Conflict Specialist - Local Conflict Management Mechanism Assessment, Nairobi

 Closing Date: Sunday, 17 February 2013

Background:

The short-term Conflict Specialist will lead a multi-country conflict assessment to examine conflict dynamics and local conflict management mechanisms in two geographic regions on the Somali-Kenyan border. The assessment is part of a pre-positioning effort for an upcoming proposal to build and strengthen local-level cross-border conflict management mechanisms in the Horn of Africa - Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda. The program will support conflict management mechanisms that incorporate local civil society groups and local government s, mentor local non-governmental organizations to be able to address community-level conflict management, and provide technical assistance to the regional conflict early warning and response mechanism.

Purpose:

The Conflict Specialist will oversee the assessment, which will uncover the various conflict dynamics in each of the geographic areas. The assessment is an opportunity to: provide context specific details on the various ethnic divides; identify the drivers of conflict; provide information about how the conflicts have evolved over the last 5 years; and identify local conflict management mechanisms used in these regions.

The two geographic regions are:

1) Upper Somali Cluster covering the Mandera Triangle, Wajir, and the Kenyan- Somali-Ethiopian border

2) Lower Somali Cluster covering Dadaab, the Kenyan-Somali border, and the Kenyan coast

The Conflict Specialist will be responsible for developing tools in consultation with Mercy Corps' Youth and Conflict Management specialist, training and working with local partners in each of the regions to collect and analyze the data, and write the assessment report. Security permitting, the Conflict Specialist is expected to travel to the two regions specified above.

Consultant Activities:

1) Conduct a desk review of existing literature of conflict dynamics, conflict assessments and evaluations of peacebuilding programs in the target area.

2) Design the methodology and tools in consultation with Mercy Corps' Youth and Conflict Management Unit for the Conflict Assessment including surveys and focus group questionnaires that pose critical questions that cannot be answered through the literature review. The methodology will be in line with USAID's Conflict Assessment Framework. The methodology and related tools will identify:

    Local conflict dynamics in each of the regions, with a specific eye to ethnic divides, resource-based conflict, additional drivers of conflict, and changes in local conflict dynamics in the last 5 years.
    How women and youth engage in and are affected by conflict.
    The role local government can play/has played in supporting peace or violence in these areas.
    Local mechanisms that manage conflict or could manage conflict with the right support. This includes Peace Committees, other government structures, early warning systems , traditional mechanisms, etc.
    Additional local partners for the program.

3) Work with local partners to arrange logistics for the assessment: number of assessors, any translations, local transport, etc.

4) Hold workshops and train selected local partners on the assessment process in each of the areas.

5) Work with assessment teams to collect data, including photos

6) Hold workshops with the local partners in each of the regions to analyze the data.

7) Write the assessment report, which will include a discussion of the conflict dynamics in each of the regions, how conflict actors interact, the drivers of conflict, and the supports for peace. The annex should include a list of key stakeholders, including local partners, and their contact information.

Consultant Deliverables:

    Work plan
    Presentation to Mercy Corps' stakeholders
    Draft reports
    2 reports (maximum of 15 pages each)

The report will include the following sections:

    Cover Page, List of Acronyms
    Table of Contents which identifies page numbers for the major content areas of the report.
    Executive Summary (no more than 2 pages) should be a clear and concise stand-alone document that gives readers the essential contents of the evaluation report, previewing the main points in order to enable readers to build a mental framework for organizing and understanding the detailed information within the report. In addition, the Executive Summary helps readers determine the key results and recommendations of the report.
    Methodology: The methodology section should also include a detailed description of data collection techniques used throughout the assessment; inclusion of stakeholders and staff; rough schedule of activities. This section should also address constraints and limitations of the assessment process and rigor.
    Results: Organized by conflict dynamic
    Synthesis and Recommendations: Summarize main issues and make concrete recommendations for how conflict can be addressed in the two regions based on the specific contextual analyses.
    Annexes: data collection instruments in English; list of stakeholder groups with number and type of interactions and contact information of key stakeholders; SOW, qualitative protocols developed and used, any data sets can be provided in electronic format.

Timeframe/Schedule:

The Conflict Specialist will commit to an estimated total of 24 working days. The practical field work for the evaluation will be conducted during mid-January 2013 to early February. The Conflict Specialist will have 6 days to draft and finalize the report.

Activity - Estimated Duration (days)

1. Design of methodology and tools - 2 days

2. Desk review of previous conflict assessments and peacebuilding evaluations - 3 days

3. Field Work in each of the 2 geographic regions, including training of local partners and analysis of data - 13 days

4. Draft report - days 4

5. Finalize report based on feedback - 2 Days

The Consultant will report to: Senior Youth and Peacebuilding Advisor

The Consultant will work closely with: Regional Program Director, Deputy Country Director -Kenya, Director-Youth and Conflict Management Team, New Initiatives Team

How to apply:

Apply online at our website:
http://mercycorps.silkroad.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjo...