Advocating in and on conflict situations · Advocating in and on conflict situations A quick guide...

Advocating in and on

conflict situations: A quick guide to effective conflict advocacy

Advocating in and on conflict situations A quick guide to effective conflict advocacy

2

Understanding conflict

advocacy

What is advocacy?

There are two general definitions of

advocacy which are useful and

complementary:

Advocacy is a range of activities an

individual or organisation undertakes on

behalf of someone, and/or on an issue or

issues (common dictionary definition).

Advocacy is about getting a message

across to an individual/group in order to

influence a decision (Advocacy in

Programmesi, CAFOD).

The first definition focuses on the

victim/beneficiary/client and the

issue/abuse/case the advocate is undertaking

on his/her behalf.

The second definition focuses on the

resolution/outcome/change aimed for and the

adversary/actor/target that the advocate is

seeking to influence.

What is conflict advocacy?

‘Conflict advocacy’ is a broad term which

refers to advocacy carried out in conflict

situations, advocacy on conflict issues, and

‘conflict sensitive’ advocacy:

Advocacy in conflict situations refers

to the different approaches adopted for

conducting advocacy in different

situations, particularly in order to

manage the risks involved to the

agents/advocates and/or the

beneficiaries/clients concerned.

Advocacy on conflict issues refers to

the choice of underlying conflict issue to

lobby on, and the strategy adopted for

achieving the desired change.

Conflict sensitive advocacy refers to

the strategies adopted to both minimise

the harm/violence which any activity in a

conflict setting could inadvertently

cause; and equally to maximise the

positive/peaceful outcomes which any

activity could contribute to.

How to understand conflict?

Thorough and repeated context or conflict

analysis is essential in conflict situations.

Analysis should aim to precisely determine the

key concepts of conflict which will be affected

by the situation – whether the conflict is overt

or latent and how the situation is evolvingii.

Establishing

Reliable facts about

the conflict should be

the starting point of

conflict analysis. All

conflict situations are

subject to very rapid

change. Secrecy and

unpredictability are

common tactics in

conflicts and give

rise to rumour and

speculation, which in

turn are often

manipulated as a

further tactic. Addressing rumour by seeking

out and providing accurate information is

an important element of conflict advocacy

strategy and can be an issue which requires

dedicated attention. The development of civil

society networks to produce and disseminate

regular and reliable information has been one

method used in conflict situations by CAFOD

partners where to combat rumour and

prejudice.

Power and stakeholder analyses are

especially important but often complex and

sensitive to undertake in conflict situations

where power may be exerted violently by some

actors. Power may be used in different ways, it

may be hidden or invisible and threats may not

always be obvious. Invisible power (including

socio-cultural aspects) is often of equal

importance to other forms of power but perhaps

the hardest to describe and so easiest to

neglect. A deeper understanding of what shapes

consciousness, worth and agency in a conflict

and how it affects attitudes, behaviours and

beliefs is needed to refine several aspects of

conflict advocacy strategy such as the goal,

beneficiaries, target group and message.

Identifying the underlying or deep-rooted

causes or drivers of conflict is perhaps the

Main concepts

important for

understanding

conflict

Situation or

context

key drivers of

conflict

nature of

actors

power

relationships


3

Broad approaches to gender in

conflict situations:

1. The still common ‘gender-blind’

approach which ignores the

differential effects of conflict on men

and women and the resulting need

for women’s protection in conflict

situations.

2. The increasingly used UN Security

Council Resolution 1325

approach, in which it is axiomatic

that women are more vulnerable and

marginalised than men and gender

analysis is applied across the board

with the specific aim of counteracting

this tendency for the betterment of

women and of society more broadly.

3. The as yet under-represented

‘gender-relational’ approach

which starts with the context specific

relational gender analysis and aims

at better benefit sharing (including

protection) generally, on the

assumption that this leads to more

peaceful outcomes in the long-term.

most important aspect of conflict analysis from

which the aims and focus issues of a conflict

advocacy strategy are drawn.

How does conflict advocacy

fit?

Conflict advocacy and peace building:

Conflict advocacy has much in common with

peace building, drawing from many of its

principles and practices such as ‘Peace Writ

Large’iii. Peace writ large distinguishes

negative peace – the absence of conflict, from

positive peace – building a just and sustainable

peace. This distinction is important in

determining strategies for conflict advocacy in

conflict-affected countries. Whilst long-term

goals may often be framed in terms of positive

peace, negative peace can often be a

challenging and equally long term task requiring

large amounts of advocacy.

