How does designing and implementing projects and programmes in areas of existing or threatened conflict differ from more straightforward development contexts? This chapter of a manual by a consortium of six organisations including International Alert provides tools for incorporating conflict-sensitivity into project and programme planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).
Where aid is delivered in conditions of actual or latent violence even simple activities such as purchasing vehicles, training beneficiaries, and employing staff can have a damaging effect on establishing or building peace. It is essential to follow the principle of ‘do no harm’ and be aware of the causes of actual or potential conflict, the likelihood and severity of further conflict, and the capacity to work with partners to reduce conflict. Conflict sensitivity is needed at planning, implementation and M&E stages of the project/programme cycle in situations of existing or threatened conflict.
Key aspects of conflict sensitivity in the project/programme cycle are that it includes the additional elements of:
- Conflict analysis at the planning stage. This ensures that interventions do not exacerbate violence but serve to build and consolidate peace.
- Close scrutiny of the operational context at the implementation stage through regularly updating the conflict analysis, and adapting project/programme activities and processes accordingly.
- Introducing an understanding of conflict actors, profile, causes and dynamics into the traditional M&E process. This identifies required adjustments to projects or programmes and ensures that the intervention has as positive an impact as possible on conflict dynamics. Conflict-sensitive M&E is in its early stages of development.
- Conflict-sensitivity is needed at all points along the spectrum of conflict, from structural violence to violent conflict, regardless of whether the project or programme is for humanitarian aid, peace-building, or development.
Considerations in making projects and programmes conflict-sensitive include:
- Incorporating conflict analysis into the assessment stage of project/programme design by linking it to a separate needs analysis or by integrating both into one tool. The first approach is easier to update and gives an in-depth conflict analysis. The integrated approach saves time and resources and makes project/programme design more inter-related.
- Conflict analysis can be used to define an intervention, or to make a predefined intervention conflict-sensitive.
- Key steps for conflict-sensitive planning are defining the objective, defining the process, developing indicators, linking the intervention to risk scenarios, preparing contingency plans and designing a conclusion/exit strategy.
- Important elements of implementation are incorporating conflict-sensitivity into management, monitoring, and adjustment. Considerable flexibility is needed, and it may even be necessary to change fundamentals such as project/programme approach.
- Issues of security and safety, trust, participation, transparency and accountability are prime considerations during implementation.
- Key steps in M&E are deciding when to monitor or evaluate, designing the M&E process, collecting and analysing information, and recommending/redesigning. M&E is often difficult in conflict conditions, and there is not always a direct causal link between the intervention and its context.
