Peace-Capacity Map of Member Organisations in Africa by Jose

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

February 2015 by Pax Christi International© Printed in Brussels Design & Layout: Ana Luísa Lages Front Cover: MONUSCO, Sylvain Liechti© Pax Christi International 21 Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains 1000 Brussels, Belgium www.paxchristi.net

CONTENTS Executive summary 1. The inquiry 2. The findings 3. Inputs for the redevelopment of PCI network in Africa 4. A word of appreciation 1. Basic features of the inquiry 1.1 The team 1.2 The inquiry process 1.3 Respondents’ Attitudes 1.4 Products 2. Civil Society Peacebuilding in Africa 2.1 Identity, local and networked governance in peace and war time 2.2 Civil Society’s role in peacebuilding 2.3 What are the most relevant networks, organisations or salient initiatives for peacebuilding in Africa? 3. Pax Christi MOs’ Capacities in Africa 3.1 Resources 3.2 Autonomy 3.3 Organisational capacities 3.4 Relational capacities and existing networks 3.5 Peace capacities 3.6 Peace capacities and peace clusters 4. Considerations on the Pax Christi Africa Network 4.1 Conceptual basis and power distribution 4.2 Values, functions and goals 4.3 Relationships and trust 4.4 Architecture, leadership and coordination 5. Conclusions 5.1 Typologies 5.2 Structure-value gap 5.3 Baseline information to assess MOs’ linkages evolution 5.4 Peace capacities: scale, functions and clusters 5.5 Best suited coordination mechanisms Bibliography ANNEXES a. Survey - First Part b. Survey - Second Part c. List of Member Organisations in Africa

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY © UN Photo, Staton Winter

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

This report is the key product of an inquiry undertaken by Pax Christi International through an internal consultancy in order to develop a comprehensive map of peace-related capacities already present among African Member Organisations (MOs) and to acquire some understanding of the peace work done by other relevant actors and networks in Africa. Pax Christi has 38 MOs in 13 African countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, and Uganda.1 The peace-capacity map aims to facilitate the referencing and leveraging of information as well as the coordination of activities within the Pax Christi network and with other peace actors. It also aims to facilitate networking and cross-country knowledge sharing between all of these actors. The reportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings provide inputs for the strategic development of the Pax Christi International network in Africa and serve as a research and communication tool.

1. The inquiry This inquiry is based upon various theoretical frameworks.These can be summarised as follows: 1. An organisational management theory that allows us to provide indications about the resources of the organisation, its autonomy, constituency and capacity. 2. A civil society theory that delves into the interaction between civil society, formal political actors and private economic actors. 3. A peace building theory that analyses the impact of violent conflict and peace building activities at various levels and the functions that civil society peace building organisations play in context of armed conflict. 4. A networking theory that explores the features and functions of this organisational form. Taking into account these broad theoretical frameworks, the mapping is the result of a thorough literature review on civil societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts at peacebuilding and African initiatives and a specific data collection scheme with a survey and semi-structured interviews. A two-part survey was sent to 38 MOs from 13 different countries and it was answered by 35 MOs. Twelve semi-structured interviews were also held: seven interviews with representatives of Pax Christi African MOs, one with a Pax Christi MO based in Europe, two with people with good knowledge of Pax Christi and its African MOs, and two with representatives of organisations with relevant knowledge and experience of civil society peacebuilding on the continent. The analysis of the collected data constitutes the basis for this report.

See list of MOs in annex.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The products delivered by the inquiry are the following: 1.

The present final report, which introduces the main debates about civil society peacebuilding in Africa, presents the findings on the MOs dimension, previously identified in the methodological framework, and presents conclusions and recommendations for Pax Christi’s International involvement with MOs from the continent.

The general database resulting from the survey.

A fusion table designed to visualize the Pax Christi Member Organisations in Africa with contact information and specific queries about their scale of action and priorities for peacebuilding functions.2

2. The findings The report identifies a number of trends and features in the African peacebuilding context where Pax Christi MOs operate. It is widely acknowledged that in the last two decades, peace efforts have increased and more flexible methods, diverse approaches and actors have become involved. Traditional state and intergovernmental actors have not lost importance but their efforts have been complemented by other actors, among them civil society actors. Though in general terms this involvement is seen as a positive development, some of the weaknesses of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)3 involvement have already been identified. CSOs are not only agents for social change but also products of social change (Donais 2010). The surrounding social, economic, and political situations condition the nature and characteristics of all CSOs. The consultant team has not found an inventory of active peace networks in Africa or a systematic effort to evaluate their impacts, but from the literature reviewed and our analysis of the data some general points can be suggested:4 • Organisations may prefer to accommodate peace issues in existing networks rather than creating new ones.

• Religious or faith-based networks together with women’s networks are among the most prominent in Africa working around peace issues.

• CSOs frequently do not have a well-defined vision for regional peacebuilding; therefore local, national and issue-related networks are more popular than regional ones. The inquiry is not conceived of as a census of Pax Christi African MOs but rather provides knowledge about their capacities. The main focus has been on organisational and peace capacities. These are the main conclusions:

The general database and the fusion table are available at the International Secretariat of Pax Christi. In this report the term “civil society organisation” (CSO) is used to encompass various nongovernmental organisational bodies that could be furtherly distinguished into non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community based organisations (CBOs), grassroots organisations, etc. 4

Details about the context are available in Chapter 3.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

2.1 Organisational capacities Based on the data about MOs’ resources we propose a basic typology that combines human, economic and physical resources. • Type A: highly resourceful MOs (around 37% of the MOs). These organisations have other offices besides their main headquarters, have at least one car and a computer for each technical staff member.Their annual revenue for the last three years is between 140,000 euros and more than 350,000 euros (only 14% or 5 organisations declare more than 350,000 as their annual revenue). They have more than 5 paid members of staff. • Type B: medium resourceful MOs (around 45% of the MOs). These organisations have only one office (with two rooms or more), and have one car and computer for each technical staff member.Their annual revenue for the last three years is between 10,000 and 14,000 euros, and they have between 1 and 5 paid members of staff. • Type C: low resourceful MOs (around 18% of the MOs). These organisations have only one office with less than two rooms, do not have a car, and cannot ensure a computer for every technical staff member. Their annual revenue for the last three years has been less than 10,000 euros and they do not have paid staff. Some organisations may not fulfil some of the characteristics attached to the three types but most of them do and this provides a general picture of Pax Christi MOs in Africa. Perhaps the most important conclusion is that most MOs in Africa have resources (human, economic, physical) which enable them for a significant level of action within their context. Only around 18% of the MOs have a level of resources that is comparatively lower than the rest. Another MO typology can be established according to their number and type of beneficiaries. Following a standard classification of CSO by constituencies5, we identify first, second, and third level organisations within the MOs in Africa: a. First level: MOs stating that their “number of beneficiaries is between 100 and 500”. Only two MOs are in the first level category, but this number may be underestimated because some of the MOs that have not responded may be under this category or a bias could have reduced the number of respondents to this option. b. Second level: the most common category among MOs but there are very different sizes and capacities within this group.The clearest difference is the number of beneficiaries: more than 20% have between 500 and 2,500 beneficiaries and the rest have from 2,500 to more than 10,000. 5

c. Third level: According to their main type of beneficiary (individual,

A description of these levels is included in Chapter 3.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

segment or other organisation or collective actors) 25% of Pax Christi MOs in Africa fall within this category. d. Fourth level: None of the Pax Christi MOs in Africa can be included here.

2.2 Peace capacities Regarding Pax Christi MOs’ peace capacities we use two standard classifications. One classification is based on the distinction between personal, relational, structural and cultural interventions, and the other one on CSO’s peacebuilding functions. Some authors suggest that social conflict causes changes around four dimensions: personal, relational, structural and cultural. The four areas are linked and equally important, but MOs may emphasise their work on one or another of these dimensions.6 According to the survey results Pax Christi MOs mainly address the relational and the personal dimension of peace. They work less in the cultural or structural dimension. Consistent with these results most MOs target a selected group of key people, but many also embark on activities addressed to communities at large. Pax Christi MOs in Africa mainly target “groups where people interact regularly (e.g. schools, neighbours, members of an ethnic or religious community, workers)” and secondly “individuals (e.g. address their experiences of conflict; train them on peace-related skills...)”. The inquiry has also attempted to provide a picture of Pax Christi MOs’ peace capacities through an analytical framework which defines seven peacebuilding functions that CSOs can fulfil: (1) Protection of citizens, (2) monitoring of human rights violations, (3) advocacy for peace and human rights, (4) in-group socialisation of values of peace and democracy, (5) inter-group social cohesion, (6) facilitation of dialogue, and (7) delivering services to create entry points for peacebuilding.7 This framework is the basis of our survey and it does not only provide a general definition of the functions but also a list of actions that help to explain the practical meaning of each function. This inquiry works on the assumption that those functions that MOs have mentioned in the survey as the most frequently undertaken within the last five years are also those to which they can claim stronger capacity. In addition to that, the survey explicitly requested MOs to rank the importance of the peace building functions in their own work. In brief, MOs survey results show that “advocacy for peace and human rights” is the most mentioned function among MOs (mentioned by 92.3% of respondents), and it also obtains the highest score (2.65) when MOs are asked to rank functions according to their priority.8 The second most frequently mentioned function is “in-group socialisation of values of peace and democracy” (65.4%), the third is the facilitation of dialogue (61.5%), but its importance is reduced to 4th position when MOs are asked to rank it (3.85).“Inter-group social cohesion” and the “monitoring of human rights violations” obtained the same result (57.7% of respondents consider

These dimensions are described in Chapter 3. 7

The description of these peacebuilding functions is included in Chapter 3. 8 In this ranking, number one indicates the highest value and number seven indicates the lowest.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

them among their top four priorities), but the monitoring function rises to the third position in the ranking (the value is 3.73). Finally, “Protection of citizens against violence” and the “delivering services” function are clearly not among the four priority functions, the former ranks sixth (50% of MOs mention it and it is ranked 4.15) and the latter is ranked bottom (6.15), and it is only mentioned by 11% of respondents. From the findings we can conclude that Pax Christi MOs’ strongest peace capacities are those related to advocacy work addressed to public authorities and specific groups of people, and peace awareness activities addressed to groups and individuals, both at the local level.

2.3 Working clusters We have also established a correspondence between the abovementioned functions and its associated actions and five of the clusters9 which Pax Christi traditionally uses to illustrate its peace work: conflict transformation, conflict prevention, reconciliation, peace education and disarmament.This correspondence shows a ranking of their relative importance.10 The importance assigned to advocacy, in-group socialization and social cohesion, lead us to conclude that conflict transformation is the most frequent cluster among MOs. Following in importance there are other two clusters: peace education and conflict prevention. The reconciliation cluster – closely related to the intergroup social cohesion function which is among the five functions predominantly undertaken by MOs in the last five years, is the fourth most important cluster. Finally, disarmament is only mentioned by a few MOs as one of their peace-building actions among the protection function’s actions. The peacebuilding function framework considers disarmament activities within the protection function and not as a function itself. From that perspective, and given the results it seems more useful, from an analytical point of view, not to consider disarmament as a cluster by itself but include it within the conflict transformation or conflict prevention cluster.

3. Inputs for the redevelopment of Pax Christi International network in Africa These findings provide valuable knowledge about the Pax Christi MOs in Africa, but in this report they also help us think about the strategic development of the Pax Christi International network in Africa, and answer the question: which would be best suited coordination mechanisms for harnessing Pax Christi African MOs’ present capacities, potential for interaction, expectations and stated levels of engagement? For the redevelopment of the Africa network Pax Christi International should fully engage with African MOs in a shared vision of peacebuilding in the continent. This should take account of African history, culture, societies, politics, material constraints, and organisational limitations. Additionally, the differences between

Details can be seen in the table “Association between peace clusters, peacebuilding functions and actions” in Chapter 3. 10

Those clusters are described in Chapter 3.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

countries and organisations are very significant. The inquiry attempts to make a contribution to this reflection process. Additional inputs to be considered are: Pax Christi’s previous initiatives in Africa, the knowledge and experience of Pax Christi associated members from other parts of the world, key figures within Pax Christi with specific knowledge of the continent, and selected groups of people from the most active MOs in Africa. In the final chapters of this report we attempt to respond to the question of the most appropriate coordination mechanisms. We have reviewed the specialised literature on networks to isolate some key components for an effective network and have made an analysis of the survey’s results and semi-structured interviews to understand the MOs’ position on this matter. In the lines below, we summarise the information obtained about three key elements related to best-suited coordination mechanisms: (a) MOs’ preferences, (b) MOs’ engagement, and (c) existing level of connection between MOs. • (a) MOs’ preferences. MOs express their preference for “networks organised around an advocacy campaign”. This is consistent with the functional analysis, where “advocacy” is the best ranked function among MOs. They also appreciate those organised around an issue that affects a specific geographical area. This seems to indicate the importance attached to local issues and also suggests a preferred type of network composition: networks with MOs from a common geographical area. When asked about expectations for a renewed Pax Christi Network, the two most appreciated functions are: “Support capacity development” and “help to define a common voice/position that can be communicated externally.” • (b) MOs’ engagement. These organisations show a remarkably high level of engagement towards a PC African network, but an alternative source (data about the attitude towards the survey) reflects some limitations in terms of availability, trust and cooperation: Availability is a widespread problem and 8 MOs have shown low levels of trust and cooperation in relation to the survey. • (c) Existing level of connection between MOs. A basic Social Network Analysis of the Pax Christi Network in Africa reflects the limited linkages that presently exist among Pax Christi Organisations. These data show that relationships need to be strengthened at different levels in order to develop effective collaborative initiatives. In this phase we suggest concentrating on community building11 at the various levels of the network (for some MOs a country level can work better while others may be more attracted to a regional initiative). We think that once a stronger Pax Christi identity is established, further steps can be taken to respond effectively to expectations for the network to also fulfil learning and facilitation and/or amplifying functions. The preference for community building does not mean

Community building is part of a series of network functions. Details are included in Chapter 4.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

that no efforts should be invested in facilitation and amplification at an initial stage, but rather that special care should be devoted to issues related with that function (trust, personal relationshipsâ&#x20AC;Ś) and that it should constitute the main prism through which to assess the initial evolution of this new collaborative effort.

4. A word of appreciation The team of consultants12 would like to express our gratitude to all the people from the Pax Christi Member Organisations and other peacebuilding organisations that have contributed to this inquiry with information, experiences, lessons learned, and time. We also thank the Pax Christi International Secretariat team for their contributions and support.

The team was composed of Miguel Angel Prieto (lead consultant) and three enumerators: Marcel Masferrer, Neus Ramis SeguĂ and Pilly Martin.

1. BASIC FEATURES OF THE INQUIRY © Flickr, Melvin “Buddy” Baker

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

The inquiry at the centre of this report was not conceived of as a simple census of Pax Christi Member Organisations (MOs) in Africa. Its aim was to develop a comprehensive map of peace-related capacities already present among MOs and to acquire some understanding of the peace work done by other relevant actors and networks in Africa. The peace-capacity map intends to facilitate the referencing and leveraging of information as well as the coordination of activities within the Pax Christi network and with other peace actors. It also aims to facilitate networking and cross-country knowledge sharing between all of these actors. The questions driving the enquiry were the following: •

What are the organisational capacities of African MOs (structure, autonomy, systems, and relations)?

