IV: Priorities for 2018

SSU Key Mission

Good offices & Advocacy

Conflict analysis & Policy advice

Program Management

Coordination

Communication Priorities

Finalize and monitor the provincial compacts: The progress on the provincial compact in Ituri province, and also the steps taken in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, represent a valuable foundation for political engagement with relevant stakeholders to be intensified in 2018. The ISSSS Technical Secretariat is working closely with stakeholders within MONUSCO, in the international community and among Congolese authorities to learn from successes and difficulties in 2017 to accelerate progress in this important area this coming year. The provincial compacts will be monitored on a quarterly basis through the PBF Mechanisms, and information on political engagement will be aggregated and discussed bi-annually during the NFB meetings.

Develop area-specific political engagement strategies: The experience in all three provinces and all five active priority zones in 2017 has clearly shown how important it is for political engagement efforts to be carefully adapted to the very specific socio-political landscape in each area. The ISSSS Technical Secretariat is working to identify which aspects of political engagement can be transferred and replicated and is planning to organize a workshop to facilitate this exchange between the provinces. A mapping of actors in each priority zone will be another key component of customized engagement strategies, as will be the set-up and coordination of political engagement working groups in each priority zone.

Initiate discussions to develop National Compact: In particular the progress on political engagement in Ituri has opened avenues for elevating these efforts to the national level. The Technical Secretariat plans to use targeted advocacy in the coming year to insist on the importance of the COMPACT at the NFB with the Minister of Plan; to work with STAREC at the national level for this purpose, and to work across MONUSCO sections to ensure that these efforts are in line with national reforms.

Review ISSSS pillars, including to ensure closer linkages between ISSSS pillars and gender mainstreaming: Keeping the ISSSS relevant to the shifting of the broader political and security context is key for the success of stabilization efforts. The ISSSS Technical Secretariat will approach this revision in a participatory way, including with a workshop with members of the Stabilization Forum, to discuss the draft pillar notes.

Linked to this update, the ISSSS Technical Secretariat will also oversee a revision of the ISSSS Priority Zones to guide investment in stabilization programming for 2018 and beyond.

Contribute to global discussions on stabilization doctrine in order to share lessons learned on the ISSSS approach with partners working in similar contexts and to contribute to global policy making on stabilization.

Strengthen programmatic oversight capacities within the national and provincial ISSSSS Technical Secretariats and Implementing Partners to ensure quality and timely delivery of active SCF funded programs. Program oversight tools will be provided by the SCF Cell, including preventative and corrective measures to deal with SCF funded programs that are deemed to be 'off-track'.

Increased information sharing between SCF Governance Mechanisms at National and Provincial levels (National and Provincial Funding Boards) on program results and implementation, in addition to regular reporting, exchanges around programmatic risks and mitigation to ensure programs can deliver despite security and political challenges.

Strengthen the coordination of ISSSS Technical Secretariat with MONUSCO substantive sections at HQ and provincial level: Develop standardized working methods and coordination between the ISSSS Technical Secretariat and substantive section (development of Terms of Reference, nomination of stabilization focal points per section, etc.).

External coordination with ISSSS stakeholders, including aligned and 'alignable' interventions, as well as government actors, will be further emphasized through the systematization of the provincial and priority zone-based Stabilization Working Groups mandate and working methods. The development of standardized Terms of Reference for the work of the Stabilization Working Groups at provincial level will be one of the first actions in 2018 in this regard.

Documenting of ISSSS results and lessons learned. This includes operational progress and experiences made by ISSSS partners, including SCF, aligned and 'alignable' partners, during the set-up and inception phases of stabilization projects; and, going forward, this will also include the capturing and analysis of changes among ISSSS beneficiaries that indicate progress in the efforts to bring greater peace and stability to the ISSSS priority zones and to Eastern DRC, overall. As part of this effort, the Technical Secretariat will make available an interactive, online version of the ISSSS monitoring reports to Implementing partners, donors and other relevant partners.