Annual Report: Peacebuilding Evaluation, Analysis, Research, and Learning (PEARL) FY23

The PEARL Task Order is managed by the Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention (CVP) in the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS). CVP helps USAID Missions to plan for, prevent, and mitigate the impacts of conflict and violence and to promote peace through targeted technical assistance, flexible funding, and development interventions. The PEARL implementation team includes staff and consultants affiliated with Integrity Global, Inc. (Integrity) and Technical Advisory Group (TAG) consortium partners Nickol Global Solutions (NGS) and Social Impact, Inc. (SI), which are subcontractors to Integrity on this Task Order award. Most PEARL activities are funded through buy-ins from Missions, while the Task Order also enables CVP and other Washington, DC-based Operating Units (OUs) to provide support to the field and advance learning among USAID's peacebuilding communities of practice. PEARL funds are used to conduct analyses, assessments, evaluations, and knowledge management activities. The intended outcomes of activities conducted through the PEARL Task Order include improving USAID's ability to identify the systems that facilitate or diminish armed conflict and violence in the places where USAID works, providing USAID with actionable recommendations for providing its assistance in ways that effectively prevent, manage, or mitigate violent conflict and its effects, and contributing to the evidence base for effective peacebuilding and violence prevention development interventions. During Year 1, PEARL engaged stakeholders across 20 USAID Missions to scope and provide PEARL services, reached 14 confirmed buy-in activities and received 1 additional Expression of Interest (EOI), engaged more than 390 participants in informational, co-design, and learning activities, and conducted 2 in-person participatory workshops with USAID and local stakeholders to inform the design of the Kenya Violence and Conflict Assessment (VCA) and the Ex-Post Evaluation of Thailand's Deep South Conflict Mitigation Portfolio. PEARL also used cross-cutting data science methods for 4 VCAs to provide nationwide contextual analysis on key trends and correlations and to inform target locations for data collection, completed fieldwork and data analysis for the Conflict Sensitivity Integration Hub (CSIH) Mid-term Evaluation and the Kenya VCA, developed analytical standards, communications standards, and management standards to guide PEARL processes and products, and increased PEARL management resources to 8 full-time team members, and established Activity Management Units (AMUs) to meet higher-than-expected demand for buy-in activities. The PEARL team developed its Annual Work Plan for Year 1 (FY23) through ongoing consultations with the Task Order Contracting Officer's Representative (TOCOR) and Alternate TOCOR (ATOCOR) about Task Order management and implementation of technical activities. The team submitted and received approval of its final version on April 7. During FY23 Q4, the PEARL team submitted a draft version of the Annual Work Plan for Year 2 (FY24) on August 30 and submitted and received approval of its final version on September 26. Between September 28, 2022 and September 30, 2023, PEARL reached a total of 14 confirmed activities and received one additional EOI for a buy-in activity anticipated to be confirmed next quarter. Progress against each activity is captured below. The USAID/CPS People-to-People Reconciliation Fund Activity will deliver a variety of learning services designed to inform more effective delivery of People-to-People Reconciliation fund Program approaches. PEARL will collaborate closely with CVP to scope and design this activity in Year 2. The USAID/Côte d'Ivoire VCA will assess information manipulation in Côte d'Ivoire across the democracy, economic growth, health, and security sectors, as well as opportunities to strengthen information integrity and resiliency. Assessment findings are intended to inform program design and strategic decision-making in advance of elections.