Working Better Together in a Team Europe Approach

Starting a joint programming process with a conflict and gender analysis helps build a solid risk assessment and mitigating measures into joint planning and response. It forms the basis of a conflict-sensitive approach. Drawing on a shared understanding of the conflict drivers, actors, scenarios, risks and mitigating measures, a joint and timely conflict analysis provides an evidence-based foundation for the effective prevention and resolution of violent conflicts and effective peacebuilding programming. Such analyses are the first step in ensuring that integrated EU engagements in fragile countries are conflict-sensitive. Conflict sensitivity mainstreaming across the programme cycle reduces the risk of further human suffering, harm, violence and conflict in fragile social, economic, political, environmental and security-related contexts while at the same time maximising the positive impact on resilience and peace.

In this regard, the main guidance on conflict-sensitive approaches through the programme/intervention cycle is set out in the No 2 Guidance Note on Conflict Sensitivity⁶⁴. With regard to monitoring and indicators, this guidance is supported by the Results Chain and Indicators on Resilience, Conflict Sensitivity and Peace⁶⁵.

Following the recommendations on conflict-sensitive programming based on a conflict analysis helps to reduce the risk of negative impacts but the analysis needs to be kept up to date to support monitoring and adaptations in volatile and fluid contexts. Conflict analysis and conflict sensitivity assessments, if updated regularly, are thus key tools in ensuring that the intervention logic, related theory of change, and monitoring and implementation remain conflict-sensitive.

64 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/148be3a6-2fb9-11ec-bd8e-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
65 https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/diagram/resilience_results_chain_202201-_final_0.pdf