•

What are the peace capacities of African MOs?

•

What are the peace-related clusters that result from a comparative analysis of those peace capacities?

•

Which could be best suited coordination mechanisms for harnessing African MOs’ present capacities, potential for interaction, expectations and stated levels of engagement?

1.1 The team The research team for the inquiry was integrated by a leading consultant and three enumerators. It reflects a gender balance (two men and two women). The team had one enumerator from Kenya and the leading consultant and two enumerators were from Spain. The research team was very aware that relations between Pax Christi International and MOs are based on trust. Therefore, the team guaranteed that trust was reinforced through this inquiry. This led to a particular attention being paid to avoiding false expectations, clearly communicating the purpose of the inquiry, allocating enough time for MOs to respond to the survey and assisting them in case of doubt. Their own data has been made available for their use and the findings will be shared openly.

1.2 The inquiry process Information for the study has been gathered from primary and secondary sources: 1.

Primary: Pax Christi key Informants, leaders or key technical staff from Pax Christi African MOs, leaders or key technical staff from

1. BASIC FEATURES OF THE INQUIRY

Pax Christi MOs active in Africa, leaders or key technical staff from organisations active in peacebuilding in Africa. 2.

Secondary: Background info about Pax Christi African MOs and Pax Christi African Networks (provided by the Pax Christi International Secretariat), literature on civil society peacebuilding, literature on civil society networks, literature about governance and civil society in Africa.

At the first stage of the inquiry a desk research was produced. This research presents some features and general trends of the peace environment in Africa, with a focus on civil society initiatives, especially those with a regional scope and the network organisation form. This general framework was the basis and first element of the inquiry and is included in chapter 2. With the general topics around the inquiry identified, the inquiry proceeded with the data collection phase. In this phase, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A survey with two parts and a total of 75 questions was designed, sent to 38 MOs and responded to by 35 MOs from 13 different African countries.13 The four enumerators involved in the data collection responded to a survey about the exercise. These are the main conclusions: 1.

Out of the 38 MOs initially considered the actual number of MOs that it was possible to contact was 36,

Out of the 36 MOs contacted 35 MOs filled out the survey (partially or completely) and sent it to the inquiry team: Figure 1: Did the organisation complete the survey?

51,4% Completely 22,9% Almost fully 17,1% Partialy 8,6% No

The preferred channel used by MOs to fill out and send the information was the online survey:

The exact number of survey responses considered for each graphic and for the analysis may vary. Concerning the MOsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; surveys, graphics are based on 32 responses, as an average, although the total number of surveys received is 35. The difference in numbers is due to two reasons: 1. The inquiry team set a deadline for MOs to return surveys. When the date was reached the graphics were created and an analysis made. Afterwards, some additional surveys were received from MOs. However, given that the additional data provided does not represent a significant change to the analysis these last MOs surveys, received from June 2014 onwards, have not been taken into account for the analysis. 2. Some MOs have sent the surveys but have not replied to all the questions on it. In some instances, although reminded to do so, they have not replied to some questions.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

Figure 2: Channel used to fill out the survey

27 Survey filled out online 4.

11 Survey sent by email

The level of assistance needed from enumerators to help MOs to complete the survey was significant. 35% of respondents were contacted more than three times to ensure that they replied correctly to the survey: Figure 3: Clarification needed during the survey

35,3% Yes, more than 3 times

55,9% Yes, less than 3 times

8,8% No

Twelve semi-structured interviews were also held: 7 interviews with representatives of 7 Pax Christi African MOs, 1 with a Pax Christi MO based in Europe, 2 with people with good knowledge of Pax Christi and its African MOs and 2 with representatives of organisations with relevant knowledge and experience of civil society peacebuilding on the continent.14 The data collection process only considered data on decisions or actions taken by the organisations in the last three to five years, though some older information has been registered about their organisations’ creation or involvement with Pax Christi International.

1.3 Respondents’ Attitudes In an evaluation of the Greater Horn of Africa Pax Christi Network (2010), the external evaluator identified a “low level of commitment and enthusiasm” among some network members and partners. We tried to measure the attitude of respondents towards the inquiry and specifically in relation to the survey, along three lines:

MOs’ representatives were selected according to the following criteria: MOs that have participated in Pax Christi joint activities in Africa (i.e. regional or continental consultations, or joint projects), MOs from various countries and different sub regions, and gender balance among the MOs representatives. The other five persons interviewed have been selected because of their knowledge of civil society peacebuilding networks in the continent or their direct knowledge and experience with Pax Christi MOs in Africa.

1. BASIC FEATURES OF THE INQUIRY

Cooperation: MO replied quickly and correctly to collectors’ request, asked when they had doubts, showed interest to fill out the survey correctly, and informed about delays.

Availability: MO was easy to contact when needed and replied in a reasonable period of time.

Trustfulness: MO did not show distrust about the exercise or the collectors and provided the information requested without limits.

Enumerators have provided responses on the attitudes of 34 MOs out of the 35 that replied to the survey. Results show a widespread positive attitude towards the inquiry which probably reflects a general positive image of Pax Christi International. However, according to the results, a few organisations seem to have been reluctant about the inquiry. Figure 4: Respondents’ attitudes toward the survey Cooperative

Available

Trustful

Not at all

Partially

Almost fully

Fully

1.4 Products The products delivered by the inquiry are the following: 1. This final report, which introduces the main debates about civil society peacebuilding in Africa, presents the findings on the MOs dimension, previously identified in the methodological framework, and presents conclusions and recommendations for the redevelopment of the Pax Christi International’s Africa network. 2. The general database resulting from the survey; 3. A fusion table of 35 Pax Christi MOs in Africa with contact information and specific queries about their scale of action and priorities for peacebuilding functions. Finally, the mapping exercise can also be described as an organisational peace capacity assessment. As such it intends to contribute in some way to build the MOs’ capacity in the peacebuilding field.The methodology choices and the attitude and behaviour of the research team have involved staff from MOs in a reflective process.

2. CIVIL SOCIETY PEACEBUILDING IN AFRICA © Flickr, Bjørn Heidenstrøm

2. CIVIL SOCIETY PEACEBUILDING IN AFRICA

This is a brief and basic analysis of the socio-political landscape in Africa. The analysis was conceived to explore the following three questions: 1. What is the role of African civil society organisations (CSOs) in peacebuilding? 2. What are the most relevant networks, organisations or salient initiatives? 3. What are the coordination mechanisms that work best? This chapter provides some insight on the first and second questions but acknowledges the limitations in answering the third one. In order to provide a relevant answer to it within the scope of this inquiry it is necessary to analyse the characteristics of Pax Christi MOs and their linkages, which is done in the last three chapters.

2.1 Identity, local and networked governance in peace and war time If we want to understand conflict and peace in Africa it is necessary to look at issues of governance (especially its networks) and the relations between state and society. Some authors argue that over the years political elites and state managers have reinforced the creation or a strong political allegiance to groups through ethnic profiling and group-arithmetic politics. In this view, this form of governance is not a product of war but a fault by design: the construction and nature of the state in Africa tends toward the institutionalization of ethnic entitlements, rights, and privileges, which create differentiated and unequal status among citizens. The issue of non-individualised citizenship is particularly problematic in rural areas, where decentralized institutions have not been democratized (Adejumobi 2001). However, network analysis questions simple identity-based categorizations of ethnicity, regional attachments, and religion as key factors behind governance and conflict. From this perspective it is argued that if all governance systems in the world are multilevel and networked to some degree, this is even more pronounced for countries that are emerging from prolonged periods of civil violence, as is the case for many African countries. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, there exists an unusually large gap between ‘juridical’ and ‘empirical’ sovereignty. When a conflict or post-conflict country is unable to exercise ‘empirical sovereignty’, no institution or even set of institutions is in charge. Authority is negotiated in complex and fluid sets of relationships between institutions that range from peasant villages to the metropolis of the industrial world. The reality is that local-level systems of governance (including churches) generally are the key building blocks of social order in a post-conflict situation

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

– for they were usually the only units managing and resolving disputes during the conflict period (Leonard 2013, 2). Civil servants, formal authorities from the state, CSOs, and traditional or religious authorities are renegotiating their roles by also participating in the competition for control of the modern state. As much as they are entrenched in a historical context, network forms of governance are a response to certain organisational factors in present-day Africa. War is one of the factors that conditions forms of governance, and wars are also networked (Duffield 2012). Duffield studies war as network enterprises that connect global and local structures. Networks may range over neighbourhoods and cities, into the rural, and over the national and transnational. Wars involve not just national, but hordes of external (African or non-African) actors. Networks of conflict economies, frequently, but not always, range into the clandestine, if not illicit. These networks are far from simply criminal and a danger to stability; they are, rather, extensions and reconfigurations of informally governing networks that operate in peacetime as well.Therefore, networks cannot simply be destroyed, as they are multifaceted institutions that govern, protect and support most aspects of life in these countries. Many wartime militia networks do survive in post-war environments as commercial organisations, as community based organisations, and in quasi administrative roles, depending on their positioning vis-à-vis the broader development within their country’s political situation (Reno 2010). Such networks clearly demonstrate capacities in the post-war arena. Within this general framework of networked governance and the complex relationship between state and society in Sub-Saharan Africa, below we try to understand: What is the role of civil society organisations in peacebuilding?

2.2 Civil Society’s role in peacebuilding In the last two decades, peace efforts have increased and more flexible methods and diverse approaches and actors are involved in order to complement the efforts of traditional state or intergovernmental actors. Regional and sub-regional actors, who combine legitimacy and good contextual knowledge, have gained a prominent role. Private diplomacy organisations have also been recognised as relevant actors, especially at certain phases of the negotiation when access to key actors is an issue. Private organisations may also have a well-grounded knowledge of local dynamics, which may help to advance peace efforts. Many analysts have underlined the increasing role of civil society actors in peacebuilding efforts since the end of the cold war (Paffenholz 2010). Generally, the greater involvement of civil society organisations in peacebuilding has been considered a positive development. However, some authors have also signalled some of the potential shortcomings that affect civil society at large or their role as peace builders. In this sense, some have raised the following question: Do civil society organisations play a bonding15 function (strengthening ties among a closed group of members)

Bonding and bridge functions as key functions of CSOs peacebuilding have been analyzed in the case of Pax Christi MOs in Africa (see Chapter 3).The results of the survey have shown that the majority of members play a bridge function.

2. CIVIL SOCIETY PEACEBUILDING IN AFRICA

or a bridge function (helping to link different interest and perspectives present in society at large and not properly represented in formal structures)? Some authors alert us to the fact that social movements or civil society organisations can reinforce the “break down of the social contract” (Douma 2006) by placing an emphasis on narrow, localised identities at the expense of more inclusive ideas of citizenship linked to the national state. Others point out the risk of the polarization of civil society itself that can lead to a lack of responsiveness to the most pressing opportunities for stakeholder engagement. Besides, some authors remark upon the so called structure-value gap, i.e. the expansion of civil society in Africa, as elsewhere, has meant a growth in CSO infrastructure with no parallel growth in other aspects such as values (civility, respect of diversity) or participation (e.g. membership or volunteering).16 Donais (2010) somehow summarises and connects these reflections to the field of peacebuilding, affirming that CSOs are not only agents for social change but also products of social change. The social, economic and political situation where they emerge and survive conditions their nature and characteristics. In this sense, we cannot forget that civil society is as much a casualty of conflicts as individuals, infrastructure or institutions (Donais 2010). Some authors explicitly suggest that an effective civil society is the product of a well functioning state and society, not its source (Belloni 2008 and Fagan 2006). Furthermore, analysts have underlined additional weaknesses in the field of peacebuilding, especially among community based organisations: Organisations are depoliticized, i.e. many groups may not see the links between peace and human rights, justice issues or political power. They frequently lack strategic thinking and coordination due to isolation, or because they think that these efforts divert attention from pressing issues on the ground. For the Horn of Africa, a report from the Life & Peace Institute recommends “holistic, inclusive, multi-level [peacebuilding responses from civil society organisations] geared towards short term as well as long-term needs, in order to address the peace building needs in the Horn” (Cussen and Shiferaw 2014). It is also argued that the practices of peacebuilding CSOs may cause more harm than good, for example by creating false expectations for change, and thus frustration.This may that lead to cynicism among peace practitioners, or even danger for communities and individuals that face risk with some activities, e.g. dialogue initiatives between warring parties that are not well prepared (Easton 2008). The limited impact of CSO initiatives is another preeminent argument. While individual civil society actors can indeed make a difference in terms of service provision or social cohesion at the level of local communities, the collective capacity of civil society to influence macro-level political processes is much more questionable (Donais 2010). This is one of the reasons explaining the use in the specialised literature of concepts such as “cumulative impacts” or “peace writ larger” to refer to the contribution by a CSO initiative to a wider collective effort among others; or the concept of “entry point” to refer to points of leverage that CSO use to influence a wider change process.

The inquiry has analysed some aspects related to the structure-value gap for MOs in Africa. See Chapter 5.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

Finally, some authors have drawn attention to the difficult balance between outsider and insider perspectives in a peacebuilding process:“One clear lesson from recent peacebuilding experiences is that outsiders have overestimated their capacity to generate a modern, influential, peace-promoting CSO sector in post-conflict contexts (…) One strand of thinking suggests that donors can better support civil society by adjusting current approaches to accommodate longer time frames and fewer conditionalities in the name of creating “authentic partnerships” (Hoksbergen 2005) across the local-international divide. Another author suggests shifting support and engagement from the advocacy and service-oriented CSO sector towards traditional forms of civil society that are both familiar and legitimate to local actors (Kappler and Richmond 2011). The choice, in general terms, is between aiding a formal CSO sector that may be more explicitly focused on goals such as peacebuilding and good governance but is thinly rooted in existing society and deeply dependent on outside support, and aiding an informal sector which is firmly grounded in domestic political culture but less likely to unconditionally support the structures and processes of liberal peacebuilding” (Donais 2010). The success of international support is determined by the manner in which it galvanizes and enhances local ownership” (Odendaal 2013). Peacebuilding efforts by faith based CSOs According to survey results, Pax Christi MOs in Africa attach a great importance to Christian values as a source of inspiration. Among five potential sources for organisational inspiration, this is the second most chosen option. Figure 5: Relative importance of sources of inspiration in your organization.

Ranked from 1 (most) to 7 (less).

1,62 2,72 3,00 3,28 4,38

Vision for community social change Christian values Vision for political change Mutual help among organisations Valuing local traditions

In the following lines we delve into some of the dynamics linked to faith based organisations in the peacebuilding work. From a positive point of view, it is widely recognised that on the ground and especially in rural areas, beyond the family, the most effective development institutions tend to have a religious foundation17. Faith based CSOs normally have a closer link than other CSOs to those whom they serve, especially when working through religious institutions. Normally these religious institutions facilitate access and accountability to constituencies. 17

As a result,“Africans tend to be much more willing to support religious organisations – churches, mosques, Muslim brotherhoods, secret societies – with their labour

As we will explain further, this is the case for many Pax Christi MOs in Africa.

