Developing UNDP Guidance Tool on Gender-Responsive Conflict Analysis, With the Aim of Enhancing Gender Transformational Impacts in Crisis Countries

Many existing conflict analysis tools do not adequately capture the critical role of gender in crisis programming. The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Gender and Crisis Facility is supporting the roll out of a gender-responsive conflict analysis (GRCA) approach to ensure that UNDP programming responds to the nuanced and intersectional needs of people of all genders in crisis contexts. The Women, Peace, and Security agenda frames the development response in crisis and conflict settings by focusing on conflict’s gendered impacts, identifying civil society partners, and engaging women leaders as agents of change.

The objective of this Capstone project was to gather lessons learned from two pilot gender-responsive conflict analysis (GRCA) approaches in Myanmar and Sudan, and develop a GRCA Guidance Note. Through a consultative process, and multiple validation workshops, the team captured the experiences of UNDP staff into a Lessons Learned Report. This process led to the development of a standardized GRCA framework for use across UNDP crisis programming in 14 country offices. The creation of a flexible GRCA methodology for use by UNDP staff will support conflict analysis that fully incorporates gender’s unique role in sustaining both conflict resolution and peace. Stronger and more sustainable peacebuilding operations should emerge from crisis programming that is better tailored to gender’s role in a specific country context.