Conflict advocacy and conflict

sensitivity:

Conflict sensitivity directs the way activities,

including advocacy, are carried out in conflict

situations. It enhances a clear advocacy

objective (what is to be changed) by

articulating the appropriate behaviour and

actions to be adopted (how it is to be changed).

During conflict sensitivity analysis all project

activities are assessed and risks/the likelihood

that activities may either encourage violence or

positively promote peace are identified.

Appropriate actions are the taken to mitigate

risk promote positive outcomes. Often these

actions will include conflict advocacy.

Conflict advocacy and protection:

When carrying out conflict advocacy both

survivors of violence and also advocates are

subject to risk and need protecting. This

inclusion of advocates enlarges the notion of

protection as it is commonly understood

however both groups are at risk from violent

repercussions that conflict advocacy may in

some cases give rise to.

Creating a broader protective framework is also

important for advocacy in conflict situations.

Community protection may consist of being

informed about the local authorities, how to

contact them and how to claim justice within

the state legal framework. Moreover if

communities work together they can confront

authorities and even illegal armed groups more

effectively.

Conflict advocacy and gender:

A gender approach is a key component of

power analysis and essential for conflict

advocacy. In all too many places gender

analyses continue to reveal how little is known

about the impact of conflict on women , how

rarely they are able to speak about it, and how

seldom women meaningfully participate in

peace negotiations. Despite this experience

repeatedly demonstrates that unless women

are closely involved in peace building

sustainable peace is not achievable.

Women have enormous potential as peace

builders. There are many examples where the

capacity of women as peace builders has been

strengthened through advocacy on both a local

and international scale. Making sure that

conflict advocacy messages and activities are

based on an analysis of the specific contexts is

important for impact and also minimising risks

to women who are often extremely vulnerable.


4

Advocating in and on conflict

situations?

In programmes:

The programmatic lessons are grouped

according to the four elements of understanding

conflict described earlier: context, strategy,

focus issue, and actors (victim/client, advocate,

target actor).

Context:

There are as many different experiences of

‘conflict advocacy’ as there are contexts and

moreover conflict situations change rapidly. It is

therefore imperative that conflict analysis is

updated on a very regular basis. The practice of

conflict analysis is not a strait jacket and should

be viewed more as a continuous and wide-

ranging discussion accompanying other

activities. Likewise advocacy response needs to

be correspondingly adaptable and nimble as

opportunities for influence may arise suddenly

and judgements on the risks involved have to

rely on the existing bank of knowledge.

Strategy:

A clear advocacy strategy is essential as it will

articulate good conflict analysis and a vision for

positive peace. Broad and long-term overall

aims need to be broken down into realistic

milestones.

Conflict sensitivity processes need adequate

resourcing at the start of a programme

because they are complementary to context

analysis and bring focus issues and risks

together in a clear set of mitigating actions.

Conflict advocacy can contribute to change at

different levels from local to national, to

regional to international. As such the level of

advocacy needs to be appropriate to the

nature of the conflict. For example advocacy

work in and on the conflict in the Democratic

Republic of Congo (DRC) requires advocacy

action that is linked at all levels because the

complex web of relations and interests that

fuels the conflict exists from the top down to

the grass roots.

The potential for local level advocacy to

contribute to local level conflict resolution,

reconciliation and prevention of broader

escalation of conflict should not be

undervalued. Similarly middle-level advocacy

has in many situations been crucial for the

implementation of national level agreements

and polices. These levels of advocacy

sometimes not valued as highly as national or

international advocacy and thus neglected

however advocacy at these levels are critical

post peace agreement in helping to maintain

and support the peace and ensure ‘spoilers’ are

not permitted to influence the situation

negatively. It is important to recognise that

overall advocacy effectiveness is weakened

when ‘top down’ advocacy is not joined up with

‘bottom up’ advocacy but instead runs parallel

to it.

Focus issue(s):

Priority focus issues for advocacy should be

determined by the conflict analysis.

It is also often effective to combine conflict

advocacy with programme delivery as not only

do vulnerable populations receive material

benefits, advocacy activities gain credibility and

legitimacy from work which improves the lives

of people living in poverty in conflict affected

places.

Actors:

The many stakeholders in conflict situations all

require thorough understanding and careful

engagement.

Some advocacy actions will be uncomfortable,

such as identifying and seeking to reduce the

influence of ‘spoilers’ or reaching out to

understand actors with opposing views or

violent tactics (including the military or armed

groups). Engaging with government or other

actors such as local elites who hold economic

power and political influence is often

challenging too. However bridges can be built

with these groups if they are included in

training and workshops alongside community

members or other stakeholders or encouraged

to join in dialogue taking place in neutral

spaces. This strategy has been used in

programmes in Nigeria and Kenya to good

effect.

It is useful to identify allies, and where possible

and with extreme care, to engage with a range

of actors across the conflict spectrum. Such

initiatives increase the number of voices heard

on a particular conflict related issue or range of


5

Indicators for advocacy to

promote peace:

Communities/participants become

actors

Political institutions for handling

grievances that fuel conflict are

created or reformed

People increasingly resist violence

and provocations to violence

People’s security improves

Change is sustained and

proportional (i.e. national level

violence is reduced at national

level). This is the key to which level

of action to focus on.

Indicators for advocacy to

reduce harm:

Fewer divisions between conflicting

groups

Less danger for participants in

advocacy/peace activities

Reduced structural/overt violence

Human/material resources are more

directed to productive peace

activities

Less cynicism around ‘peace’ and

stigmatisation of those involved in

promoting it

Local people have been empowered

(not preached to, or avoided)

issues and create a better environment for

dialogue and reconciliation.

The choice of advocacy partners is also a

critical factor in conflict advocacy success; while

partners and their leaders will take a firm stand

on a given conflict, they will have impact if they

attract respect from all parties at the

appropriate level as well as the international

stage if this level is identified in the advocacy

strategy.

Indicators of successful conflict

Advocacy:

Articulating advocacy changes can be difficult.

The following indicators are broad and should

be specified further, along with appropriate

milestones, in actual programme design.

In institutions:

Ways of working:

‘Conflict advocacy’ is a hybrid approach which

draws on different disciplines and terminologies

often used by different departments within a

non-governmental organisation. These

departments need to work together to be most

effective.

Working for change in conflict situations is a

long, slow and intensive process that requires

special investment in staff. CAFOD has found

that care to support and accompany

Programme Managers and other staff working in

complex environments has been distinctive and

appreciated by its partners. The

accompaniment method can be especially

fruitful in conflict contexts where building

relationships of trust is so crucial.

In some cases partner exchanges can be

positive in bringing about desired change.

However such visits need careful preparations

and dedicated follow up to be fully productive.

Above all else, the quality of local leadership

has the strongest impact in effecting change.

Time and again the case studies bear witness to

charismatic civil society leadership which has

drawn respect from diverse warring parties. An

ability to recognise, support and nurture leaders

and leadership qualities can be extremely

fruitful.

Where there are appropriate skills and qualities

NGO staff can play a useful intermediary or

mediating role between different actors or

parties in a conflict. Mediation skills differ from

advocacy skills and so training in these skills

may be useful for staff and partners in some

conflict situations.

Maximising influence:

Change often takes place through influencing

key actors in effective ways. There are a range

of tools that can help analyse which actors to

influence and at what level: Stakeholder

Influence Mapping, IIED (2005)iv is one,

another is described in CDA’s ‘Confronting War’v

that focuses on the interconnections between

the approaches used and the levels targeted in

advocacy. CDA’s research highlights the

importance of transferring impacts to different

people and at different levels. Translating


6

Methods for managing risk:

Non-confrontational methods should

reduce risk by not inciting violent

reactions. Persuasive methods include

dissemination of information,

collaboration, and personal contact. Non-

violent methods are the preferred

strategy of conflict/peace advocates as a

more effective means to break cycles of

violence and avoid risk.

Seek allies, there is safety in numbers.

Creation of advocacy networks and

CSO coalitions opens up more

opportunities to influence power, and

reduces the risk of individual exposure to

reprisals or political manipulation.

Check out the facts carefully and

present a balanced view of a situation.

This means understanding the views of

aggressors as well as victims and not

taking sides. It is an important principle in

sensitive contexts such as Eastern DRC

where stereotypes and prejudices are

deep rooted.

Avoidance is rarely the most useful

strategy. However the best strategy may

sometimes be keeping quiet, or simply

showing human sympathy to the

victims of violence, whoever they are.

This was the response of Maralal Diocese

after a vicious attack on policemen by

Samburu and Turkana tribesmen in

northern Kenya. Timeliness is important

and may require swift, proactive action

based on sound judgement which takes

risk into account.

Develop appropriate protection strategies

that support peace campaigners and

human rights defenders and include such

elements as international visibility,

campaigns and urgent actions if partner

organisations or staff are at risk

Responding to felt needs or shared

interests can often unite communities

who are politically divided. Livelihoods

programming integrated with conflict

sensitive advocacy is often an effective

approach as shown in Maralal Diocese,

Kenya.

Conflict sensitivity exercises include a

comprehensive assessment of risk and

actions to mitigate it.

changes at the Individual/Personal level into

Socio/Political level action and at this level

connecting ‘More people’ and ‘Key people’ are

important actions that need to be considered in

conflict advocacy action. It can also sometimes

be the case that work is necessary at the

Individual/Personal level to ensure that

Socio/Political changes are internalized in the

behaviour of individuals.

