ for field practitioners.

Existing ApproachesOrganization Definition of Conflict

Sensitivity/ Key AspectsStages/ Components Source

Conflict Sensitivity Consortium Resource Pack

Conflict sensitivity refers to the ability of an organization to:- Understand the context in which the organization operates;- Understand the interaction between your intervention and the context; and- Act upon the understanding of this interaction, in order to avoid negative impacts and maximize positive impacts.

Guiding principles for implementing a conflict-sensitive approach:- Participatory process- Inclusiveness of actors, issues and perceptions- Impartiality in relation to actors and issues- Transparency- Respect for people’s ownership of the conflict and their suffering- Accountability for one’s own actions- Partnership and co-ordination- Complementarity and coherence- Timeliness

Conflict Sensitivity Consortium (2004), Conflict-Sensitive Approaches to Development, Humanitarian Assistance and Peacebuilding: Resource Pack, available here

UNDP Bureau of Conflict Prevention and Recovery

Conflict sensitivity refers to the capacity of a development organization:- Understand the context in which it operates- Understand the interactions between the organization’s interventions and the context- Act upon this understanding to minimize harm and avoid negative impacts- Act to maximize the positive, peacebuilding impacts of development interventions

Understanding the context, by conducting a thorough Conflict Analysis Understand the interactions between the development organization and the context, linking the results of conflict analysis with programming decisions Minimize harm, by conducting planning processes that ensure that as far as possible a balance is maintained in which all key stakeholders views are represented at all stages Maximizing peacebuilding impact, ensuring that programmes/ projects contribute to peacebuilding as much as possible, regardless of whether efforts are directly focused on contributing to peacebuilding

UNDP BCPR (2009), “Compendium #1 – Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in Conflict Prevention and Recovery Settings, BCPR”, in Guidelines for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in Conflict Prevention and Recovery Settings

Existing ApproachesWorld Bank The World Bank has identified

two fundamental components of conflict-sensitive development practice:i) safeguarding against causation and/or escalation of conflict, andii) capitalizing on opportunities for building peace to constructively manage future conflicts, should they arise.

In an attempt to provide conflict sensitive development assistance, the World Bank adheres to the following eight principles:i) ‘do no harm’ particularly to avoid reinforcing or triggering conflict causes;ii) make peace dividends visible to the population;iii) include short-term issues, especially the restoration of security;iv) limit the potential for mass mobilization;v) address the structural causes of conflict;vi) address the perceptual and attitudinal legacy of the conflict;vii) ensure that development assistance is consistent and sustained;viii) consider the regional context. The Bank also stresses the need to apply a ‘conflict lens’ throughout the project cycle and ensure programs are flexible to change and adaptation.

Ruckstuhl, Sandra (2009), “Renewable Natural Resources: Practical Lessons for Conflict-Sensitive Development”, Conflict, Crime and Violence Issue Note, Social Development Department: The World Bank, September, available here World Bank (2007), Toward a Conflict-Sensitive Poverty Reduction Strategy: A Retrospective Analysis, World Bank, Second Edition, available here

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Conflict Sensitive Programme Management (CSPM) is a management approach that addresses values, procedures, tools and communications for steering development and humanitarian programmes and their projects in a context of political tensions, prior, during or after violent conflict.

Conflict sensitivity, along with an awareness of the wider context, should permeate all stages of the project cycle. Creating and managing a constructive interchange is the challenge of conflict sensitive management. The SDC approach offers a tool box of frameworks and techniques that could be used at each stage of a conflict sensitive programme management cycle.

SDC, A Quick Guide: Conflict Sensitive Programme Management, available here SDC (2006), Conflict-sensitive Programme Management CSPM: Integrating conflict sensitivity and prevention of violence into SDC programmes, available here Helvetas (2010), Feedback from Conflict Sensitive Programme Management workshop in Tajikistan: Livelihood platform, available here

Existing ApproachesDFID In order to be conflict

sensitive, DFID, and the partners with whom they work, emphasis the need to appreciate the interaction between development activities and the potential for violent conflict, and design and adapt approaches and programmes accordingly. DFID also recognize that conflict-sensitivity applies to all contexts, not solely in countries currently affected by violent conflict.

