Measuring Achievements of Private Sector Development in ... - DCED

Measuring Achievements of Private Sector Development in Conflict-Affected Environments
Assumption: the private sector is willing to engage. Private firms in CAEs may be less willing to
participate in PSD initiatives than in other environments. Inter-group prejudices, security and other
concerns can prevent the establishment of partnerships. The non-governmental organization (NGO)
International Alert, for instance, found that the private sector was “not overly enthusiastic” about
providing employment opportunities to ex-combatants who had received vocational training but
who represented a potential security risk. 9 A long history of conflict may also have significantly
deteriorated human capital as well; ex-combatants may not have basic skills required for
employment (e.g. literacy).
The results chain design will depend on the project’s approach to addressing conflict. There are three
broad approaches that PSD projects may use in CAEs:
Conflict Blind. Projects do not incorporate the conflict into their background research, design,
implementation, or monitoring.
Do No Harm. Projects consciously look for and seek to avoid or mitigate negative impacts resulting
from their activities. 10 Doing No Harm requires the use of a conflict sensitive 11 approach.
Peacebuilding. Projects explicitly design their PSD interventions to reduce conflict and build peace.
A peacebuilding project will aim to identify and address the underlying cause(s) of conflict.
Figure 2: The PSD-Peacebuilding Continuum 12
Focus on Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding
Private Sector Development Programming
Conflict Blind Do No Harm Peacebuilding
Does not take conflict into
account in design,
implementation, monitoring,
or evaluation
Risks failing to meet
objectives, and potentially
causing harm
Understands the conflict and
conflict drivers
Seeks to minimize potential
project harm by monitoring
unintended adverse effects
of project on conflict
Results chain articulates
expected positive impacts of
project on reducing conflict
Incorporates indicators to
test positive impacts of
project on conflict
9 Godnick, William and Diana Klein, The challenges of supporting ‘alternative’ economic opportunities for
peacebuilding – Perspectives from Colombia, 2009, 25.
10 Interpeace, What is Peacebuilding, 2010.
11 A conflict sensitive project understands the context in which it works, comprehends the interaction between its
actions and the context and acts upon this understanding in order to avoid negative impacts and maximise positive
ones.
12 Prepared by the authors, adapted from Dalberg Global Development Advisors, Adapting IFC M&E approaches for
projects in conflict affected countries, Phase 1: Formative research and key issue diagnosis, undated, 28.
Practical Guidelines for Implementing the DCED Standard. Version 2, July 2013
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