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Appendix for Analysis of work during Armed Conflict or Post-Conflict

Organisations and churches within the civil society have an important function in fostering peace and reconciliation. Work can contribute to either the improvement or the worsening of relationships between groups engaged in conflict. The questions below aim to secure that the planned development work does not contribute to generate increased violence, but leads to peace building. This appendix is concerned with work that is carried out in the context of armed conflict or post-conflict. It is a tool for analysis in support of the planned work, and for the formulation of the application. The analysis and the methods should in the first place be incorporated into the application.

Conflict analysis
1. Who are the most central actors involved in this conflict? What is the relationship between them? Map out the actors, whose actions can affect the work directly. 2. What are the underlying causes of this conflict? For example: discrimination, unsatisfied needs, the oppression of minorities, unjust structures, environmental changes. 3. Identify the various dividers which relate to the work, such as unfair access to wells and education. 4. Identify and analyse different connecting factors, in other words areas that unite groups, common interests or already existing co-operation. For example: meeting places, markets, common symbols or rituals, local networks and persons who are in touch with both these groups. 5. Both women and men suffer during armed conflict, although in different ways. For example, women might become sole bread-winners for the family and there may be forced recruitment of men. What is the impact of this conflict on women and men respectively?
How can you prevent the work from contributing to further violence and worsening of relationships?

6. Will this work cement further the reasons behind this conflict (question no 2)? For example, the work may be directed to only one group and exclude another.

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7. Consider the dividers (question no 3) which you have identified and whether the work might in any way contribute to further fragmentation. If that is the case, how have you taken that into account and altered the direction of the work? 8. Are there people within the organisation who stir up violence? Stereotyped images of the enemy and prejudice may perhaps be disseminated in public contexts or by providing support for actors who carry out violence, such as the armed forces.

Building Peace
9. How will this work contribute to the lessening of injustices and unequal structures (compare with the reasons you have identified under question no 2)? 10. Analyse which connecting factors will be affected by this work and consider how the work might strengthen these. Is there a risk that the work might damage existing co-operation and relationships between the groups involved? Does the organisation disseminate correct information about the conflict as well as a message of reconciliation? 11. Identify also what previous experience you may have of peace building and what previous learning you might use in this work. Is there any need for further capacity and training? 12. Is there awareness of the perspectives of different actors, and has the work been planned as a result of discussion with various actors, such as local authorities or other individual organisations? Compare with your analysis of the actors involved (question no 1) and consider whether any significant actor is missing in the planning. 13. Which strategies are there within the work that aim to provide support for vulnerable women and men? How is, for example, training in income-generating activities created for women who have become sole bread-winners for the family?

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