2. CIVIL SOCIETY PEACEBUILDING IN AFRICA

and money than secular CSOs or the state. Thus many of the most successful community-based organisations take a religious inspiration, and churches, using a combination of local and external resources, are heavily involved in local education, water and health provision in many parts of the continent” (Kelsall 2008). On the other hand, the large network of organisations that integrate within Christian religious denominations has on many occasions provided the public space for nascent social movements to organise and mobilize support for peace18.The level of operations of religiously inspired movements or organisations in Africa ranges from the grassroots to the international sphere. Besides, identity, as a political and group formation element, has been acknowledged as necessary for the formation of organisations and social movements and for their affirmation of collective solidarity. In this sense religion provides “bonding” social capital and a moral justification for activism. In some instances and contexts this bonding function may contribute to group polarization if it is not balanced with “bridging” social capital behaviour. However, religious or faith based organisations not only provide opportunities for frequent contact between members and ready-made networks of believers but also a trained leadership capable of motivating and attracting participants. In Africa, as elsewhere, though, religion is rarely a stand-alone factor for civil society organisations or social movements; it is rather one of a number of factors that interact in order to produce and propel groups towards mobilization and action. With regard to the outsider-insider challenge, mentioned above, churches have been recognised as “The major exception to the foregoing generalization about development INGOs and local NGOs... [Churches] are embedded in the communities, have an interest in being responsive to local priorities, often already have a long-established service infrastructure in the communities, and are supported by their own INGOs.” (Leonard 2013).This applies to local development initiatives but also to peacebuilding ones. On the other hand, the association with faith or religious institutions may have some less positive effects. The closer the link with local dynamics, the higher the chances that religious actors may be involved in conflict situations and support more or less openly one of the sides. Sometimes, religious institutions and authorities, as well as issues related with the interaction between religion, state and society, may be considered drivers of conflicts. 18

In those instances, faith based organisations that are not directly mingled into local dynamics, but know the structures and language of religious institutions and authorities, may be able to mediate19. Church authorities may be more receptive to their advice or proposals than to other expressions of local civil society, the state, or international organisations.

According to findings concerning the “autonomy dimension” this may seem the case for most MOs.

E.g. the All African Conference of Churches that we have interviewed in the framework of this inquiry

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

2.3 What are the most relevant networks, organisations or salient initiatives for peacebuilding in Africa? Networks are opposed to markets and hierarchies in organisational theory; they are a third form of organisation. Networks consist of reciprocal patterns of communication and exchange, their shapes are based on ‘lateral or horizontal patterns of exchange, interdependent flows of resources and reciprocal lines of communication’ (Powell 1990). We can distinguish two clusters of networks: Intentional and unintentional. Intentional networks have some form and purpose, often have a coordinating body and require effort, money and time to initiate and maintain. Unintentional are networks of friendship or common interest where people touch each other’s lives and where synergies of purpose can come about without intentional investment.These networks are built around the notion of social capital. The consultant team has not found an inventory of active peace networks in Africa or a systematic effort to evaluate their impacts.Therefore, we will use data from the inquiry survey and interviews combined with a selected literature review to make conclusions. Figure 6: Some connections of Pax Christi Member Organisations (in blue)

with other networks in Africa

2. CIVIL SOCIETY PEACEBUILDING IN AFRICA

The network graph above provides some ideas about the landscape of networks for peacebuilding. This graph is the result of data collected from Pax Christ MOs in Africa. They have been asked to indicate five organisations with whom they have worked or had regular exchanges in the last three years, or whom they value as important peacebuilding organisations in their regional context. With this information, we have selected among the organisations mentioned those that can be considered a network. The resulting graph shows the links between the MOs (blue colour) and these networks. First of all we find peace networks (Femmes pour la paix, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding – WANEP, Global network of women peacebuilders) or networks created to deal with issues that have a very close association with peacebuilding (IANSA for arms control or the human rights networks). However, most of the networks that Pax Christi MOs have mentioned are not within these two categories, i.e. they are not peace oriented by nature. According to their names they revolve around more general issues such as religion, health, education, women, and civil society. These issues may have a peacebuilding component but this does not seem to be the main reason for the network’s creation. This may suggest that organisations may prefer to accommodate peace issues in existing networks rather that creating new ones. Besides, some of the networks are output oriented, that is, organisations (frequently different types of organisations) have come together to support a campaign that wants to generate a specific output or change (e.g. arms control, police reform, government transparency).The network will dissolve when the output is obtained because its members do not share a common identity apart from this output. In some cases, the proposed outputs are very ambitious and require long term action which leads to the network’s institutionalization. As a third characteristic we can see that two types of networks – faith-based and women’s networks – are the most frequently mentioned. The leverage associated with faith based CSO mentioned earlier may also explain the widespread presence of faith-based networks. Women’s organisations have engaged in peace activism, have managed to carve out an informal space for themselves in peace negotiations and have put particular issues related to the war, such as sexual violence, on the international agenda. Pax Chisti’s Social Network Analysis reflects this trend – also recognised in the peace literature with numerous examples in West Africa and the Great Lakes. Finally, networks can have different geographical scales: local, national, regional continental and international. From the survey results (see the graph above) and semi structured interviews we can say that Pax Christi Member organisations interact more frequently with national networks. Regional networks are the exception rather than the norm. This does not come as a surprise if we acknowledge, as the above mentioned Life & Peace report for the Horn of Africa region does, that CSOs do not have a well defined vision for regional peacebuilding, and this also applies for analysis and strategy: “There is no broad agreement, either internationally or regionally, about the definition of regional peacebuilding or best practices in regional approaches to peacebuilding” (Cussen and Shiferaw 2014). For Pax Christi MOs

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

relatively low participation in regional or international networks may also be explained by elements such as limited resources (economic, human or others) or communication weaknesses. On the other hand, the success of WANEP or the role of some intergovernmental initiatives such as IGAD in the Horn, or of the United Nations Mission in D.R. Congo (MONUSCO), may tell us an interesting story: sustained intergovernmental engagement among countries in the region, or internationally, may be a key contribution to,or necessary element for,the creation of CSOsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;regional peacebuilding initiatives, especially in countries affected by war.These intergovernmental initiatives may provide some kind of infrastructure and political framework that CSOs may see as a prerequisite for effective regional networking. This finding is related to the concept of peace infrastructure concept. The idea of peace infrastructure is to develop mechanisms for cooperation among all relevant stakeholders, including the government, by promoting cooperative problem-solving and institutionalizing a response mechanism to violent conflict (Unger 2013 and Odeendal 2013). Peace infrastructures composed of diverse, interconnected organisations at different levels can provide peace and redress in a social landscape torn apart by violence. This may either act as a change agent itself or provide the necessary space for such change agents. Analysts have assigned them three possible roles: conflict management, conflict settlement and conflict transformation. In this last sense, they can help create, consolidate, and maintain a network of transformative actors (e.g. Local peace commissions as agents of domestic conflict transformation). The experiences of peace infrastructures in Ghana or in South Africa can be considered among the most salient peace initiatives in the continent. When discussing the benefits of networking for peacebuilding work, some Pax Christi MOs have referred to elements or concrete examples of them, for instance local peace commissions. This inquiry has not considered the hypothesis of a potential connection between effective regional networking and the peace infrastructure concept but it may be worth exploring it in some contexts. The existing literature about networks is more descriptive than evaluative. Given the complexity of their form and dynamics, the monitoring and evaluation of networks is difficult; there is not much theory, and still less practice (iScale 2010). Therefore, we do not have robust evidence for best coordination mechanisms for networks organisational forms. Furthermore, the field is so diverse and complex that it is difficult to make generalizations. It depends very much on the function, the leadership, the membership and the kind of connections that members already have among themselves. For these reasons we do not deal with this issue here, but we have analyzed it in depth in Chapter 4.

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

This inquiry is not meant as a census of Pax Christi African MOs but provides knowledge about the MOs capacities. For the purpose of this inquiry we look at the capacities of Pax Christi member organisations in specific areas: resources, autonomy, organisational capacities, relational capacities and existing networks, and peace capacities. The data obtained for this analysis has been collected through a survey answered by 35 MOs. The two parts of the survey provided as an annex. This exercise has been complemented with seven semi-structured interviews with a representative sample of MOs. This chapter aims to answer three questions: •

What are the organisational capacities of African MOs (structure, autonomy, systems, and relations)?

•

What are the peace capacities of African MOs?

•

What are the peace-related clusters that result from a comparative analysis of those peace capacities?

Apart from the findings for each area provided in this chapter, the conclusions further analyse these findings and their practical implications.

3.1. Resources This area is focused on the resources of the organisation.At a very basic level it allows us to differentiate formal organisations (some level of identifiable structure) from informal organisations, and the degree of resources among formal organisations. The indicators that the inquiry takes into account to evaluate this area are: human resources (paid staff and volunteers), expenditure, revenue, office(s) and equipment. Human Resources. Around 16.1% of the MOs do not have any paid staff and almost half of them (48.4%) have 6 or more paid staff. The situation is similar in the case of volunteers: roughly an eighth does not have any volunteers (12.9%) but most MOs (58.1%) have more than 6 volunteers. Everything considered, this shows a significant level of human resources among MOs. 20

Economic resources. The robustness of this indicator is compromised because 25% of MOs surveyed “skip” or answered “don’t know” to questions about their annual expenditure or revenue. In some cases, there may be a lack of information or understanding of the question. Almost 50% of MOs state that their annual level of expenditure20 is between 10,000 and 140,000 euros. 24% of respondents declare that their expenditure is higher. 16% state that their annual expenditure is less than 10,000 euros and 16 % do not reply to this question.

Expenditure refers to the costs for the general operations of an organisation.These include salaries, fringe benefits, and other personnel costs; purchases of goods, supplies, and services, and any fees and charges paid. It does not include expenditures that are normally paid for more than one year, e.g. land acquisition, building construction, purchase of major equipment and vehicles.

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

The picture for the MOs’ annual revenue21 is similar to that of expenditure.There is also around a quarter of MOs with less than 10,000 euro per year (24%), but the distribution of the other MOs is more diverse; 14% state revenue between 10,001 and 50,000 euros, 22% between 50,001 and 140,000 euros; 17% between 140,001 and 350,000 euros, and 14%22 declare a revenue of more than 350,000 euros per year (10% of surveyed MOs did not reply to this question). Physical Infrastructure. Around 50% of MOs have one office (mostly with two rooms or more) and the other half more than one office. This percentage is similar with regard to other key elements of an organisation such as a car (more than 60%) or computers for technical staff (more than 60%). It is significant, however, that around 15% of MOs do not have an office with two rooms.

3.2. Autonomy A certain degree of autonomy is a basic feature in considering an organisation as such, and in establishing an indication of its capacity. Some CSOs may act under a strong influence or direct control from other organisations. The church, a government unit, a political party, a private firm, or a more resourceful CSO may be exerting this kind of influence. It is not easy to establish the degree of autonomy of an organisation only through a survey, but the following indicators shed some light on the question: •

Who founded the organisation?

•

Who decides the appointments to the governing body and senior management?

•

How diversified are the organisation’s sources of funding (own/ public/private; number of sources; and percentage of total external funding)?

Most organisations have been founded by a group of people (65%), out of friendship or closeness (neighbours), as part of a Christian catholic community, or a community of professionals. But there is a significant number (28%) of organisations that have been created by other organisations. In almost all cases these organisations are a structure of the Catholic Church (Dioceses or National Episcopal Conferences). The sources of revenue by the organisations are evenly distributed between public and private funding; although as a whole private funding is higher (40.7%) than public funding (36.78%), especially for MOs based in the Great Lakes region. A significant 22.5 % of total revenue comes from fees and charges that the organisation collects from their constituencies.

Revenues are inflows of spendable resources received by the organisation. Cash revenues can be distinguished from in kind revenues, which include the imputed value of volunteer labour. But for the purpose of the inquiry only cash revenue is acknowledged. 22 The exact percentage from respondents to this question is 19.4% MOs with more than 350.000 euro. But we assume that out of the four organisations that skipped or did not answer the question none would be included in this group. Therefore, we modify the sample to enlarge it from 31 to 35 organisations and as a result the percentage represented by the organisations in this group (4) is 14%, instead of 19.4% of the MOs. We consider that the 5% difference that results from this operation can be distributed among the other four groups according to their percentage (i.e. 1.7 percentage points more for the group with less than 10,000 and 1.1 more for each of the other three groups). We have modified the percentages accordingly.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

Figure 7: MOs sources of annual revenue

40,7% Private funding

36,8% Public funding

22,5% Fees and Charges

Another indication of an organisation’s degree of autonomy is the number of donors (public or private) that represent more than 20% of the total revenue of the organisation. 70% of MOs count on big donors (their funding represents more than 20% of their total revenue), but among those MOs more than 50% rely on more than one donor and only 28.6% rely on only one donor. Appointments to the highest executive positions (Q27-I)23 and the governing body (Q26-I) are also indications of an organisation’s autonomy. Most MOs (80%) declare that “always or normally” the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the highest executive position is made by the organisation’s governing body. However, the appointment of the governing body does not depend only on the organisation. Almost 50% of MOs answer affirmatively when asked if part of the board members have been appointed by a third party instead of the organisation’s members themselves. Figure 8: MOs Executive positions selected by governing body

25% Always

16,7% Most

50% Normally

0% Rarely

8,3% Never

Throughout the text we make some references to the questions in the survey. The “I” or “II” after the question number indicates the first or second part of the survey.

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

3.3. Organisational capacities “Capacities” are factors that enable an organisation to achieve what it sets out to do effectively. For the purpose of this inquiry we use the following indicators to assess Pax Christi African MOs’ organisational capacity: •

Governing body

•

Leadership

•

Decision making

•

Transparency

•

Constituency building

Governing body. MOs show a high level of satisfaction with their governing bodies. 70% qualify them as “functioning well” (Q29-I).24 In terms of the function and norms of behaviours there is also a positive consideration; most respondents agree that they provide overall policy direction and oversight, accountability and credibility, and respect by-laws concerning fixed terms of office and a quorum (Q28-I). “Strategic formulation, fundraising, public relations and lobbying” require some attention. Almost 60% of MOs point out that board performance in this function needs “considerable”,“partial” or “urgent attention and important” improvement. A majority of respondents also see the need for some improvement, in various degrees, in “rules and good practice regarding the succession of key board figures and the executive director” (Q31-I). Finally, the division of roles between the governing body and the staff members is clear in almost in all cases (Q31-I), as is the case for the mission of the organisation (Q33-I) and the strategic level (Q36-I). Leadership. There is a healthy level of rotation among key positions in the organisations. In most cases, the president or the executive director has held this position for no more than half the time of the organisation’s existence (Q30-I). This is particularly the case for Presidents of governing bodies and less so for the most senior executives where some attention has to be paid to the duration of their terms25. Decision making. If we take as an indication the responses to the question of “how project /actions are identified?” (Q38-I and Q39-I) we can conclude that the power of key figures (such as the board or the executive director) is limited. For most MOs their constituency priorities and technical considerations are more important than the opinion of the board in making decisions about projects or actions. Transparency. Regarding information transparency, the self-assessed results are also good: “Information about activities and the financial situations is provided regularly to members, beneficiaries or volunteers” (Q39-I) is the most chosen option.

