Conflict Sensitivity Tool of the Month: Conflict Sensitivity and Communications for Programs

Clear, consistent, and culturally sensitive communication is essential to avoid fueling tensions around aid and service delivery. Misinformation can negatively impact the perceptions of agencies, donors, and authorities, increasing reputational risks. A conflict-sensitive approach can minimize these risks by understanding the drivers of conflict and violence, different attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of program audiences, and amplifying messages and program impact safely and effectively. Integrating conflict sensitivity into communications for programs involves several key elements. First, communications-related issues should be integrated into the project's assessment of conflict dynamics. This assessment should explore the role of media reporting in fueling tensions, how violence is reported, and how negative stereotypes are spread through media. It should also examine how communications in the public space may fuel marginalization and violence, including violence against women and girls, LGBTQI+ individuals, and indigenous groups. The assessment should be carried out in a participatory way, considering safeguarding risks of research participants. Understanding conflict drivers is also essential for audience mapping for communications activities. Audience mapping and identifying key influencers, allies, and spoilers is crucial in areas affected by conflict and violence. This approach can help identify different stakeholders' interests and stakes in the conflict, their connections, and alignment or misalignment between interests and positions of different actors. It can also identify actors who could have a potential role in positively mobilizing community members and amplifying messages. A clear communications strategy and mechanisms for engaging communities are also necessary. The strategy should focus on practical approaches to establish the most appropriate and trusted communication channels in the context. This will vary depending on the audience and their access to various communications channels and technology. The strategy should inform implementation and include a plan and mechanisms for connecting the program to the people it is designed to support. Community mobilizers can play an effective role as communicators and mediators, helping to explain activities and listen to feedback and act upon community concerns. Mitigating conflict, safety, and security issues through communications is also critical. This can be achieved by sharing information about the program with the community to support transparency and a shared understanding of the aims and approach of the program. Establishing communication channels tailored to the context and audience and supporting two-way dialogue and community feedback can also help. Clear protocols for engagement with conflict actors, including redlines in formal and informal communications, can reduce the risk of legitimizing such actors. Low or no visibility activities can also be used to avoid exposing participants to risks, such as threats and intimidation by gangs. Maximizing opportunities for communications, outreach, and awareness-raising activities can contribute to improved trust and relationships among stakeholders. A conflict-sensitive approach not only helps to reduce risks but also identifies opportunities to support positive dynamics. For example, facilitating participatory workshops addressing messaging around gender stereotypes and actively engaging men and women as community mobilizers can help change attitudes toward negative stereotypes. Bringing different community members together with authorities or other key decision-makers as part of an ongoing process connected to joint planning can also help build trust. Ensuring inclusion in communications is also essential. Marginalized communities have different access to, and engage differently with, messaging and content. Communications can reinforce negative stereotypes, particularly stereotypes related to gender, indigenous communities, and LGBTQI+ individuals. Therefore, in any communications approach, it is essential to ensure that participation in developing messages and communications plans and activities is consultative and inclusive, involving different men and women and LGBTQI+ individuals from diverse backgrounds. Language and pictures should be selected to combat negative or reductive binary gender stereotypes, and language should be inclusive in both written and visual communications. Participants' safety should be ensured, and consent given in sharing content. Resources such as the Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding Programming Guide and the How To Guide to Conflict Sensitivity can provide further information and guidance on implementing a conflict-sensitive approach to communications for programs.