Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

Conflict Sensitive Approaches

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

What is conflict?

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

“conflict is a relationship between 2 or more parties (individuals or groups) who have, or think they have, incompatible goals” Source – Responding to Conflict

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

The progression of conflict – Adam Curle

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

Phases/ Stages of conflict

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What is violence?

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

“violence consists of actions, attitudes, structures or systems that cause physical, psychological, social or environmental damage &/or prevent people from reaching their full potential” Source – Responding to Conflict

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

Forms of violence (from Kosovo research)• Direct violence – intimidation, physical assault,

property damage.• Non-criminal violence – graffiti, insults, pressure

to sell property• Intra-ethnic violence – internal censorship, verbal

intimidation & isolation

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

Galtung’s classification of violence• Direct violence• Structural violence• Cultural violence

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

Why be conflict sensitive?

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

C-Somalia Tsunami response• Distribution of fishing gear• Most INGOs deliver through local authority, while CARE

delivers through local partners• Governor was not happy with this, and refused to provide

security to our convoys• Governor propagated rumours that CARE is creating

instability, that we were only distributing part of the donations, and mobilised ‘community’ to prevent our distribution

• When we tried to deliver goods we had to hire ‘security’ from this mobilised ‘community’ to prevent them looting goods

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

Analysis• CARE policy is to use partners rather than local authorities,

other INGOs went through the local authority, who was distributing to supporters: Should we by-pass corrupt local authority, or work with them to improve their governance?

• What risk do we expose partners to through this policy, particularly after we have left?

• What level of trust & communication systems did we have with the community if they would believe these rumours and demand an income through security against looting by them?

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

What is conflict sensitivity?

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

Conflict sensitivity• Understand the operational context• Understand the interaction between the

intervention and that context• Act upon this understanding to avoid negative

and to maximise positive impacts

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

How conflict sensitive is CARE?

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

Applying conflict sensitivity to programming• Conduct a conflict analysis (and update it

regularly)• Link the analysis with the programming cycle of

the intervention• Plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the

project/programme in a conflict sensitive way.

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

Conflict analysis as the foundation of conflict sensitivity• Actors• Causes• Profile• Dynamics

Defending dignity. Fighting poverty.

The Do No Harm framework