Good functioning is described as: members normally end their term as planned, participate regularly in meetings and activities, held regular meetings, issues are assessed by the body and decisions are taken. 25

A healthy level of rotation among key positions is normally a good indicator of the organisation capacity. This consideration has to be balanced with realities on the ground. In countries where the labour market does not offer a lot of opportunities some executives may be tempted to maintain a senior position, and therefore his/her professional interest, at the expense of the organisation’s general interest.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that it does not reach a wider public outside their constituencies. Less than 40% of respondents agree that “Information about activities and financial situation is published on the web and/or in the office external panels for everybody.” Constituency building.26 For more than half of respondents, the stated number of beneficiaries is counted in thousands: 39.3% of the MOs state that they reach between 2.501 and 10.000, and 28.6% declare reaching more than 10.000 beneficiaries. In the second part of the survey (Q6-II) respondents answer about the targeting of their beneficiaries. The 46,4% indicate that they target certain segments of the population, and 25% indicate that their targets are organisations. A sign of organisational development is that almost 75% of respondent MOs are able to target their constituencies (Q26-I). Figure 9: MOs constituencies for the last five years

46,4% Segments of the population with some particular features

25,0% Organisations,or collective actors

14,3% Individuals

14,3% Other

The percentage of rural population is still high in the countries where MOs are active, and this explains the relative importance of beneficiaries coming from these areas (Q8-II). 32% of respondents mark rural areas as the main base for their beneficiaries, but most MOs (64.3%) indicate that their beneficiaries come from both rural and urban areas. If we look at the relationship between the organisations and their beneficiaries, the following findings come out of the survey: 1. The relationship is mainly in the long term. Most MOs state that they have engaged with their beneficiaries since its creation (64.3%) or for more than 6 years (17.9%). 2. Beneficiaries participate in actions. Declared levels of beneficiary participation (Q7-II) are quite high, i.e. above 50% of MOs declare that they “almost always” participate in carrying out the actions. But beneficiaries mainly participate at the implementation phase and less at the planning level. 71% of MOs state that they have members distinct from beneficiaries (Q12-II).This apparently clear-cut distinction becomes blurred when a few MOs consider in

26 A In this document we use the concept constituency when we include beneficiaries and members of the organisation. If we refer only to one of these two categories we use the specific term (member or beneficiary). Besides we have to acknowledge that the understanding of the term “member” or “beneficiary” may vary among MOs, e.g. beneficiaries may be counted by household number (around 6) and as a result the number of individual beneficiaries raise if the indirect beneficiaries in the same household are taken into account.

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

the descriptive responses that people participating in their activities are by this fact considered members. According to this answer and to the question on the number of members (Q13-II) we can conclude that there is no consensus about what are the criteria that a person has to fulfil becoming a member.

3.4. Relational capacities and existing networks Relationships are the key linkages that Pax Christi African MOs must maintain in the wider context to achieve their mission. The indicators used in this inquiry to measure this area are: experiences of cooperation or sharing of information, joint projects, partnerships, an assessment of networks and communication. In the conclusion section the findings are complemented by a social network analysis that we call the “existing Pax Christi network in Africa”. In this part of the analysis we look specifically at the behaviour, experience and evaluation that MOs express with regard to networks. We also request their impression of expectations and the potential level of engagement in a potential new Pax Christi African Network (Q21-II, Q22-II, and Q23-II). Collaborative Behaviour. One of the questions that the survey wanted to address is: do MOs have certain behavioural patterns/ habits that are needed for networking, such as: sharing information, working together for a common project? The answers about what we can call a “collaborative behaviour” are moderately positive (Q15-II). The most common cooperative behaviour is to “share information” (around 85% do it almost always or normally). A smaller number of MOs state that they:“analyse the situation they want to address with other organisations” (44%) and, lesser so, MOs “undertake peace activities or projects with other organisations” (41%). It is very uncommon that they “design or plan actions” together with other organisations. Experience. According to responses, networks are organisational forms of which MOs have experience (Q18-II). 80% have taken part in two or more, and 51.4 % have taken part in between four to seven networks. Network evaluation. MOs express their preference for “Networks organised around an advocacy campaign” (Q16-II).They are ranked 2.15 in a scale of 5.This is consistent with the peacebuiding functional analysis that we will see later where “advocacy” is the best ranked and most common peacebuilding function among MOs. In this case, it is especially interesting that the networks ranked second best are “Networks organised around issues that affect a geographical area”. This may be an indication of the importance of local issues to MOs and the potential of networks with MOs from the same geographical area. Networks have allowed MOs to establish valued relationships (Q19-II) especially with church organisations and with local civil society organisations. The pre-

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

eminence given to these two types of actors may also be related to the fact that they are also the more common actors within their networks. Figure 10: MOs establishing relationships with selected actors for the

last five years

Political parties or movements

Academic institutes/ research institutes/ think tanks

National authorities

Local or sub national authorities

Regional and international intergovernmental

International civil society organizations

Local civil society organizations

All of them very valuable

Most of them were valuable

At least half of them were valuable

Rarely valuable

Not valuable at all

No relationship established

Finally, almost 50% of MOs consider that participation in networks is a “strategic factor for the whole organisation’s work” and 40% consider that it is “very important” or “important” in some areas (Q20-II). We have to acknowledge that this high percentage may be caused by a bias, i.e. respondents know that the survey is organised by a network and they want to please it, indicating that for them networks are very important. When we compared these results with the data from questions about the organisations they work with, exchanging information with, or value most, or when they have provided qualitative information about their experiences with networks, the results are not so outstanding. Expectations and engagement. The survey results give an idea of what MOs may expect from the Pax Christi Network in Africa in the years to come (Q21-II). In order of importance and with a rank that goes from 1 to 5 (5 the lowest and 1 the highest score), they expect: •

support to capacity development of MOs (1.89),

•

help to define a common voice/position that can be communicated externally (2.56) and

•

strengthen the chances to establish relationships with potential donors (2.74).

Expectations are matched with a high level of engagement: when asked if they would be able to engage some resources (staff time, money or others) in a Pax Christi Africa Network (Q23-II), respondents are almost completely distributed between those that agree and those that “partly agree”. Only 3.7% declare that

Church organizations

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

they “don’t know” their level of engagement. Here again some bias may affect the quality of the data. Communication environment and tools. In spite of the technological and logistical challenges they face, for almost all MOs internet and mobile phone communication is the communication tool most frequently used (Q28-II). Internet is slightly better considered than mobile phones. Nonetheless, we should not assume that the conditions of use of these tools are similar to most of the western world areas. In most African countries the technology and the infrastructure needed for communication is worse than in most western countries. Internet and mobile phones are very frequently used because other tools of communications such as landline phones or the post system do not work well. It does not mean that access to, and reliability of, these tools in Africa can be assimilated to the situation in the western world. Expectations about the potential for communication between MOs from distant areas that may arise from the availability of these modern tools should be confronted with the challenges to their use in different localities. In general terms the extent of access is affected by power cuts, or high costs. For MOs’ staff and board members, Facebook and online e-mail groups are two of the most-used online platforms (approx. 50% of respondents), a great distance from others such as Twitter or Skype. Figure 11: Staff or Board members using selected communication software

Skype or similar telecommunication software

Dropbox or any other online file sharing application

Email groups

Facebook

Twitter

Other Most Use it Registered used regularly but use it rarely

Registered but don’t use it at all

Not registered

However, security of communication is an element that MOs take into account when using their mobile phones or internet. 80% of respondents state that they may refrain from sharing information through these channels because of fear of being intercepted by a third party.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

Figure 12: MOs may refrain from sharing information over phone/internet

due to security reasons

38,5% I fully agree

34,6% I partly agree

11,5% I mostly don’t agree 7,7% 3,8% I almost fully agree I don’t agree at all 3,8% Don’t know

3.5. Peace capacities The analysis of MOs’ peace capacities is one of the key aims of the present inquiry. There is no consensus either among scholars or practitioners about what peace capacity is and how it can be measured (Hellmüller 2014). The data collection from MOs was based on standard classifications of peace activities. One classification is based on the distinction between personal, relational, structural, and cultural interventions; another is based on beneficiary targeting; another on intervention scales; and the last and most relevant is based on CSOs peacebuilding functions. Social conflict can create changes in four areas: personal, relational, structural and cultural (Lederach 2007). Personal: conflict changes individuals personally, emotionally and spiritually. Relational: Refers to people that have direct face to face contact. When conflict escalates communication patterns change, stereotypes are created, polarization increases, trust decreases. Structural: conflict impact systems and structures –how relationships are organised, and who has access to power- from family and

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

organisations to communities and whole societies. Cultural: violent conflict causes deep seated cultural changes for example the norms that guide patterns of behaviour between elders and youth, or women and men. The four areas are linked, and equally important, but MOs may emphasise their work in one or another of these areas. Figure 13: MOs peace actions by target levels for the last five years

Individuals

Groups where people interact regularly

Laws, procedures, policies, institutions or economic conditions that affect all members of a community

Cultural elements that help to give meaning to a certain worldview

Other Very frequently

Frequently

Sometimes Rarely

Never

According to the survey results Pax Christi organisations mainly address the relational and personal areas of peace. They work less in the cultural or structural areas. Beneficiary targeting. In terms of public targeting, Pax Christi MOs in Africa mainly target “Groups where people interact regularly (e.g. schools, neighbours, members of an ethnic or religious community, workers)” and secondly “Individuals (e.g. address their experiences of conflict, train them on peace-related skills, etc.)”. When asked (Q12-II) to whom their organisation’s peace actions for the last five years have been mainly addressed (“as many people as possible” or “key people”), a slight majority (53.6%) state that they implement some kind of selective criteria.Though later, in the detailed response, they normally mention many different types of key people without a specific focus on one or two of them. The analysis shows that religious and community leaders are the two groups of “key people” most frequently mentioned. Intervention scale. Most MOs act at the local level. In response to the question “What has been your peace actions’ geographic scale in the last five years?” (Q35-II) the majority indicate that their “most frequent” or their “frequent” scale of action is:“One location (village, town, or city)” (65%) or “Between one and 10 locations” (72 %):

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

Figure 14: MOs peace actions by geographic scale for the last five years One location (village, town, city)

Between 1 and 10 locations

Province scale

The whole country

A number of countries in one region

Frequently The most frequently

Rarely

For exceptional cases

Never

Finally, the functional approach identifies seven potential functions to be fulfilled by civil society organisations at various stages of conflict (Paffenholz 2010). The inquiry works on the assumption that those functions that MOs have mentioned as the most commonly applied in the last five years are also those to which they can claim stronger capacity.These functions are: protection, monitoring, advocacy, socialization, social cohesion, facilitation, and service delivery. This framework, which is the basis of our survey, does not only provide a general definition of the function but also a list of actions that are associated with each function. Below we include a brief description of the seven functions and the kind of activities encompassed in each function: Protection of citizens against violence from all parties; the main activities for civil society within this function are: watchdog activities, the creation of “zones of peace”, humanitarian aid, and civil society initiatives for human security (landmine removal, Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration – DDR – programs…). Specific data about disarmament activities is collected. Monitoring of human rights violations, the implementation of peace agreements, etc.The main activities related to the monitoring function are the creation of political early-warning systems and reporting on human right abuses. Advocacy and public communication for peace and human rights; The main activities within this function are: agenda-setting by local civil society actors (bringing themes to the national agenda; e.g. synergies de femmes presents sexual violence as an issue during the East D.R. Congo armed conflict), lobbying for civil society involvement in peace negotiations; and creating public pressure (mass mobilization

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATIONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

for peace negotiations or against the recurrence of wars). Advocacy can be non-public (organisations communicate with the political apparatus in private) or public (claims and demands are made in public via demonstrations, press releases, petitions, or other statements in support of a specific demand). In-Group socialization to values of peace and democracy as well as to develop the in-group identity of marginalised groups; the objective is attitude change and two types of activities may be differentiated: 1) socialization to democratic attitudes and for handling conflicts peacefully (culture of peace) for society at large or for single groups within society or the conflict; 2) socialization towards building or consolidating in-group identity (mostly for oppressed or marginalised groups in asymmetric conflicts). It should socialize behaviours that are not threatening to other groups. The difference between this function and the social cohesion function (below) is that socialization takes place only within groups and not between or among formerly adversarial groups.The survey will include specific questions about peace education. Inter-group social cohesion by bringing people together from adversarial groups; the objective of this function is to help groups learn how to live together in peaceful coexistence. According to their intended objectives three types of social cohesion-oriented activities can be identified: those that seek to bring together representatives and/or members of (former) conflicting groups to foster relationships aimed at peaceful behaviours (attitude change), at reaching larger outcomes related to peace (e.g. peace negotiations), or at reaching outcomes not specifically related with peace but with other kinds of social good (business, development work, humanitarian access). Facilitation of dialogue at the local and national level between all sorts of actors; the main activities within this function are facilitation initiatives (whether formal or informal) between armed groups, between armed groups and communities, and among armed groups, communities, and development agencies (local civil society can often facilitate between civil society and warring parties at the village or district level, between warring parties to negotiate peace zones or violence free-days, between international or national aid agencies and the warring parties, or local civil society as a means to ensure delivery of goods and services to communities. One activity with wide support is the provision of conflict resolution and negotiation training to key civil society actors as a means to strengthen their potential facilitation role. Service delivery to create entry points for peacebuilding, i.e. for the six above functions. For instance in Sri Lanka, an emergency education project for the most conflict-affected areas in the north was started in the immediate aftermath of the cease-fire agreement. A project management committee was formed and included the two conflict parties on the district level that had not previously engaged in dialogue with one another. Here, service delivery served as an entry point

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

for the “conflict-sensitive social cohesion” function of civil society peacebuilding. Below are the results for the two questions about MOs’ peacebuilding functions (Q37-II and Q38-II). Figure 15: MOs predominant peace functions for the last five years

92,3%

65,4%

61,5%

57,7%

50,0%

11,5%

Advocacy for peace and human rights

Socialization to values of peace and democracy

Facilitation of dialogue

Inter-group social cohesion

Monitoring of human rights violations

Protection of citizens against violence from all parties

Aid projects or service delivery

Figure 16: Relative importance of peace functions for the past five years. Ranked from 1 (most important) to 7 (less)

2,62 3,46 3,73 3,81 4,12 4,15 6,12

Advocacy for peace and human rights Socialization values of peace and democracy Monitoring of human rights violations Facilitation of dialogue Inter-group social cohesion Protection of citizens against violence from all parties Aid projects or services delivery

MOs’ survey results show that “Advocacy for peace and human rights” is the most mentioned function among MOs (mentioned by 92.3% respondents), and it also obtains the highest score (2.65) when MOs are asked to rank their priority functions between 1 and 7.

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

Among advocacy actions the survey (Q41-II) distinguishes five kinds of strategies (respondents could mark as many as they wanted): •

Agenda-setting, bringing themes to the national or local agenda (awareness, campaigns, research…);

•

Lobbying for civil society involvement in peace negotiations;

•

Creating public pressure for issues related to the conflict (e.g. child soldiers);

•

Creating public pressure against the recurrence of war;

•

Other advocacy or public communication activities.

