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Promoting conflict-sensitive approaches to development
Conflict sensitivity requires that an organisation, whether it is a development or humanitarian agency at the local, national or international level has the capacity to:
We work towards increasing this capacity through providing advice and training, developing practical tools and frameworks for them to use, and developing thinking and knowledge on how conflict-sensitive development and aid works in specific conflict contexts. (*see the Resource Pack on Conflict Sensitivity for a more in-depth explanation of conflict-sensitivity - this will open in a new window)
Once institutions have committed to incorporating conflict-sensitivity into their policy and practice, they may need help in implementing it. We provide advice and input so that they are able to do this in a way that is tailored specifically to their organisation and the conflict contexts in which they work. We have done this with agencies based in conflict zones as well as at the headquarter level, and have accompanied both individual agencies and consortia (in Nepal, Uganda, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Sri Lanka). In each case we have spent time getting to know the organisation, how it works, its mandate and its goals. We have then explored the interaction between the theory and global experience of working in conflict zones with the organisation’s staff to work through with them what their priority issues are and how they want to address them.
Although it is vital that each development agency incorporates conflict-sensitivity in a way that is appropriate to them, there are certain systematic ways of understanding the dynamics of a conflict-context and of ensuring that it is included at all stages of a project – strategising, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The publication of a resource pack on Conflict-Sensitive Approaches to Development, Humanitarian Assistance and Peacebuilding by Alert and a group of partners was the culmination of a two year process that involved extensive consultation with governments, international NGOs, donors and civil society groups. The pack provides practical guidelines and tools for development and humanitarian organisations working in conflict in order to help them place conflict-sensitivity at the centre of their situation analysis, programme design and monitoring processes. It has been enthusiastically received by donors and development institutions and has made an important contribution to the growing debate on using international aid as an instrument to build peace. We have recently produced training materials aimed at making the resource pack more accessible and practical. To download copies of the Resource Pack or find out more, visit the consortium website www.conflictsensitivity.org (this will open in a new window) Click here to order print copies of the Resource Pack (cost price + postage) The consortium included Africa Peace Forum (APF), Centre for Conflict Resolution (CECORE), Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA), the Forum for Early Warning and Response (FEWER), International Alert and Saferworld. Click on the links for their websites - these will all open in new windows. Click here to see 'The utility and dilemmas of conflict
sensitivity' (this will open in a new window). For more information contact Cynthia Gaigals
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