1 Introduction Incorporating a Peace Lens into the NCDDP Program U nique challenges to social and economic development face conflict-affected communities, especially in rural areas. In many ways, conflict threatens stability, the rule of law and, ultimately, the community’s ability to attain sustainable development. For NCDDP, peace and stability are vital elements to community development. While the implementation of the CEAC process may give rise to situations leading to possible conflict, it is important to recognize and ensure the participation of already conflict-stricken areas in community and development processes. This guidance note helps you in implementing the CEAC process in communities affected by violent conflicts and other threats and notable changes in demographics. Tools and approaches are provided here for work with such communities, especially on social preparation and the community development planning stages. Behavioral change among members of the community and strong community engagement are crucial to the achievement of long-term conflict-resolution. Essentially, incorporation of a “Peace Lens” means that KC-NCDDP interventions are sensitive to the barriers that can constrain the full participation of communities to the Program and efforts are made to ensure that the program provides opportunities for these communities or sectors within it to strengthen their capacity to recover from and to the extent possible address the roots of violence and conflict in their lives. In areas where the NCDDP is operating, lack of and unequal opportunities within communities challenge the role and capacity of the LGUs to address conflicts. There, the application of the Peace Lens could enhance the existing capacities of the local stakeholders to improve their peace-promoting strategies. Program success indicators using the Peace Lens approach include: 1. Conflict-affected areas are provided community development activities to aid them in progress; 2. Increased number of conflict-resolution structures and mechanisms among municipalities and barangays; 3. Decreased number of emerging conflicts among municipalities, barangays, and their members; and, 4. Increased access to basic social services in conflict-affected communities. To achieve success, CEAC’s detailed processes must take into proper account potential conflicts and conflict-prone areas. For instance, the recognition that a municipality is affected by armed conflict during the enrollment phase should not necessarily disqualify it from participation. This only highlights that incorporating a Peace Lens into the CEAC is vital to the enrollment and pre-implementation stage of the Program. 3 Unique Processes and Activities in Response to the Context Enrolment Phase and Social Preparation Analysis tools. Such vital information should Critical steps in this phase are as follows: be collected in all NCDDP communities taking into consideration the stipulations • Gathering of vital information for in the Department’s Safety and Security Protocols. The enrollment phase is therefore • Conflict analysis; worth highlighting in the process of Peace Lens integration for major considerations and • Choosing of volunteers; and new activities will first be introduced there. • Planning approach The idea in this step is to gather what information is available on the peace and Integration of the Peace Lens into the NCDDP conflict situation in the barangay. This puts requires the introduction of some new data in context the local dynamics and priority sets for investigation, as well as several peace problems of the community. The Social and conflict-related questions into the Social Investigation phase also helps determine the Investigation and the Participatory Situation areas for validation and further investigation. Community Reporting Soliciting of LGU Assessment* to the LGU Support • Activity: NCDDP • Activity: Presentation • Commitment in evaluates the area of reccommendations achieving and Social maintaining peace Preparation • Output: documented • Output: Provision of through CEAC assessment with supply gaps by LGUs projects reccommendations The identified dividers and connectors may serve as the basis of sub-projects that will be It may be necessary for NCDDP to proposed for NCDDP support. forego entry into a highly violent area, considering the LGU can do a non-political While no additional data sets will be required and unbiased assessment through Social for the assessment of conflict, the ACT should Investigation and Participatory Situation focus explicitly on the criteria that will be used Analysis which should be collected in all in the Criteria-Setting Workshop in the formal NCDDP communities. But the Safety and declaration of the municipality as a CAAC. Security Protocols of the Department must These criteria may include, among others: always be considered. 5 1. History, frequency and longevity of Plan, gather relevant peace and conflict violent conflicts; related information. Highlight information 2. Presence of ongoing hostilities that that may enable researchers to analyze the have affected a significant number overriding issues. For instance, the analysis barangays; should include the identification of actual 3. Number of casualties of violence; victims of violent conflict as this may suggest 4. Presence of resource-based conflicts interventions to address the needs of those (e.g., mining, logging activities, victimized or the inclusion of their families boundary disputes); into various proposed NCDDP projects. 5. Displacement and internal evacuation There are cases however that tension in of a significant number of households, communities (or within a community) might families and residents due to the armed conflict; and, simply be caused by lack of interaction between different societal groups, finding 6. Properties damaged and livelihoods destroyed. a way to bridge the gap through projects implemented amongst different groups To prepare for the Community Research might help lessen the tension. 