Respondents also had to choose between two different approaches to these strategies: Non public advocacy or public communication27. The most popular strategy was “Agenda setting” and the two approaches were evenly distributed among respondents. When faced with a conflict the most frequently mentioned advocacy strategies are: “lobbying for civil society involvement in peace negotiations” or, secondly,“creating public pressure against the recurrence of war”.Their relative importance among the different options is higher if we take into account that these two strategies only apply if the MO is or has been in a country at war, which is not the case for all respondents. The second most frequently mentioned function is “in-group socialization to values of peace and democracy” (65.4%). Besides, when asked about the two types of strategies through which to implement this function (Q42-II): 1. “Peace education activities that aim at enhancing a culture of peace and constructive conflict resolution for society at large or for single groups within society or to the conflict” and 2. “Actions that aim at building or consolidating in-group identity (strengthening the identity of a particular group)”. All respondents that have considered this function among their four priorities chose option 1 and only 17.6% also chose option 2. The third most mentioned function is facilitation of dialogue (61.5%), but its importance is reduced to the 4th position when MOs are asked to rank it (3.85). “Inter-group social cohesion” and the “monitoring of human rights violation” obtained the same result (57.7% of respondents consider them among their four priorities), but the monitoring function rises to the third position of the ranking (the value obtained in Q38-II is 3.73). For the “Inter-group social cohesion” function three different actions could be chosen on the survey form (Q 43-II):

In non public advocacy civil society actors communicate with the political apparatus in private, bringing issues to the negotiation agenda in peace talks through informal dialogues, diplomatic channels, or political elites. In public communication the focus is on public advocacy, which means that claims and demands are made in public via demonstrations, press releases, petitions, or other statements in support of a specific demand (Paffenholz 2010).

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

Activities focused on relationships among adversarial groups to promote social values such as cohesion for peace, reconciliation, and the corresponding change of attitudes or behaviour towards the “other”.

Activities oriented to bring together representatives and/or members of (former) conflicting groups attempting to reach an outcome larger than relationship change, i.e. an initiative for peacebuilding, for negotiations. Normally these activities involve the participation of key actors.

Activities oriented to bring together representatives and/or members of (formerly) conflicting groups attempting to reach an outcome that is not directly related to peace negotiations.

The first option was the most frequently chosen (93%) with a considerable lead over the second and third (50%).Therefore, as we discuss below, the action chosen within this function reinforces the importance of the “reconciliation” area in Pax Christi’s terms. For the “monitoring” function a distinction is presented between two types of actions (Q40-II): “Creation of political early-warning systems” and “Reporting on human rights abuses”. Among respondents the most common option is “reporting” (86.7%), and only 33.3 % of respondents consider their actions in the much wider framework of an “early-warning system”. Finally,“protection of citizens against violence” and the “service delivery” function are clearly not among the four priority functions. “Protection” ranks sixth (50% of MOs mention it and it is ranked 4.15) and eight actions are proposed to specify the “protection” approach of African Pax Christi MOs: 1. Watchdog activities to reduce threats or actual cases of violence (normally external NGOs), 2. Negotiation of Peace Zones within which arms are not allowed, 3. Landmine collection, 4. Disarmament, 5. Demobilization of former combatants, 6. Reintegration of former combatants, 7. Other security related intervention and 8. Other protection activities (not security related). Disarmament has been the action chosen by 31% of the MOs that considered “Protection” among its four priority peacebuilding functions. The “service delivery” function occupies the last position in the ranking (6.15), and is only mentioned by 11% of respondents.

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

3.6. Peace capacities and peace clusters In another analytical step we use the results from the peacebuilding functional framework and also consider for each function the associated actions to establish associations between the peacebuilding functions and five of the clusters which Pax Christi traditionally uses to illustrate its peace work: conflict transformation, conflict prevention, reconciliation, peace education and disarmament. Finally, we propose a ranking of their relative importance. In order to clarify this exercise we summarise its three components: 1.

We spell out our working definition for each of the clusters,

We illustrate the association proposed between functions, actions and clusters (see table below) and

We explain briefly how data on functions and actions is leveraged to establish the relative importance of each cluster.

For the purpose of this analysis we follow Lederach (2003) and Mitchell’s (2002) definition of conflict transformation: conflict transformation addresses the wider social, political and cultural sources of conflict and hence does not only focus on addressing the behavioural and attitudinal manifestations but also on deeper structural origins. It perceives conflict as a catalyst for social change and places primary emphasis on the question of social justice28. We understand that functions and actions can be considered in the conflict prevention cluster when they prevent the emergence, recurrence or escalation of armed conflict (e.g. advocacy activities aimed at avoiding the recurrence of war, monitoring of peace negotiations or human rights, or protection activities other than disarmament…)29. In the peace education cluster we include those actions whose objective is attitude change through socialization towards democratic attitudes and handling conflicts peacefully, for society at large or for single groups within society.

IThis is a broad definition. As a consequence, some of the actions and functions that are related to this are also associated to other clusters. Some overlapping among clusters is normal but it may disable analytically valid distinctions and comparisons. We attempt to avoid this by providing clear definitions for all five clusters and clearly portraying the associations between clusters, functions and actions. 29

Actions within the reconciliation cluster are those that help groups learn how to live together in peaceful coexistence. In particular activities that focus on relationships among adversarial groups to promote a positive change of attitudes or behaviour towards the “other” (dialogue, exchange visits, etc.)30. The disarmament cluster includes not only disarmament of armed groups (formal or non formal), and armed civilian populations, but also reintegration and demobilization of former combatants and landmine collection activities. With the inquiry’s working definitions for the five clusters clarified, we can explore the associations between the five clusters, the seven peacebuilding functions and their actions:

We assume that actions in the conflict prevention cluster can only be undertaken in contexts where there is or has been an armed conflict or threat of it. This is not the case for the conflict the transformation, reconciliation, and peace education clusters whose importance is not limited to armed conflict contexts. The disarmament cluster is not limited to the armed conflicts context but its relevance is normally closely associated to their existence. 30

The “inter group-social cohesion function” has other actions but we consider that this is the most closely related with reconciliation because its focus is on “relationship” and on the long term.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

Association between Peace Clusters, Peacebuilding Functions and Actions31 Pax Christi Cluster

Peacebuilding Functions

Conflict Transformation

Advocacy

Actions within the Peacebuilding functions associated with Pax Christiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clusters Agenda setting (bringing peace-related themes to the national or local agenda). Creating public pressure for conflict-related issues (e.g. child soldiers). Lobbying for civil society involvement in peace negotiations.

Conflit Prevention

Inter-group social cohesion

Activities oriented to bring representatives and/ or members of (former) conflicting groups together attempting to reach an outcome that is not directly related to peace negotiations.

I n - g ro u p socialization towards values of peace and democracy

Peace education activities.

Protection

Watchdog activities to reduce threats or actual cases of violence (normally external NGOs).

Actions that aim at building, strengthening, or consolidating group identity.

Negotiation of peace zones where arms are not allowed. Other security related interventions. Other protection activities (not security related). Monitor

Creation of political early warning systems. Reporting on human rights abuses.

Advocacy

Creating public pressure against the recurrence of war.

Inter-group social cohesion

Activities oriented to bring together representatives and/ or members of (former) conflicting groups attempting to reach an outcome larger than relationship change, i.e. an initiative for peacebuilding, for negotiations. Normally these activities involve the participation of key actors.

Facilitation

Between civil society and warring parties at the village or district level. Between warring parties to negotiate peace outcomes (peace zones, violence free days). Between international or national aid agencies and the warring parties as a means to ensure delivery of goods and services to communities.

3. PAX CHRISTI MEMBER ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES IN AFRICA

Conflit Prevention

Facilitation

Between international or national aid agencies and local civil society (because NGOs are frequently not acquainted with the local context, they are in need of facilitators to negotiate with local communities as well as with armed groups).

Peace Education

In-group socialization of values of peace and democracy

Peace education activities.

Inter-group social cohesion

Activities focused on relationships among adversarial groups to promote cohesion for peace, reconciliation, and the corresponding change of attitudes or behaviour towards the “other” (dialogue, exchange visits…).

Protection

Landmine collection.

Reconciliation

Disarmament

Disarmament. Demobilization and reintegration of former combatants.

The data from the survey indicates not only which functions are declared by MOs as the four most frequently undertaken functions in the last five years (Q37-II), but also how many MOs have marked each peacebuilding action among the most frequently undertaken in the last five years (Q39-II to Q45-II). As a result the clusters that in the table have more associated actions and functions will be logically considered the most important cluster. The inquiry takes into account these results but balances them with those coming from a question (Q38-II) which explicitly requests MOs to rank the importance of the peace building functions. This information is taking into account to consider the five cluster ranking. With the underlined assumptions and the analytical processes to reach the findings explained, we will detail the ranking that results for the selected five clusters among those used by Pax Christi to illustrate its peace work. The importance assigned to advocacy, in-group socialization and social cohesion in the functional framework, leads us to conclude that “conflict transformation” is the most frequent cluster among MOs. This preference position reflects not only the relative priority of the three functions associated to it (1st, 2nd and 4th), but also that the activities that the inquiry has identified as the most closely related with the concept are also the most frequently mentioned by respondents. The second position among the selected clusters is more difficult to attribute because the results do not indicate a clear advantage between the “peace education” and the “conflict prevention” clusters.32 In-group socialization towards values for peace and democracy is the second most mentioned function and peace education activities are chosen by all respondents that chose this function. However, if we take into account the survey results for each function correlated with the conflict prevention cluster, i.e. advocacy, facilitation,

In order to understand how this table works for the analysis we use the example of the conflict transformation cluster. This inquiry assumes that when the MOs affirm that the advocacy function (especially actions for agenda setting and for creating public pressure on conflict-related issues or lobbying for civil society involvement in peace) has been among their four priority functions for the last five years this is an indication of the importance of the conflict transformation cluster. But results among MOs on the social cohesion and in-group socialization functions are also considered to measure the relative importance of this cluster. 32

The inquiry has not been designed to offer a precise ranking of the selected Pax Christi clusters but a general picture of their relative importance for MOs in Africa.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

inter-group social cohesion (especially actions within those two functions related to peace negotiations or outcomes), monitoring of human rights violations, or protection, and we add them, this cluster takes a position of higher relevance. When asked to rank the functions (Q38-II) MOs have indicated socialization towards values of peace and democracy to be second in their rank. Through the analysis of the data we cannot clearly conclude whether the second position of the ranking is for the “peace education” or the “conflict prevention” cluster. We can conclude that both follow in importance after the “conflict transformation” cluster. The “reconciliation” cluster is closely related to the inter-group social cohesion function which is among the five functions predominantly undertaken by MOs in the last five years. This function is ranked fourth in importance with regard to the MOs’ peace building work in the last five years. Therefore, this can be considered the fourth most important cluster. Finally, disarmament is mentioned by few MOs as one of their peace-building actions among the protection function’s actions (31% of the MOs that considered protection among its four priority peacebuilding functions). The peace building function framework considers disarmament activities within the protection function and not as a function itself. Therefore, the results show that “disarmament” is the last in the cluster ranking33. The findings presented above will cast light on some of the arguments that are presented in Chapter 5.

Taken into account the limited scope of the term and its connection with conflict prevention efforts, we suggest that it is more coherent from an analytical point of view not to consider disarmament as a cluster by itself but include it within the peace prevention cluster.

4. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PAX CHRISTI AFRICA NETWORK © UN/MINUSTAH, Logan Abassi

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

The following lines aim to shed some light on key aspects to be considered in a renewed Pax Christi Africa network - or other kind of collective collaboration initiative. For this purpose we analyse the evidence from semi-structured interviews, survey results, some past internal evaluations, Pax Christi International background documents on previous work with the Africa network, and recent literature on networks. We start clarifying the conceptual basis, especially the difference between networks and partnerships and the practical implications of this discussion on power distribution. Then, we take several issues into account in order to understand the network foundation and evolution and we try to answer some questions that interviewees have also replied to: •

What is the network or collaborative initiative for?

•

What has been said about the goal of such a network?

•

Is there trust?

•

What could be the best governance structure?

•

Which organisations can lead?

•

What could be the role of a facilitator or coordinator?

4.1. Conceptual basis and power distribution Networks are organisational forms based on the collective efforts of a number of organisations. Pax Christi International is a global network in which members around the world are engaged with activities connected to key peace issues. Networks tend to avoid the pyramidal structures that do not allow the expression of those who are at the bottom and, therefore, strives to be inclusive and bring people together in common causes while respecting diversity (this does not mean that power relations do not matter in networks). Networks also imply reciprocity and some degree of mutual influence which “aid” does not. They are a coming together of allies and not only of partners. However, sharing power does not require equality when levels of responsibility and accountability vary, but it does imply, as organisations take up new responsibilities, that power can be reallocated. Partnerships may be as complex and diverse as networks, but traditionally in a North-South partnership34 the northern organisation has assumed the role of a funding organisation, provider of technical support or in some cases a capacity building provider. The identification and design of the actions are sometimes undertaken jointly by the North and South organisations but in some partnerships the role of a local partner may be limited to be implementers. Besides, differences in resources and historical and cultural relationships usually lead to differences in power between the two actors of a partnership.

We use here the term “North” and “South” as equivalent to the global South or the global North.

4. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PAX CHRISTI AFRICA NETWORK

From survey results and semi-structured interviews we have identified certain confusion between the concepts of international partnership and network. Many MOs consider their relationship with Pax Christi only under a “partnership framework”. For some time Pax Christi International used the term “partners” to describe the relationship established with organisations that are not “Pax Christi Sections” or “Pax Christi groups.”35 The lack of clear membership criteria among MOs and recent changes in terminology (that has not been sufficiently disseminated yet) may have also contributed to this misunderstanding. Additionally, part of the confusion may come from the fact that even today many MOs in Africa are “local partners” of Pax Christi Organisations in Europe such as PAX in the Netherlands or Pax Christi Flanders in Belgium.36 Taking this potential confusion and the North-South divide background into account, it is important that joint collaborative initiatives are meaningful for most MOs in Africa. In other words, it should be ensured that a “northern” agenda or affluent Northern members (with access to donors and transnational policymakers) are not the driving force of the initiative. The special perspectives and access to realities on the ground that African MOs provide have to be acknowledged as making a key contribution to the Pax Christi Network. Partnership is a component of the joint collaborative effort but it should not be reduced to the traditional forms described above. Otherwise, there is a risk that MOs will perceive Pax Christi International and the proposal of a collaborative initiative as a North-driven initiative that may not respond to their needs and interests but that is worth supporting only because it could evolve into some form of North-South partnership37. Sometimes,“donor resources have an enabling or limiting function, and it is important to use a sensitive approach when building social capital, rather than replace the efforts of social movements through the ‘NGOization’ of peacework” (Paffenholz 2009). Enough listening mechanisms should be developed in order to prevent that and enhance meaningful participation. However, some organisations are already aware of the different type of relationship proposed by Pax Christi. As one MO representative said, “Pax Christi creates brotherhood links among participants” (I-2).38

4.2. Values, functions and goals Networks reflect a certain value-base and work better if there is a common set of values shared among members. Do MOs hold a set of shared values? Christian values and peace are probably the two strongest points of connection and the basis for a common identity which is necessary for the formation of a network and their affirmation of collective solidarity. In the survey, the most important source of inspiration for the organisations appears to be the “vision for social improvement” (Q35-I), and in second place the “Christian values.” Religion provides the “bridging” and “bonding” social capital in Putnam’s terms that we have mentioned in Chapter 2.

