Conflict analysis criteria for prioritization

United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC)www.unssc.org

Prioritization in transition settings

• Qualitative priority-setting processes are the result of a prior agreement on consistent and cumulative criteria derived from conflict analysis findings.

• Why? – Increase objectivity of choices– Ensure accountability– Prompt stakeholders’ buy-in__________________________________= Promote consensus-building on priorities

Examples of criteria for prioritization

• Geographic (e.g. national, regional, conflict-prone areas)

• Key issues/sectors: (e.g. food security, infrastructures)

• Processes (e.g. constitution-making, implementation of peace agreement)

• Population targets (e.g. IDPs, marginalized groups, spoilers)

• Time-related (e.g. activities that can be completed within 12 months)

Reality Check

Effective priority interventions are:

– Cost-effective– Measurable– Reflect implementation capacity (e.g. UN comparative

advantage)

– Support local ownership + national capacity

Prioritisation example (DRC)

“If communities in some regions have been cut off from basic services and access to employment and markets because roads were strategically destroyed during the conflict, then road reconstruction programme would want to plan the sequencing of roadwork not only according to economic benefits and projected rate of return, but by also:

(i) demonstrating even-handed state attention to the population in both east and west;

(ii) prioritising labour intensive techniques for job creation and community mechanisms for determining how workers are chosen;

(iii) linking with other actions critical for peacebuilding, such as humanitarian access, district of origin for demobilised fighters, and civic education or election timetables.”

Prioritization example (DRC)

Selected criteria were:

• Restoration of state authority• Creation of peace dividends• Local ownership• Create linkages with other on-going peace

consolidation efforts.