Training in Strategic Approach to Designing Interventions in Peacebuilding & Conflict Transformation

Introduction

Designing interventions in peace building and conflict transformation must be based on very clear thinking and understanding about what the specific intervention is intended to achieve towards realizing social stability. Therefore, for an intervention to achieve intended results it must be based on a thorough understanding of prevailing conditions of factors aggravating the situation and possible entry points to redressing the situation.

From this perspective, any intervention requires critical thinking about:

1. What you wish to influence
2. How you wish to go about it
3. The change you wish to see at the end of the intervention

Training Content

1. Key considerations of the Intervention

• What is the overall vision behind this project or action
• Is it a shared vision with beneficiaries
• What are the goals. Whose goals are they
• Are these the goals that are ought to be promoted
• Are the goals appropriate to the situation
• Are structures in place to support the work
• What are the objectives of the specific project or action
• How is this project or action going to contribute to the overall social change
• Is this intervention going to make any difference
• What difference do we anticipate
• Would these changes have occurred without the intervention
• Are there other factors or other stakeholders contributing to the changes
• What are the chances of leveraging other actors on the ground

2. Contextual analysis of conflict setting

It is important to assess the context in which you will do your project work before devising your strategy and starting on your project activities. This understanding then forms the basis on which strategies can be formulated and actions planned.

3. Identifying a critical issue or problem to be addressed by the intervention

Analysis of situations affected by conflict invariably reveals a very complex set of causes and consequences. Nevertheless, understandingproblems and identifying their solutions is the starting point for action for it focuses the organization on what they want to change, how and why.

4. Analyzing organizational capacity to address the identified problem/issue

Thinking about our (internal) organization and our (external) environment is the first step in helping us to maximize our potential and avoid pitfalls as we develop our strategy plan.

A SWOT Analysis can help peace actors to design a strategy which builds on their strengths, manages the weaknesses, seizes opportunities and counters any threats. This entails analysis of:

5. Defining the expected change (Goal)

Our goal should include two elements:

• What kind of change we want to see
• Who needs to change

6. Developing a communication strategy

This is at the centre of the development of an influencing strategy for conflict prevention/transformation

• It looks at the changes you want to bring about
• Who needs to make that change happen
• Allows you to think how to influence that person or group of persons to change

7. Conflict Sensitivity in Program planning and Implementation

• Conflict sensitive implementation involves thorough scrutiny of the operational context as the intervention progresses, and updating conflict analysis so as to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative impacts.