The category “affiliated members” recently replaced the two categories of “affiliated organisations” and “partner organisations”. Those categories, and also the category“Pax Christi Groups” have been created by the International Board according to the Articles of Association (8.2): The Board is “entitled to establish one or more categories of people or organisations having a privileged relationship with the Association” (i.e. Pax Christi International). 36

For instance, the Holy Trinity Peace Village Kuron in South Sudan (PAX) or Pax Christi Uvira in the D.R. of Congo (Pax Christi Flanders). Pax Christi Uvira has also recently become partner of Broederlijk Delen, a Belgian organization which also provides some funding to the International Secretariat. 37

According to the analysis of some Pax Christi International background documents; this issue has been present in network dynamics in the past. In some circumstances the agenda of Pax Christi “donor groups” may have influenced the dynamics of the African Pax Christi too much without leaving enough room for the network to establish its own agenda and solid decision making mechanisms. In this sense, Pax Christi International may have a role in helping to “translate worlds”, i.e. organise capacity building to donorpax Christi groups to prevent the agenda and activities of African MOs from being conditioned or controlled by Pax Christi groups with economic resources. In the same sense, Pax Christi International could facilitate that knowledge, facilitating that priorities and approaches from MOs in Africa are adequately presented and communicated to other Pax Christi groups. 38

The “I” stands for interview and we refer here to the semi-structured interviews.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

A third key value is the belief in collaborative efforts, i.e. the belief that coming together and sharing of experience, knowledge and information, is in itself useful. If a minimum basis is shared values, another challenge for any collaboration such as a network is to articulate shared purposes. In this part we use the term ‘function’ to identify the general role that a network can play and the term ‘goal’ to define the specific purpose behind the creation of one particular network. The driving question that articulates this reflection is: What could be the main function of a Pax Christi collaborative initiative in Africa? Networks can have six overlapping and non-excusive functions: filtering, amplifying, convening, community building, investing and providing and final learning and facilitating.39 1. Filter: Identifies which information is most useful and/or organise it in an accessible manner. 2. Amplify: Brings forth/advocate a specific message or position; takes little known or little understood ideas and makes them more widely understood. 3. Convene: Organises groups and individuals around some common themes or goals. 4. Community Building: Promotes and sustains norms and values within the network. 5. Invest/provide: Provides resources to support the activities of members related to network goals. 6. Facilitate: Increases network members’ efficiency and promotes learning across members. What does data collection tell us about the MOs preferences? Survey results show MOs’ preference for elements of the “learning and facilitation” and the “amplifying” function. “Support MOs general organisational capacities development” and “Facilitate MOs exchange and help to define a common position that can be communicated externally” are the two best ranked options (Q21-II, see figure 16). Within the “learning and facilitation” function “consultations” (regional or continental) have been perceived positively (I-1, 4, and 11). This type of activity generates common reflection which is necessary for sharing values and vision.40 Regarding the “amplifying” function some interviewees say:“Be a voice for peace not conditioned by another interest than peace itself […] Peace advocacy” (I-2); “joint advocacy position especially in regional issues or in national issues such as South Sudan. Raise the issue at government level” (I-4); “advocacy, it gives more voice to organisations and issues” (I-9). Concerning this amplifying function, one of the positive features that Pax Christi

Cf. Ramalingam, Mendizabal, Schenkenberg (2008). 40

Civil society is a safe place for citizens to answer questions of “who are we?”,“how do we want to live?” Peacebuilding provides a macro level forum for the non-violent resolution of disputes, for the exchange of ideas (debate and discourse) and for the ongoing negotiation of the constituent elements of the public interest (Donais 2012).

4. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PAX CHRISTI AFRICA NETWORK

brings to MOs is that there are few steps between a community member and the international office in Brussels. The distance that ‘a voice’ has to travel to reach a global audience is relatively short. A community member could talk to a director from a Pax Christi member organisation in Africa, who can talk to the international office.The International Secretariat has access to advocacy networks such as EPLO, EurAC or other groups in different parts of the world. To take advantage of such opportunity mechanisms are needed in order to generate, store, and disseminate knowledge and ideas from the community. But this will only happen if there is a strong demand for such a flow, both globally and among network members and their constituents, who will need to see the value of it. The “providing and investing” function is also present in the survey results (the third preferred option is “support MOs search for donors and skills associated with a donor-based relationship - writing proposal, reporting, etc.”) and with some interviewees: network is an ”opportunity to jointly develop a project or plan and have a better funding strategy especially an international one” (I-4, also I-3, and 10). Figure 17: MOs expectations regarding primary role of the Pax Christi

Africa network by level of agreement, from 1 (most) to 5 (less)

1,89 2,56 2,74 3,00 4,81

Support MOs general organizational capacities development Facilitate MOs exchange and help to define a common position that can be communicated externally Support MOs search for donors and skills associated with a donor based relationship Contribute to design projects that can be implemented by MOs in their respective countries or jointly Other

Some MOs also suggest a “convener” role in the context of a local and thematically focused network (e.g.“Border crossing peace missions can be positively affected. Not only civil society organisations but also public institutions should be involved, otherwise issues do not improve on the ground” (I-10). Finally, in the interviews we also noticed appreciation for the potential to share the practice and build a community around it (I-10). In this sense, some authors indicate that networks are both a means to an end and an end themselves. The existence of the network itself is inherently valuable; without it there would be no interaction among its parts. This is partly the logic of the distinction between intentional and unintentional networks. The intentional network has some form and purpose, often has a coordinating body and requires effort, money and time to initiate and maintain. Unintentional networks are those of friendship or common interest where people touch each other’s lives and where synergies of purpose can come about without intentional investment.These networks are built around the notion of social capital (bonding and bridging). But, what does the data collection tell us about the end of the network itself? What are the “goals” mentioned by MOs? According to the analysis of the background material, one of the weaknesses of the Pax Christi African network has been that the

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

network had too many goals (e.g. in the Great Lakes, massive mobilization for peace education, advocacy, publication of training materials, and a demobilization project). In the analysis below we propose consideration of the goal, strategies of network theories of action, combining the theory about the six functions for networks, mentioned earlier in this chapter, with results obtained on the peacebuilding functions preferred by MOs. The peace capacity results from the survey give an indication of the possible goals: “Advocacy for peace and human rights”, “Socialization towards values of peace and democracy”,“Monitoring of human rights violations” and “Facilitation of dialogue”. These are the four main priorities for the African MOs. Furthermore, when the organisations are asked specifically about the network goal or added value, advocacy is mentioned several times (e.g. Interview num. 9, 10, 12).Advocacy, together with capacity building in the form of training as the two most common strategies among peace building actors in the Horn of Africa (Cussen and Shiferaw 2014). During the interviews, research was also mentioned (I-8, and 9).This demand can be associated with the “learning and facilitation function” and within an advocacy strategy; it also contributes to “amplifying”. Research can be understood as one product (e.g. a research paper) or as a process that is undertaken in a way that helps to activate the network.41 As a result the analytical skills of the organisations are improved (“learning and facilitation”) and an advocacy agenda is reinforced. We cannot, however, go further on the question of goal analysis.The data collection has not provided clear evidence on the function or goal of the renewed Pax Christi Africa Network. Although we do not propose a list of specific purposes, we recommend six elements to take into account when thinking about the goal of a Pax Christi Network strategy in Africa. 1. We suggest the use of the theories of change42 methodology, as a tool to jointly define the goal of the network. Its use is widespread among peace practitioners and there is extensive literature (e.g. Collaborative Development Alternatives). Some of the questions that may help to drive this methodology are: 1) what role does networking play in the network’s theory of change? 2) Is the network advantage being realized? 3) what is the added value of the network approach?43 2. Context analysis is key to ensuring the relevance of the Network peace function and goal agreement. As one interviewee put it: “Meet regularly to analyse the situation (e.g. elections). Adjust the network to the situation that prevails in the region” (I-11). One of the findings concerning previous network dynamics is that it was not able to adapt to match changing contexts.The peacebuilding framework we have used defines relevance as the combination of function and context. The socio-political environment where MOs operate and specifically the civil society environment is important. The same goal will not work in West Africa as in the Great Horn, but even the differences between countries in the same region may be so big that it is

In such a process, the objective and issue of research is decided by the network, terms of reference are discussed by the network, experts within the network intervene, MOs participate with key informants, data collectors, logistics; training is organised around the issue of the research process and advocacy actions are planned and implemented. 42

Theory of chance is a set of beliefs about how change happens and as such it explains why and how certain actions will produce the desired changes in a given context at a given time. 43

For this exercise, good conflict analysis skills are needed.

4. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PAX CHRISTI AFRICA NETWORK

recommended to think in a country-wide context rather than in a regional one. The previous experience with the West Africa sub network can alert Pax Christi to the risk of being overambitious, too spread out, and not well grounded in the analysis of local needs and organisational capacities.44 3. Scale is an issue in networking efforts. Strengthening national activities before regional cooperation can be of real benefit to MOs. Regionalization in the form of networking may take place at the expense of looking after individual countries and CSOs. The interviewees that have explained positive experiences with networks (I-2, 10, 11, and 12) have mentioned networks that are quite close and limited geographically (northern Uganda network), even if they are across borders (South Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia). One interviewee even stated that “National or International Networks do not work: they work at the local level” (I-8). This is also a finding of the above mentioned report on CSO peacebuilding in the Horn of Africa:“Those organisations that engaged in some sort of advocacy mostly acted locally or nationally with Track II and III actors. There was limited regional level advocacy especially with Track I actors such as the African Union” (Cussen and Shiferaw 2014). The only exception mentioned by an interviewee is a civil society network on Peacebuilding founded by Care, which aims to harmonize peacebuilding efforts in Uganda, especially Northern Uganda. In positive terms, some informants have mentioned a large-scale regional network based in West Africa (WANEP) or a national one (PEACE NET) in Kenya, but they did not have a direct experience of them. 4. Thematic focus. Following an analysis of the background materials about previous Pax Christi International experience in Africa we can identify some “linking issues” within the network.These are cross-cutting issues in different regions such as land, extractive industries, truth and reconciliation, peace infrastructures, or practical issues such as security in communications. In those cases, there is potential for exchange and mutual learning. As we have seen in the chapter about peace networks, organisations, and salient initiatives, a network around specific campaigns may also work quite well. These are the aforementioned cases of networks around a “product”. We can also think about issues specific to faith-based CSOs, e.g. how to put religious practice to the service of peace (e.g. pilgrimages, interreligious dialogue). 5. Finally, another challenge for any collaboration such as a network is to articulate collective and individual members’ interests. What are the benefits that the Pax Christi Members Organisation may get from this network? This should be an explicit driving question for the exercise otherwise it will be hidden but influential. Function and goal addressed the question of the collective value of the network. However, networks also provide benefits to their members from an individual perspective. Semi-structured interviews have identified some of them. •

The international alliances nurtured within a network provide protection to individual organisations that may feel threatened

Some existing tools can be useful such as the USAID index that scores the environment for some civil society functions.The index includes advocacy among the areas analysed . The score of this area among the different African countries where Pax Christi has members allows us to better understand the culture of networking and influence on the government that prevails among NGOs (USAID 2012).

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

by government policies or practices (e.g. in D.R. Congo, I-5), or credibility (“Belonging to Pax Christi Provides credibility among other organisations” I-1). The credibility of their initiatives is increased because they show a broader support base and the increase in credibility allows organisations to access key people and organisations. •

From an MO point of view participating in a network can be a costeffective relationship strategy because the links between people or organisations can be added or severed without investing a lot of time and careful attention. Relationships between organisations’ members of the same network can become latent, meaning they are maintained at a very low level of connectivity, or become more active according to the members’ needs. Access to some small organisations or those located in remote areas (e.g. South Sudan) can be very relevant for member organisations looking for partners; e.g. an MO that is oriented to international activity states:“The problem with small organisations is that it is very difficult to reach them” (I- 8). The Pax Christi Network can make these connections simpler and maintains them in a meaningful way.

•

Access to expert human resources that can contribute knowledge or perform activities on the ground available to the organisations (I-9).

•

Additional resources can favour the achievement of certain goals.

•

Provide a wider range of perspectives and experiences to their analysis.

•

Network participation as part of a funding strategy:“For African MOs Pax Christi Great Horn of Africa was about trying to find funding.” (I-4)

These are the most direct outcomes that MOs see from their participation in a network. If benefits are not clear they may face certain “conflicts of interest” (time away from work, competition, publicity, etc.). 6. To conclude, as a final consideration, shared values and purposes must not only be negotiated with individual member organisations but also renegotiated, sometimes with external institutions, such as donors and host organisations.

4.3. Relationships and trust The creation and accomplishment of shared values and purposes depends on building relationships among members, particularly when they have few other tools, such as binding contracts or enforceable rules, with which to influence each other and which are quite normal in traditional international partnership relationships. Even if frank discussion of critical issues (e.g. budget transparency, information sharing, common analysis, priority setting, and action approaches) is central to

4. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PAX CHRISTI AFRICA NETWORK

building trust it does not replace the importance of space, time and personal engagement for building trust relationships and a shared culture that can support exchange and network learning. Some interviewees have clearly cited the paramount importance of personal relationships (I-5, and 9). From the survey, it is also clear that MOs also value relationships created through networks (Q19-II). However, at the present time the level of relationships between African MOs is low. We made a basic Social Network Analysis of the Pax Christi Network in Africa based on the question: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Identify five organisations working on peace issues that you value most in your geographical region (i.e. organisations active in your country and/or neighbouring countries).â&#x20AC;? Responses (Q24-II) reflect the limited linkages that currently exist among Pax Christi MOs. Figure 17: Present interactions among Africa MOs

The graphic shows that there are limited links. 17 out of 35 MOs included another MO among the five possible options. And among those 17 MOs, there is only one MO mentioned in their list, the other options are non Pax Christi organisations. In this visual representation the only non-African Pax Christi Organisation is Pax Christi International. One of the central outcomes expected from a good system of relationships is trust among network members. Several interviewees have noticed that nurturing good personal relationships among representatives of member organisations is paramount to the good functioning of the network (I-1, 5, 7, and 9). For this

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

effort, “keeping in touch with all members (communication) is key” (I-7). Another interviewee said: “Architecture, norms and goals are clear but this is not the point; the issue is relationship” (I-9). It is not easy to increase and maintain trust among MOs: trust can be more easily lost than created.45 CSOs are not only agents of change but also products of social change (Donais 2010). We cannot forget that high levels of distrust in society can be a consequence of conflicts that can remain a long time in post-conflict situations. Competition among MOs is an issue that has been raised by several interviewees as an element that can affect the behaviour of the MOs within the network. It can lead to shortcuts on key issues and then trust is destroyed. The coordinator or the governance structure in place should have this issue on their agenda and ensure that cooperative behaviour substitutes competitive behaviour. Finally, trust among individuals does not automatically lead to trust among institutions, particularly if partners have experienced the ‘subcontractor model’, as is the case for some Pax Christi MOs that know the traditional partnership framework very well even with European Pax Christi MOs (I-3). Although trust is a very subjective feeling, analysts have related it to four core elements: benevolence, integrity, competence, and predictability. The first two elements depend very much on personal relationships but, for the other two, objective measures can be implemented to ensure an adequate environment for growth. As we shall see, this is one of the aims of a governing structure and good facilitation.

