PeaceNexus supports Christian Aid Ireland to lead the conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding agenda of its international network.
The Partner
As an international humanitarian and development agency, Christian Aid Ireland (CAI) works with local partners in over 20 countries, including in some of the most fragile and conflict-affected. Known for its focus on building local capacities and using its global voice to challenge unfair power dynamics and inequality, CAI is an independent entity within the global Christian Aid (CA) network. Since 2016, CAI has led the peacebuilding thematic area for the wider Christian Aid family.
Our Support
CAI requested Peace Nexus’s support through the 2017 Call for Proposals, since it was asked to play a global lead role in peacebuilding for the CA network. PeaceNexus facilitated a self-assessment through a series of interviews with country offices and a participatory workshop with senior staff from both CAI and CA to identify priorities for support. External consultants were recruited to facilitate internal meetings, mentor the CAI team, and provide input and feedback on strategy documents and operational guidance. The action plan comprised two main objectives:
- Define roles, responsibilities and resources associated with CAI’s leadership mandate on peacebuilding, and feed CAI’s lessons as global lead into the larger change process of the CA network
- Develop and apply support systems, tools, and processes, to help country programmes become more conflict-sensitive and increase their peacebuilding impact
The Results
Globally, CA staff now has a much better understanding of what it means to work on violence prevention and peacebuilding. A new global policy and advocacy working group, a community of practice, and secondments to support research, advocacy and fundraising helped to operationalise conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding across the network.
Conflict sensitivity pilot support was launched for the Iraq, Syria and Lebanon programme and the global Humanitarian Division. In response to country needs in terms of operational support, CAI developed a package of tailored internal guidance and tools for conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding.
CAI’s recent impact is notable:
- Country programmes report increased strategic engagements on peacebuilding and stronger capacities in conflict analysis, with higher quality work and positive impact for communities
- More country programmes directly work on peacebuilding: now 18 across the whole network, with more asking for support to initiate programming in this area
- More funding for peacebuilding from new donors
- Increased public voice on peace and conflict issues, evidenced through the success of CA’s first public campaign on peace in December 2018
PeaceNexus’ work with CAI is ongoing. In 2019, with external accompaniment, CAI aims to:
- Establish a new conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding monitoring and evaluation system to track and communicate results
- Develop a risk matrix to identify and manage risks to CA’s peacebuilding portfolio
- Co-steer conflict sensitivity pilot support to Myanmar, South Sudan and the DRC, alongside the global Humanitarian Division