6 Community Planning Stage I n this phase, the peace or conflict-related information continue to be analyzed. The issues raised serve as starting points in identifying possible subprojects. These problems should be illustrated using an ‘Identification and of Priority Problems’ table. Further, the introduction of some special activities and affirmative actions are being introduced in the planning stage. This phase ensures that peace criteria is reflected in the CSW. The possible subprojects will be subjected to a selection criteria to determine priority ranking which should include its responsiveness to peace/conflict standards. The following must be considered in ranking the priorities: 1. Project must address a specific cause of conflict; 2. Project must enhance vertical social capital (e.g., relations of trust) between citizens and the LGU; 3. Project must promote social inclusion, participation, transparency, and accountability; and, 4. Project must enhance horizontal social capital among members of society. It is important that the priority problems are formulated carefully so that their peace and conflict dimensions are articulated fully. The prioritization of problems should be decided by the PSA team through the application of agreed-upon procedures and criteria (see above) to rank priority problems. For instance, areas with severe peace and conflict-related problems are likely prioritized since there is a high risk of endangering the entire development participation process . SI and PSA Criteria Setting Workshop Data Analysis • Activity: NCDDP Formulation Formulation • Barangay PSA results evaluates the area and Ranking of of Solutions/ and development • Output: documented Conflict-related Subprojects plans are presented in assessment with Problems the Municipal Level reccommendations • Consolidated in a municipal situationer Weight for proposals for communities affected by conflict is greater than for those in non-conflict-stricken areas. 7 The Community Facilitator will assist 2. Project design incorporates strategies community members to ensure that the to address the problems and issues criteria, programs, and processes decided on unique to the situation of conflict during the CWS are sensitive and responsive presented; and, to the needs and aspirations of those most affected by conflict-borne issues. 3. Measures are incorporated to remove barriers to the participation of people You should also ensure that subproject most involved in the conflict issues selection criteria consider the following: and who may feel threatened to engage in the development processes 1. Problems and project objectives are (e.g. victims of violence from minority clearly articulated and reflect the true ethnicities in an ethnic conflict). peace and conflict situation; 8 Creation of Peace-building and Conflict-resolving mechanisms S trengthening efforts are to be communities, although some of these may be undertaken in all NCDDP areas through non-functional. The ACT will need to make a barangay and municipality Peace and decision whether these existing mechanisms Order Councils, IP Council of Elders, and can be strengthened effectively to help resolve other groups involved in alternative dispute community conflicts or if there are possibilities resolution. It is important to define the for new institutions to be established. external and internal roles, responsibilities and relationships of these barangay conflict In case new institutions have to be established, resolution mechanisms with entities that may the individuals who will be part of these have overlapping mandates, such as the institutions need to be selected carefully. NCDDP Grievance Redress System (GRS). Credibility and acceptability to the different (contending) groups within the barangay In most instances, conflict-resolution would be the most important criteria. mechanisms may be found in NCDDP Special Procedures C onflict-affected communities face the by unstable peace and order conditions and same socio-economic problems as the reduced effectiveness of local governance other poor communities. However, institutions. the presence of violence worsens poverty, polarizes residents, disrupts normal NCDDP program implementation in CAAC community life, and destroys governance municipalities shall be allowed flexibility in institutions. Thus, NCDDP implementation in the following four areas: these areas requires the addition of a number 1. Flexibility in implementation timelines; of special procedures to mitigate armed conflict and its effects. 2. Flexibility in staffing (see Peace Lens Policy Memorandum in Appendix); Formal declaration of a municipality as a CAAC during the Criteria-Setting Workshop 3. Criteria-based transition of the CAAC would allow for greater flexibility in NCDDP MLGU to the MT modality; and, field implementation in the concerned municipality. Greater implementation 4. Flexibility in the disposition of NCDDP flexibility is justified because of the intrinsic and LCC investment funds. difficulties in program implementation caused It may be prudent for NCDDP to suspend operations in municipalities when high-intensity violence occurs in the course of program implementation. The decision to suspend NCDDP operations shall also be based on the conflict-intensity criteria used during the CWS to validate a CAAC, and with a particular concern for the safety of NCDDP fieldworkers and the near-impossibility of holding meetings and other activities. 9 Flexibility in most aspects of implementation deemed necessary: in conflict-laden communities is needed as the general atmosphere of violence in them 1. Delayed start-up activities – A longer limits mobility. Such project areas tend to be timeline is applicable in Cycle 1 more remote and difficult to reach, and thus implementation because of more tend to receive less technical support from complex start-up activities and the level municipal LGUs. of conflict-sensitivity and competence of NCDDP field staff. Specifically, communities affected by violent conflict should not be held to the 12-month 2. Temporary Suspension of Operations implementation timetable required of – In cases where there is a continuous “regular” NCDDP communities. Since it will occurrence of armed violence, it may be difficult to anticipate all types of events be necessary that the operations be where easing of implementation deadlines temporarily ceased. may be required, it is proposed that the At the minimum, extension of NCDDP flexibility provision be documented as: (1) implementation timelines shall be based on an amendment to the municipal MOA; and, the number of days that CEAC operations (2) included among the provisions of the were disrupted due to the violence. The barangay sub-project agreements. period of disruption will be based on the AFP The following are cases where set timelines incident report on the violence and military will no longer be followed, as extension is operations. 10 11