4.4. Architecture, leadership and coordination Another crucial aspect is the creation of network architectures of formal structures and systems, informal norms and expectations, task definitions, organisational resources that shape their activities, and human resources that guide collective action to accomplish shared goals. The network may begin with architectures based on general agreements on goals and informal relationships, but pressure for coordinating joint action, allocating resources, managing brands, holding members accountable, and specific activities will require clearer formal and informal architectures. The governing structure is one key element of this architecture. Clear criteria should be agreed upon regarding its composition and rules. However, sometimes this decision cannot be taken at the initial stage. Trust and knowledge among the members should be necessary before agreeing on the governing structure. In this phase, the role of Pax Christi as facilitator is essential. A positive outcome of this process should be some simple and clear criteria that all MOs know and accept to establish the composition, functioning, and scope of the governing structure (this seems not to have been the case with the previous regional networks, I-2, 3, 4, 8, and 11).

As reflected in the “attitudes” toward the survey some MOs may have their trust in Pax Christi being affected by their experience during previous network initiatives.

4. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PAX CHRISTI AFRICA NETWORK

Some sort of written Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Pax Christi International and their potential members in Africa may be helpful, or a general charter that includes what can be expected from both sides.46 Interviewees suggest a “structure as simple as possible” (I-8). In other words, there should be a balance between formalization and inspiration: While having strong and accountable governance structures is crucial to having a sustainable network over time, the network should avoid over-formalizing and risking bureaucratizing to such a degree that the network loses its initial energy. Apart from the governance structure two other particular elements of potential network architecture have been addressed during the interviews: Membership composition and planning. According to some interviews and from the analysis of Pax Christi background material, the present configuration of the Pax Christi network in Africa seems to have developed without clear criteria (I-1, 3, and 11). Sometimes, an organisation would become a Pax Christi MO because they already knew a member of Pax Christi and were invited to become a member. Once some basic checks were made (such as a certain level of activity on the ground) the organisation became a member of the network. This resulted in a fairly diverse composition of membership. This diversity (scale of action, capacity, resources, etc.), however, is mostly perceived as positive by members. From past experiences with the network in Africa, we recommend avoiding long planning exercises that generate expectations and frustration when results are not achieved:“The biggest expectation gap is funding. Being as transparent as possible about the funding available and what other things can be offered… Ambition gap. Massive plans are developed but only a small part can be implemented” (I-7). Several interviewees have warned of the tendency to plan without ensuring the necessary resources.These exercises may raise expectations and eventually lead to frustration. Leadership.The network should be able to identify and support some leadership within the network. There are organisations or individuals among MOs willing to take the lead. This is positive as far as their interests are compatible with the general interest of the network. Network leadership can require both: facilitation that fosters members’ ownership and direction that enables decisive action. Leadership should be present at every level of the network to meet changing needs and demands, and in create and recreate network trust and relationships. Leadership at the local level is also important. Although much networking is concentrated in capital cities and is supposed to provide leadership, other parts of the countries need to be active as well. Understanding the network as an ongoing process of negotiation and construction means that roles, expectations and architectures constantly evolve and change. It also means that leadership is able to bridge differences, build trust, catalyze mutual influence, and create space for reflective internal learning, and is thus a vital resource. Bridging leadership emerges as vital to constructing and maintaining a network. The interviewed MOs acknowledge this: “Leadership is important, it influences

The interviewees have provided some examples such as the MOU of the Northern Uganda Network or the general charter that establish the rights and obligations in the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC).

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

the dynamics of the network” (I-9). In previous network dynamics some attention was paid to leadership potential when selecting the members of the regional network committees (I-1). However, some expected that the Pax Christi International Secretariat would assume stronger leadership of the network (I-4). Attention should also be paid to the resilience of the network. If it is too dependent on a few sources of leadership, when they leave the network may collapse. An interviewee mentioned the role of host organisations and a rotational system that provides different organisations with a chance to exert leadership: “Host organisation is rotational.The rotation is based on the willingness of the organisation. It gives opportunities to all organisations”. (I-12).“Make rotations to avoid only one association leading the network” (I-11). This consideration can also be made for those people/organisations which play a role in facilitation. It is important that the rotation system is in place to ensure that facilitation can eventually be distributed by different members.To facilitate the sharing of tacit knowledge a system can be in place that allows for a period of joint facilitation and/or allows that the relationship between the person/organisation that has presently and previously held the facilitation be fluid. The answer about the most adequate type of facilitation or coordination depends on the choices made over the network function and architecture. Another key question that needs to be answered before deciding on the facilitation or coordination role is: does the network exist to provide a support role (supporting members to perform activities) or an agency role as an active agent undertaking them on behalf of the members (e.g. active Secretariat or an empowered Board)? Some of the members interviewed have expressed their opinion about the role of a coordination or facilitation:“A secretariat is important (whether independent from any organisation member or assumed or hosted by an organisation member). For instance it receives information from members, filters it and sends it to all members; if it is open nobody does” (I-9). “Avoid concentrating only on one or two and not considering others. It is important to appreciate all organisations in the network” (I-12). It is recommended to be “as transparent and democratic as possible” (I-7). To conclude, given the misperception mentioned above about “partnership” and “network”, we suggest facilitation or coordination (together with the leadership or the governing structure) in organising some “network awareness sessions”.

5. CONCLUSIONS

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

This report is one of the key products of an inquiry undertaken by the Pax Christi International Secretariat through an internal consultancy with the aim of producing a Pax Christi peace-capacity map of its MOs in Africa. It introduces the main debates around civil society peacebuilding in Africa and presents findings on certain MOs dimensions previously identified in the methodological framework. It also offers some recommendations for the redevelopment of the Pax Christi International network in the continent. Other products delivered by the inquiry are: (a) the general database resulting from the survey, and (b) a visual tool with contact information and specific queries about scale of action and priorities for peacebuilding functions of 35 Pax Christi MOs in Africa. The report and the other products associated with it constitute a peace-capacity map that aims to facilitate the referencing and leveraging of information as well as the coordination of activities within the Pax Christi network and with other peace actors. It also aims to facilitate networking and cross-country knowledge sharing among all of these actors. The aim of the conclusions in this chapter is twofold: 1. We propose some uses for the data collected during the inquiry.47 In particular, we suggest: a MOs typology according to their resources and beneficiary population, an analysis of MOs with regard to the “structure-value gap”, a baseline information to compare network development, a ranking of the relative importance of seven peacebuilding functions among MOs, and the relative importance of five peace clusters that Pax Christi traditionally uses to illustrate its peace work. 2. We also suggest some partial answers to the question about best suited coordination mechanisms to harness African MOs’ present capacities, potential for interaction, expectations, and stated levels of engagement.

5.1. Typologies 5.1.1. Based on resources In considering the redevelopment of the Pax Christi Network in Africa we ask some questions concerning resources: Are there significant differences among MOs in Africa? Is it possible to establish a typology? What are the features of this typology? Based on the survey data regarding organisational resources we can argue for a basic typology that combines human, financial and infrastructural elements: Type A: highly resourceful MOs (around 37% of the total) Type B: medium resourceful MOs (around 45%) Type C: low resourceful MO (around 18%)

The potential uses of the data vary according to the perspective of the user. The uses proposed in this part have been thought of mainly from the perspective of the Pax Christi International Secretariat. It may be interesting to encourage the use of the data among MOs in Africa. We consider that they may find it useful for enhancing their collaboration (e.g. identifying which MOs have been working on the peacebuilding function that others would like to enhance).

5. CONCLUSIONS

Type A organisations have other offices apart from the main headquarters of the organisation, and have at least one car and computers for each technical staff. Their annual revenue in the last three years has been between 140,000 euros and more than 350,000 euros (only 14% or five organisations declare more than 350,000 as their annual revenue) and more than five paid staff members. Type B organisations have only one office (with two rooms or more), have one car, and computers for each member of technical staff. Their annual revenue in the last three years has been between 10,000 and 14,000 euros, and they have between one and five paid members of staff. Type C organisations have only one office with less than two rooms, do not have a car, and cannot ensure computers for each member of technical staff. Their annual revenue for the last three years has been less than 10.000 euros and they do not have paid members of staff. Some organisation may not fulfil some of the characteristics considered in those types, but most do, and this typology offers a general picture of Pax Christi MOs in Africa. Perhaps the most important conclusion is that among Pax Christi African MOs the level of resources (human, economic, physical) allows for a significant action within their context. Only around 18% of the MOs have a level of resources that is comparatively lower than the rest.

5.1.2. Based on type and numbers of beneficiaries Another typology of MOs results from the types and numbers of beneficiaries (Q5-I and Q11-I). Following a standard classification of CSOs we identify first, second, and third level organisations within the African MOs: •

First level organisations are more commonly known as communitybased organisations or grassroots groups. We include in this level MOs who answered that their number of beneficiaries is “between 100 and 500”. Only two MOs are included in this category, but this number may be inaccurate because some responses are missing and because some MOs may have overestimated their numbers.

•

Second level organisations include NGOs that act as intermediary or support organisations.They have formal status and a permanent and structured organisation; they support a group of beneficiaries that is larger and different from “organisation members”. This is the most common level among MOs, but there are very different sizes and capacities within this group. The clearest difference is the number of beneficiaries: more than 20% have between 500 and 2,500 beneficiaries and the rest have from 2,500 to more than 10,000.

•

Third level organisations include aggregations of the previous ones with a geographical scope or peace-related thematic issue, or organisations oriented to serve other organisations’

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

needs related to peace issues. In this case their main group of beneficiaries do not have individuals or groups of beneficiaries, but rather they address other organisations or collective actors as beneficiaries. According to responses about the MOs’ main type of beneficiary (individual, segment or other organisation or collective actors) we can include 25% of MOs in this level. •

Finally, none of the Pax Christi MOs in Africa is included in the fourth level. Within this level, organisations are those platforms, networks or coordination bodies that aggregate organisations from civil society at large, but not exclusively around peace issues (e.g. National Civil Society platforms).

These distinctions are important because coordination mechanisms have to take into account the diverse composition of the network and the different needs and interests that organisations may have.

5.2. Structure-value gap The inquiry also attempted to identify and score different elements within organisational structures that could help to evaluate the “structure-value gap” among African MOs. This could be helpful to the Pax Christi International Secretariat in order to refine profiles of potential new members and to review actual memberships if needed. The concept of structure-value gap reflects the idea that the growth in CSOs’ infrastructure may not be accompanied by a parallel pre-eminence of the values associated with them (civility, respect for diversity, participation). Results show that in general there is no such “gap” among member organisations.48 Information about the ways organisations get feedback from beneficiaries, the engagement and level of participation of beneficiaries, and the power that some key individuals may hold indicate how they put into practice certain values of the organisation, e.g. transparency, participation, and democracy. The survey reveals that “bigmanity”49 is not a problem affecting MOs; however, some attention must be paid to the duration of the terms for most senior executive positions (Q30-I). Many respondents also see the need for some improvement, in various degrees, on “rules and good practices regarding the succession of key board figures and the executive director” (Q31-I). If these figures are in a high position for long periods of time there may be some risk that organisations become too dependent on one person. The actual power of these key figures seems to be limited which is a good indication in terms of the democratic functioning of the organisations.

Queries in the database allow for further collective and individual analysis 49

“Bigmanity” is defined as the control of the organisation by a powerful individual. It questions the democratic or collective decisionmaking structure of the organisation.

5. CONCLUSIONS

5.3. Baseline information to assess MOs’ linkages evolution The inquiry provides significant information regarding the Pax Christi network in Africa. In particular, results from some survey questions such as the number of organisations taking part in consultations or joint projects (Q10-I) or the graphs of current network linkages (Q24-27-II) can become a baseline information useful for network coordination purposes. Survey data also allows us to respond to some relevant questions, e.g. how often do members currently communicate with each other? Or how often do members currently work with each other? The results can be reviewed annually to assess the evolution of these linkages. If the analysis is fed with monitoring data it can be a powerful tool to understand the evolution of the network over time.

5.4. Peace capacities: scale, functions and clusters 5.4.1. Geographical scale What is the MOs most common geographical scale of action for their peace initiatives? Which are the main peace capacities of Pax Christi Members in Africa as defined by the civil society peacebuilding functional framework? The responses to these questions are interesting for clustering organisations and sharing practices. Learning can also be fostered among Pax Christi African MOs on the basis of this exercise. Most MOs act at the local level. In response to the question “what has been your peace actions’ geographic scale for the last five years?” (Q35-II) the majority indicate that their “most frequent” or their “frequent” scale of action is:“one location (village, town, city)” (65%), or “between one and 10 locations” (72 %). Most peacebuilding analysts have recently underlined and acknowledged the relevance of the community-based realities of conflict or post-conflict civil society, what is also known as community, participatory or local peacebuilding, as opposed to the liberal peace approach.50 Therefore, African Pax Christi MOs’ pre-eminence at the local scale can be considered a virtue to be strengthened, and from which the Pax Christi network can learn and benefit.

5.4.2. Peacebuilding functions On the other hand, the inquiry has attempted to provide a picture of Pax Christi MOs’ peace capacities through a seven-function framework. The inquiry works on the assumption that those functions that MOs have mentioned as the most commonly applied in the last five years are also those to which they can claim stronger capacity. Survey results show that “Advocacy for peace and human rights” is the most important function among MOs (mentioned by 92.3% respondents), and it also obtains the higher score (2.65) when MOs are asked to rank their priority functions between one (relatively most important) and seven (relatively less important).The

“Liberal peace” is a concept used in the literature to identify those responses to crisis or armed conflicts that are focused on the establishment of an institutional framework and processes that copy the liberal democracy model (i.e. free elections, human rights, open market, limited size and role for the state, etc.). Some critics have pinpointed that this liberal model does not necessarily recognize the particular historical, cultural, economic and social conditions of the countries where it is implemented.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

second most frequently mentioned function is “in-group socialization towards values of peace and democracy” (65.4%), the third is facilitation of dialogue (61.5%), but its importance is reduced when MOs are asked to rank it (3.85). “Inter-group social cohesion” and the “monitoring of human rights violation” obtained the same result (57.7% of respondents consider them among their four priorities), but the monitoring function rises to third position in the ranking (the value obtained in Q38-II is 3.73). Finally, “Protection of citizens against violence” and the “service delivery” function are clearly not among the four priority functions, the former ranks sixth (50% of MOs mention it and it is ranked 4.15), and the latter occupies the last position in the ranking (6.15), and is only mentioned by 11% of respondents. From the findings we can conclude that Pax Christi MOs’ stronger peace capacities are those related to advocacy work addressed to public authorities and specific groups of people, and peace awareness activities addressed to groups of people and individuals, both at a local level.