It can be the case that NGOs focus more on

socio/political level action targeting more

people. In some cases this approach may need

to be reassess or supplemented with activity

targeting key actors or work at an

individual/personal level.

Managing risk to advocates in conflict

situations:

Managing risk to advocates is paramount and

complex in conflict situations. The risks involved

in responding to the factors of violence of a

conflict situation have greater physical and

human security implications. For instance

although the underlying causes may be

constant their effects may change dramatically

and frequently, so the analysis needs to be

constantly updated.

The role of International Agencies:

It is important that international non-

governmental organisations, when pursuing

advocacy work either on behalf of or with

domestic partners that they are grounded in

their partners’ experiences and speak on their

behalf. On the other hand as independent

institutions international NGOs may have a

more objective vantage point from which may

develop different positions from those of its

partners. Many partners, experienced in

‘conflict advocacy’, appreciate and respect the

independent voice of an outsider. So long as an

outsider organisation takes into account

partners’ views, and is neutral and impartial,

then it should be confident in its own

messaging.

Excessive caution can also, perversely, expose

partners to greater risk.


7

Characteristics of ethical

advocacy:

Honest (not over ambition)

Life giving

Reliable

Respects diversity

Models non-violent behaviour

Built on justice

Values local ownership

Characteristics of mature

advocacy partnerships:

Insiders – those vulnerable to the

changing dynamics of conflict, they

have a depth of knowledge.

However insiders can sometimes

gate-keep relationships.

Outsiders – those who choose to

become involved in the conflict,

have a breadth of knowledge.

Outsiders also may have the

capacity to protect advocates.

Joint planning, evaluation and

monitoring are important so as to

reflect complementary perspectives.

Take time to establish a relationship

of trust – recognising points of

convergence and divergence and

complementarity of skills etc.

The following highlights some desirable

institutional characteristics of those involved in

‘conflict advocacy’vi:

Conclusion: The experience of CAFOD and its partners in

conflict advocacy is rich and varied and has

further potential. To maximise the potential of

conflict advocacy to contribute to change, NGOs

need to broaden their conceptual frames of

reference (e.g. by using peace building

concepts more widely), practice conflict

advocacy more systematically and allow the

approach to feature more prominently and

properly in programme design, and take care to

manage risk on an ongoing basis.

Notes

i http://cafodportal/sites/ID/ID Tools and

Resources/pcm/PCM Handbook/Advocacy in programmes and projects.doc (Accessed 28/10/2013) ii One such method is the How To Guide to Conflict

Sensitivity, Conflict Sensitivity Consortium, Feb. 2012 iii See Confronting War: Critical Lessons for Peace

Practitioners, Mary Anderson and Lara Olson, CDA –

RPP, 2003 p12. iv Stakeholder Influence Mapping, IIED, 2005

http://www.policy-powertools.org/Tools/Understanding/docs/ stakeholder_influence_mapping_tool_english.pdf (Accessed 29/10/2013) v Confronting War: Critical Lessons for Peace

Practitioners, Mary Anderson and Lara Olson, CDA – RPP, 2003. vi Adapted from Anderson and Olson’s ‘Confronting

War’

Other Resources

CD STEPS project

Conflict Sensitivity in Emergencies – Current Practice

and Ways Forward, ODI/HPN, 2011

Confronting War: Critical Lessons for Peace

Practitioners, Mary Anderson and Lara Olson, CDA-RPP,

2003

Critical Path Analysis, The Change Agency

Do No Harm, Mary Anderson, Berghof, 1999

Empathy in Making Change Happen – learning from

Maralal experience, Open University, 2012

Gender in Peacebuilding: Taking Stock, Judy el Bushra,

International Alert, 2012

Oxfam: Quick Guide to Power Analysis. 2009

Oxfam: Within and Without the State, Power and

Fragility: Governance Programming in Fragile Contexts:

A Programme Resource, IDS, Oct. 2012

Stakeholder Influence Mapping, IIED, 2005

The Practice of Conflict Sensitivity in Kenya: Beyond

the concept, a documentation of case studies, Conflict

Sensitivity Consortium, Oct. 2009

The Rough Guide to Conflict and Peace Policy, CAFOD

briefing

Voice and Accountability Tool, CAFOD, 2011

Working for Reconciliation Manual, CARITAS

International

Advocating in and on conflict situations · Advocating in and on conflict situations A quick guide...

Documents

Transcript of Advocating in and on conflict situations · Advocating in and on conflict situations A quick guide...