For Development Professionals:

Conflict Management Sector Approach

Conflict Management Sector Goal

Our goal is to provide people in conflict and post-conflict societies with the tools, skills and support they need to peacefully manage and address the issues that lead to violence.

Approach Framework

Our approach to peacebuilding is built on three core foundations. First, we work with local leaders and communities to help them gain the tools and skills they need to re-establish trust, rebuild relationships and talk about the difficult issues that have led to violence. Second, we help our local partners implement development programs that address the underlying issues that are fuelling violence, whether competition over access to land or water, youth unemployment and alienation, or political and economic discrimination. Third, we actively seek to measure the impact of our programs, learn which approaches work (and which do not) and disseminate our findings to the broader development and policy community.

1. Promoting Dialogue and Rebuilding Relationships: Violence destroys trust and disrupts relationships. Mercy Corps helps local actors restart dialogue and rebuild trust by strengthening their negotiation and reconciliation skills and by providing a safe, neutral space for former adversaries to begin dialogue.
2. Addressing Causes of Conflict: Many of the most important causes of violence are related to under-development, including deep poverty, youth unemployment and alienation, poor governance and competition over natural resources. Mercy Corps’ approach to peacebuilding integrates development interventions into our peacebuilding work, in order to address these causes.
3. Impact and Advocacy: Rigorous monitoring and evaluation helps Mercy Corps to continually improve peacebuilding interventions and demonstrate the impact of conflict management activities to policy makers and peer agencies.

For a complete explanation of our sector approach, please see the document posted below:

• CMGSectorApproach.pdf
  PDF Format, 603.68 KB