ANALYZING CONFLICT DURING PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

PEACE AND CONFLICT MONITORING TOOL FOR CARE BURUNDI

Realized by NIYUNGEKO Chartier, Conflict Advisor CARE BurundiLEARNING FROM PEACE AND CONFLICT MONITORING LPCM / PIPII

Introduction

Often, organizations that intervene in post conflict contexts face various challenges. It is thus essential that as development practitioners we develop appropriate approaches to help us implement activities in accordance with the realities of the people we serve (notre voisin).

It is also essential to undertake a process of analysis which involves the people we serve in developing indicators to show how our activities impact the social environment in terms of either contributing to peace or conflict.

The purpose

As our initiatives aim to improve people’s lives, peace and conflict indicators help us to understand social issues and concerns on the one hand; and on the other how our projects are impacting beneficiary communities. Once indicators of peace and conflict are well identified, we can ascertain how our interventions have positive impacts on social stability in our beneficiary communities.

“Conflict” – a concept

People generally have negative perceptions and

feelings about conflict as if it’s destructive. As a result, there are often negative approaches to respond to conflicts.

In contrast, conflict is neither positive or negative but it is the way we manage conflict that alters its characteristics. Through our struggles to improve our lives, fighting for our rights, and seeking the means to satisfy our needs, it is normal to encounter many ‘drivers’ of conflict. Thus conflict is natural. What is important is to differentiate the consequences of conflict which is often not well understood or resolved from the conflict itself.

“Conflict” – a definition

Conflict - a situation in which two or more

persons believe they are not having the same interpretation and understanding of things or of a situation.

Responses to conflict - it is important to seek constructive ways and develop positive approaches to resolve a conflicting situation. As the communities we work with still face the consequences of war, it is also important to help people develop a clear understanding about conflict, its causes and effects, so to develop mechanisms of prevention.

“Peace” – a definition

Peace - Many people think that peace is the absence of war and / or the opposite of conflict. In actuality peace and conflict are two concepts which can not be separated from one another and are constantly a part of life.

Peace is an ongoing process wherein we struggle for stability, trying to improve our socio-economic conditions, including a peaceful environment. It is a process in which we fight to preserve our rights and try to satisfy our fundamental needs. For this reason, it is a never ending process.

Assistance, impact and peace & conflict indicators

As we seek to restore affordable conditions of life in which people can feel secure, CARE’s actions in Burundi aim to improve people’s lives as follows:

By improving their economic conditions through addressing the underlying causes of poverty,

By transforming their socio-political and cultural conditions , through addressing the underlying causes of poverty,

By enhancing their skills, By promoting their rights.

Assistance, impact and peace & conflict indicators

The people and communities we serve must be involved in all actions which aim to improve their lives and it is critical that all program activities are carried out with the participation of these people. CARE Burundi continually strives to ensure the active participation of the people it serves.

How to develop peace & conflicts indicators

Project staff are responsible for facilitating a discussion with community members to build understanding around peace and conflict, the benefits of developing and monitoring indicators and the communities role in this process. It is also during this time that the timing of indicator monitoring and evaluation is discussed and agreed upon.

How to analyze indicators

The process of developing indicators allows us to jointly analyze the context together with our voisins.

Briefly this analysis help us to know:

• Which types of conflict people face,• Who are the key actors in conflict,• Who are the most affected / victims,• The major drivers of those conflicts,• Relationships between community members,• Positive fundamentals to build on,• Opportunities to be exploited,

The following are different steps that help us in this process.

Different steps

In order to analyze properly indicators, there various steps to follow and to take into consideration.

STEP1: The field coordinators (FCs) hold meetings with GSs/Peace Clubs Leaders so to have some orientation about this work. This has totake place in the very beginning of the process of working on indicators in their community.

Discuss about their responsibility as leaders in working on conflicts as group leaders;Agree on strategies they shall use to make this process effective;To agree on which tools & materiel they need to keep this process moving on.

STEP 2: Organizing meetings with community members

Relating to this action; our CBOs (our voisins-GSs-Peace Clubs) leaders with FCs organize meetings with communities in order to talk about this work on conflicts and peace issues in their area.

Leaders agree with community members on activity schedules and meeting calendar;Community members decide on how to get all social groups interested and involved in this process (youths, men, women…).