DFID’s conflict sensitive approach includes the following key stages:Conducting a Country Governance Assessment (Conflict Analysis) Tailoring implementation/ service delivery accordingly conducting a ‘conflict audit’, using baselines from conflict analysis to monitor changes continually adapting and redefining program implementation according to changing circumstances

Department for International Development UK (2006), Preventing Violent Conflict, DFID Policy Paper, available here

USAID “In essence, conflict-sensitive programming involves explicit consideration of the role of development, humanitarian assistance, and peacebuilding programs and projects in contributing to conflict and promoting peace. Conflict-sensitive programming applies to all phases of peace and conflict, from stable peace, to unstable peace or latent or pre-conflict, to manifest or violent conflict, to post-conflict.”

In a USAID mission the ideal sequence in which to take steps in applying a conflict and peacebuilding perspective would be:i) The analysis of the causes of conflict and the causes of peace;ii) The development of a conflict-sensitive Country Strategic Plan (CSP) and conflict-sensitive programs;iii) Implementation of programs and activities; andiv) Ongoing monitoring for peace and conflict impacts, and evaluation including peace and conflict impacts, which would immediately feed back into the next programming cycle.

Management Systems International (MSI) and USAID (2004), Analysis to Action: A Guidebook for Conflict-Sensitive USAID Programming in Africa, DRAFT, available here

Existing ApproachesGTZ/ BMZ The Germany government,

including GTZ and BMZ, has adopted a whole-of-government approach to conflict sensitivity, essentially comprised of an early warning system and an appreciation of the nature of an intervention vis-à-vis conflict dynamics.The sector strategy aims atmainstreaming crisis prevention and conflict transformation as a cross-sectoral issue with the intent to anchor conflict sensitivity in German development cooperation.

Key steps:1. Start the (re)planning process with a peace and conflict assessment (PCA). 2. Define conflict-related objectives and strategies for the SED intervention3. Select the appropriate SED approaches and management practices4. Make the M and E system conflict-sensitive Note: The particular framework cited here adopts the general conflict-sensitive framework of the government, specifically geared towards mainstreaming conflict sensitivity into Sustainable Economic Development (SED).

GTZ (2009), Sustainable Economic Development in Conflict-Affected Environments, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, available here

Kenya Conflict Sensitive Consortium

Key Aspects:- Understanding the context and the conflict- Understanding the interaction between the intervention and that context- Acting upon that understanding of the contextual realities

The approach emphasis the need to afford a consideration of conflict sensitivity at the centre of programmatic interventions. The approach notes that conflict sensitive lenses should applied to the analysis of the context, and in turn inform the development and implementation of the project cycle.

Kenya Conflict Sensitivity Consortium (2011), Conflict Sensitivity Practitioners’ Training Manual, available here

Overview

•Process

•Analysis

• Summary of current approaches;

• Inputs consolidated and draft analysis prepared;

• Shared with Sub-Group and Working Group;

• Next steps ….

Step 1: Understand your context……

Context Analysis, examining:• Conflict context factors• Actors involved

In addition, consider:• Children/ School level• Community level• National level• Education system

• Need to ensure context analysis is linked to program implementation and reflected in planning process.

Step 2: Understand interactions between context and interventions

• ‘How to’ guidelines/ checklists;• Training field staff and/or working with implementing

partners;• “Do No Harm” principles

• Need to maximize positive, transformational impact of education!

• i.e. IRC’s ‘Healing Classrooms’

• Indicators focus on: • Child protection and rights;• Equitable access;• Safe learning environments;• Resilience;• Policies vis-à-vis conflict;• “Do No Harm”

• Need to consider interaction between organization, intervention, and conflict.

Step 2: Understand interactions between context and interventions

Step 3: Develop options to maximize positive impact and minimize negative impact

• Flexibility;• Revising analysis.

• Again, need to ensure context analysis is linked to program implementation and reflected in planning process.

Overview

•Process

•Analysis

•Next steps• Guiding Questions • Checklist for Field Practitioners

The groups will be focusing at different levels:

All groups are developing guiding questions.

The guiding questions developed by those at the programme level will be based mainly on the three steps and will be further developed into a practical checklist.

The guiding questions developed by those at the strategic level will be based mainly on the 10 principles for good engagement in fragile states and situations as a basis to develop the guiding questions.

Activity