STEP 3: Identify and agree upon the indicators

For this phase, community members agree on how to identify conflicts and peace indicators. After this identification, they take time to review which type of conflicts use to take place and howto deal with them.

They detail different types / nature of conflicts that people do face mostly;They try to analyze drivers of those conflicts

They also analyze peace indicators and factors sustaining peace in their area.

STEP4: Arrange indicators in table format

This is done by a system through which indicators are structured in a way that shows what shall be done in order to strengthen peace and prevent destructive conflicts.

Peace indicators are summarized and arranged on their side;Whereas conflicts indicators are also arranged on their own side. Highlighted are some of the key peace and conflicts indicators.

(see the tables of conflicts monitoring below)

STEP 5: Timing on collecting and revising data

Actually the period is fixed realistically according to a time by which it would be possible to measure any change that could have taken place. That ‘s why after four months community members should be meeting with FCs to revise indicators, and update them regarding new realities and change that happened.

The information is compiled & kept in both the communities (in our peace clubs & GSs) and projects staffs;The conflict Advisor facilitate information sharing across the mission so to help all understand the dynamic of the context;The Conflicts Advisor organize sessions with staffs to analyze data & find out how to integrate it into our programming.

Table of indicators

Conflicts that often occur in your area

The drivers / causes of those conflicts?

These conflicts happen between who? (who are the actors?)

Which of these conflicts are resolved without going to the justice?

Where did/do parties go to and why to seek resolution?

How were the conflicts resolved (approaches) ?

Which type of conflicts are taken to court?

What consequences of conflict are not well resolved that you observe around you?

1. Domestic conflicts

2. Religious based conflicts

3. Ethnic based conflicts

4. Conflicts around political opinions

Table of indicators

5. Clashes between pastoralists and agriculturists

6. Lack of trust between different social categories due to the crisis (Ex-combatants, IDPs, repatriated persons, etc)

7. Conflicts between repatriated people and residents

8. Lack of trust between returnees and residents

9. Land conflicts in general

Table of indicators

8. Conflicts around inheritance

9. Conflicts around witches and other traditional beliefs

10. Problems between members of different political parties

11. Gender & culture based Conflicts

12. Conflicts generated by our projects ‘activities

Table of indicators13. Clashes between or within CBOs/SGs working with Care’s projects

14. Power based clashes within our CBOs’ members

15. Problems & conflicts around small guns still held illegally in the communities

16. Problems of injustice and corruption still observed in the community

17. Conflicts linked with the ignorance of the law and human rights,etc.

Peace & conflicts indicators

In addition, it’s important to remind that Indicators change regarding the context, and the following factors influence them :

Political rallies and campaigns between political parties fighting for power.

Ideologies, teachings, beliefs & new social wave. Politics in general, including our actions. Perceptions due the background & history. When a natural disaster occurs causing losses such as flood, droughts,

etc. When people are suffering from poverty. When violent conflict erupts.

Summary

The information provided by these tables shows us in which domains people are most affected and suffering in terms of social cohesion. Looking at these different conflicts that people face, we can determine how people are interacting in their communities, what is going on well or which concerns people have.

The following table is a summary of peace and conflict indicators that can be adapted to suit the local context:

Peace and Conflict Indicators

Peace indicators Conflict indicators

I. Indicators of social stability and mutual trust a) b) c)

I. Indicators of lack of social stability and mutual trust a) b) c)

II. Indicators of reconciliation a) b) c)

II. Indicators of problematic of reconciliation a) b) c)

III. Indicators of social security a) b) c)

III. Indicators of social insecurity a) b) c)

IV. Indicators of human rights a) b) c)

IV. Indicators of abuse of human rights a) b) c)

V. Indicators of freedom of speech a) b) c)

V. Indicators of lack of freedom of speech a) b) c)

Peace and Conflict Indicators

VI. Indicators of well-being economically a) b) c)

VI. Indicators of economic instability and poverty a) b) c)

VII. Indicators of good governance & leadership a) b) c)

VII. Indicators of bad governance & leadership a) b) c)

Conclusion

Developing and monitoring indicators is a process which provides us a deeper understanding of the impacts of our initiatives on peace & conflict in the area in which we are operating.

As we decide together with our “voisins” about the timing of monitoring and evaluating indicators, this process promotes community responsibility over the process as well as the ability to preserve stability and prevent violent conflict.

It also help us to understand which factors can impact our activities and help us seek positive way to deal with these together with the people we serve.