5.4.3. Peace clusters In a second analytical step the peace function framework allows for a basic association between the peacebuilding functions and five of the clusters which Pax Christi traditionally uses to illustrate its peace work: conflict transformation, conflict prevention, reconciliation, peace education and disarmament51 and a ranking among these clusters.52 The importance assigned to advocacy, in-group socialization and social cohesion, leads us to conclude that “conflict transformation” is the most frequent cluster among MOs. Through analysis of the data we cannot assign a second position in the cluster ranking, but the “peace education” and the “conflict prevention” clusters both follow in importance after “conflict transformation”. The “reconciliation” cluster is closely related to the inter-group social cohesion function (fourth in importance with regard to the MOs peace building work and among the five functions predominantly undertaken by MOs in the last five years), and therefore can be considered the fourth most important cluster. Finally, disarmament is only mentioned by a few MOs as one of their peacebuilding actions among actions concerning the protection function. The peace building function framework considers disarmament activities within the protection function and not as a function itself. “Disarmament” then, would be last in the cluster ranking.53 These results are coherent with the time span considered (last five years, 20092014) and the geographical context where MOs operate. In the areas of action of most MOs armed conflict is still ongoing (East D.R. Congo, border areas in Uganda), or some sort of peace agreement is recent and fragile (Burundi, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, South Sudan). Therefore, specific post-conflict activities, such as “disarmament” or “reconciliation” may not be relevant yet.

The thorough account of the underlying assumptions, analytical processes and the detailed data explaining the connection made in the report between peacebuilding functions and cluster ranking can be found in Chapter 3 52

The inquiry has not been designed to offer a precise ranking of selected Pax Christi clusters but a general picture of their relative importance for MOs in Africa. 53

Taken into account the limited scope of the term and its connection with conflict prevention efforts, we suggest that it is more coherent, from an analytical point of view, not to consider disarmament as a cluster by itself but include it within the peace prevention cluster.

5. CONCLUSIONS

5.5. Best suited coordination mechanisms Among the goals of this inquiry is answering the question of best suited coordination mechanisms to harness Pax Christi African MOs’ present capacities, potential for interaction, expectations, and stated levels of engagement. Based on the analysis presented in Chapter 4, this section aims to formulate some provisional suggestions. We have identified three key findings that can inform these suggestions: (1) MOs’ preferences, (2) MOs’ engagement, and (3) existing level of connection between MOs. 1.

MOs’ preferences. MOs express their preference for “networks organised around an advocacy campaign” (Q16-II). This is consistent with the functional analysis where “advocacy” is the best ranked and most common function among MOs. They also appreciate networks organised around issues affecting a specific geographical area.This seems to indicate the importance attached to local issues and also suggests a preferred type of network composition: networks with MOs from a common area. MOs were also asked to share expectations for a renewed Pax Christi Africa Network.The two most appreciated functions are: (a) support for capacity development of MOs (1.89), and (b) help to define a common voice/position that can be communicated externally (2.56). These preferences correlate in our analytical scheme with the “learning and facilitation” and the “amplifying” functions54 and are coherent with evidence from the semistructured interviews.

MOs engagement. According to survey results55 MOs show a remarkably high level of engagement towards a renewed Pax Christi African network. However, an alternative source (data about the attitude towards the survey) reflects some limitations in terms of availability, trust and cooperation: availability can be considered a problem and eight MOs have shown low levels of trust and cooperation in relation to the survey.56

Existing level of connection between MOs. Finally, the basic social network analysis of the Pax Christi Network in Africa reflects the limited linkages that currently exist among MOs.

These results may be associated to two main weaknesses: lack of regular relationships among MOs, and lack of basic network architecture. These two are the flesh and bone of any network. Indeed, the creation and accomplishment of shared values and purposes depend on building relationships among members. Some interviewees have clearly mentioned the paramount importance of personal relationships (I-5, and 9). On the other hand, any network requires a certain level of organisation, i.e. formal structures and systems or, at least, informal norms and expectations, task definitions, organisational resources that shape their activities and human resources that guide collective action to accomplish shared goals.57 Some sort of written Memorandum of Understanding between Pax Christi International and their members in Africa may be helpful, or a general charter that includes what can be expected from both sides.

More information about the network function theory can be found in Chapter 4. 55

See Chapter 3: “Relational capacities and existing networks.” 56

We should recall that the purpose of the exercise was clearly explained and it was connected to a Pax Christi effort to map and explore a potential coordination mechanism. 57

Interviewees suggest a “structure as simple as possible” (num. 8.)

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

In Chapter 4 we have analysed many elements that can be taken into account for the strategic development of the Pax Christi International network in Africa. In this conclusion we briefly mention the most relevant elements and differentiate between those needed for the foundation (or renewal) of a network and those needed to maintain and develop it. In order to establish a network goal we underline: 1.

Context analysis as key to ensuring the relevance of the network peace function and goal agreement. The socio-political environment where MOs act is important. The same goal will not work for a network in West Africa as in the Great Horn, but even the differences between countries in the same region may be considerable.

The appropriate scale of the network. Above we have already mentioned MOs’ preferences with regard to geographical areas. Strengthening national activities before regional cooperation can be of real benefit to Pax Christi MOs. Some experiences and comments from members indicate that regionalization in the form of networking may take place at the expense of overlooking individual countries and CSOs.

Membership composition. Survey results show a diverse composition of Pax Christi MOs in Africa in terms of scale of action, capacity, and resources. This is perceived mostly as positive by members themselves, but it can be a burden when there is a need to aggregate the preferences of the members to define common goals.Therefore, the adequate composition of the network should be an issue to reflect on.

Thematic focus. These are some “linking issues” among MOs, such as land, extractive industries, truth and reconciliation. The task of identifying a basic consensus and interest among MOs on some specific issues is essential.

Articulate collective and individual members’ interests. Networks are a collective effort towards a common goal but they also provide benefits to their members from an individual perspective.58 Members’ interests should be an explicit driving question for the foundation of the network otherwise it will remain hidden but influential.

On the other hand, in this conclusion we have already mentioned some elements needed to maintain and develop the flesh and bone of the network, i.e. some kind of network architecture and relationships. Now we add a further two: trust and planning. 58

One central outcome of the relationship needed for a network is trust among its members; however, trust can be more easily lost than created. For instance, competition among MOs is an issue that has been raised by several interviewees and can affect the behaviour of the MOs within the network. It can lead to shortcuts on key issues and then trust is destroyed.

For instance, networks provide credibility or protection to individual organisations that may feel threatened by government policies; or cost effective regular contact with some small or organisations located far from the main cities.

5. CONCLUSIONS

Finally, several interviewees have warned of previous Pax Christi initiatives in which availability of necessary resources was not ensured. These exercises may raise expectations and eventually lead to frustration (I-5 and 7). Taking into account the above mentioned findings and relevant elements we come to a provisional conclusion for the strategic development of the Pax Christi International network in Africa: relationships should be strengthened in order to lay the basis for an effective collaborative initiative. In this phase we suggest concentrating on the community building network function at different levels. For instance, for some MOs the country level can work well while others may be more attracted to a regional level initiative. We think that once a common Pax Christi identity is strengthened, further steps can be taken to respond effectively to different expectations, such as the “learning and facilitation” and/or “amplifying” functions.The preference for community building does not mean that no efforts should be invested in facilitation and amplification at an initial stage, but that special care should be devoted to issues related to that function (trust, personal relationships, cooperative vs. competitive behaviour, etc.) and it should constitute the main prism to assess the initial evolution of this renewed collaborative effort. We think that communities of practice could be a useful approach to foster community building. A community of practice can be a good learning ground for the kind of attitudes and habits needed for a network to succeed. It is also a learning ground for facilitation, and it saves time on detailed discussions about function, goal, and architecture of a network. Communities of practice can be built around local and thematic issues. Another strategy within the community-building function could be to promote exchanges, joint training, projects, or information-sharing projects that may eventually constitute the ground for a more structured network to develop. In this case the network vision is present in the activities promoted, but an explicit outcome may not be expected for the overall membership. Complementary action research activities or training can be proposed as initial venues to build a joint learning or advocacy agenda, parallel to the community building effort. To conclude on a practical note, we suggest email and Facebook as the tools for communication purposes59 but with different aims. Email is widespread and widely used among MOs’ staff and board members, and is therefore suggested as the preferred channel for internal communication. Facebook is also widely used and can be interesting for external communication efforts, for community and identity building, and also for some sort of socialization among MOs.

Secure and open source solutions should be preferred for a longer term network and intensive work. We have to keep in mind that security of communications is an important element for MOs when using their mobile phones or internet. 80% of respondents stated that they may refrain from sharing information through these channels because of fear of being intercepted by a third party.

BIBLIOGRAPHY © Flickr, Julien Harneis

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ADEJUMOBI, Said (2001).“Citizenship, Rights, and the Problem of Conflicts and Civil Wars in Africa” in Human Rights Quarterly, vol.23, num.1, pp. 148-170. BELLONI, Roberto (2008).“Civil Society in War-to- Democracy Transitions” in JARSTAD, Anna. K., SISK,Timothy D. (Eds.). From War to Democracy. Dilemmas of Peacebuilding, Cambridge University Press, pp.182–210. CUSSEN, Sarah and SHIFERAW, Lidet Tadesse (2014). Civil Society and Regional Peacebuilding in the Horn of Africa: A review of present engagement and future opportunities, Uppsala, Life & Peace Institute, 40 pp. DONAIS, Timothy (2012). Peacebuilding and Local Ownership - Post-Conflict Consensus Building, London, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 192 pp. DOUMA, Pyt (2006).“Poverty, relative deprivation and political exclusion as drivers of violent conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa” in Journal on Science and World Affairs, vol.2, num.2, pp. 59-69. DUFFIELD, Mark (2012). Development, security and unending war. Governing the world of peoples, London, Polity, 280 pp. EASTON, David (2008). “The Business of Peace: Raiding and peace work along the Kenya-Uganda border (part II)” in Oxford Journals, African Affairs, vol. 107, pp. 243-259. FAGAN, Adam (2006). “Civil Society in Bosnia Ten Years after Dayton” in Peace without Politics? Ten Years of International State-Building in Bosnia, vol.12, pp. 406-419. HELLMÜLLER, Sara (2014). International and Local Actors in Peacebuilding: Why Don’t They Cooperate? 4/2014 Swisspeace, available at www.isn.ethz. ch/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?ots591=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24a6a8c7060233&lng=en&id=178891 (consulted May 2014), 36pp. HOKSBERGEN, Roland (2005).“Building Civil Society through Partnership: Lessons from a Case Study of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee” in Development in Practice, vol.15, Issue 1, pp.16-27. iScale. (2010). Next Generation Network Evaluation, available at http://packardfoundation-oe.wikispaces.com/file/view/Network_IPARL_Paper_FINAL.pdf (consulted August 2014), 50 pp. KELSALL, Tim (2008). “Going with the Grain in African Development?” Power and Politics in Africa, London, Overseas Development Institute, Discussion Paper, vol. 1, 26pp. LEDERACH, John Paul (2003). The Little Book of Conflict Transformation, Good Books, 74 pp. LEDERACH, John Paul, NEUFELDT Reina, CULBERTSON Hal (2007). Reflective peacebuilding. A planning, monitoring and learning toolkit, Philippines, The Joan B. Kroc, Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame and Catholic Relief Services, East Asia Regional office, 82 pp.

PEACE-CAPACITY MAP OF MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

LEONARD, David K. (2013). “Social Contracts, Networks and Security in Tropical Africa Conflict States: An Overview” in IDS Bulletin vol.44, Issue 1, pp 1-14. MITCHELL, Cristopher (2002).“Beyond Resolution: What Does Conflict Transformation Actually Transform?” in Peace and Conflict Studies vol.9, Issue1, pp 1-23. ODENDAAL, Andries (2013). A crucial link. Local Peace Committees and National Peacebuilding, Washington, United Stated Institute of Peace Press, 192 pp. PAFFENHOLZ, Thania (2010). Civil Society & Peacebuilding: a critical assessment, Colorado, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 511 pp. PARLEVLIET, Michelle (2009). “Rethinking conflict transformation from a Human Rights Perspective” in Berghof Handbook Dialogue Series, Nº. 9, pp. 1-34. POWELL, Walter W. (1990). “Neither market nor hierarchy: network forms of organisation” in Research in Organisational Behavior, vol. 12, pp. 295-336. RAMALINGAM, Ben, MENDIZABAL, Enrique, SCHENKENBERG V. Mierop (2008). Strengthening Humanitarian Networks: Applying the Network Function Approach, London, Overseas Development Institute, 8pp. RENO, William (2010). “Transforming West African networks for post-war recovery” in Comparative Social Research, vol. 27, pp. 127-149. RICHMOND, Oliver, Mitchell Audra (2011). Hybrid Forms of Peace from Everyday Agency to Post-Liberalism, London, Palgrave Macmillan, 328 pp. UNGER, Barbara, LUNDSTRÖM, Stina, PLANTA, Katrina, AUSTIN, Beatriz (2013).“Peace Infrastructures. Assessing Concept and Practice” in Berghof Handbook Dialogue Series, vol. 10, 60pp. United Stated Agency for International Development. (2012). NGO Sustainability index for Sub-Saharan Africa, available at www.usaid.gov/africa-civil-society (consulted August 2014), 209 pp.

ANNEXES

ÂŠ Flickr, European Commission DG ECHO

Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa Survey introduction (first section) Don’t This survey is comprised of two parts. Below you will find the questions for the first half. The time estimated to complete this part of the survey is between 20 and 40 minutes. Once you have completed this part, we will send you the second half of the survey. One survey interviewer has been assigned to help you with filling out the survey. You can contact him/her whenever a doubt or any problem arises with the survey or if you have any suggestions or comments. Your organisation should decide who needs to be involved to complete the survey. It can be more than one person, but it is important that your organisation designates one person as the contact person and main person responsible for the content of the survey. This person should guarantee that data provided is correct and, in case of doubt, he/she should be able to respond to the survey interviewer's requests. In order to ensure the quality of the data provided, we request that the person(s) filling the survey fulfill some basic criteria: 1) Engaged with the organisation for at least three years 2) Responsible for any of the organisation's peace actions for at least one year within the last five years 3) At least a basic knowledge regarding peace issues at the local or national level. Finally, questions marked with the symbol * are compulsory. You will be alerted by the system that a reply has to be provided. Thank you for your contribution. It will help to improve the Pax Christi International Network.

*1. What is the name of the organisation you are representing? Full name: Short name (acronym):

*2. What is your name and surname? Name Surname

3. Are you female or male?

j Female k l m n

j Male k l m n

4. What is your position at the organisation?

j President of the board k l m n

j Board member but not president k l m n

j Executive director k l m n

j Technical staff but not executive director k l m n

j Other (Please explain) k l m n

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*5. In which city or town is your organisation's main office located? *6. When did your organisation begin its operations? MM Indicate the year

DD /

YYYY /

and insert "01" for day and month if unknown

7. Was your organisation founded by one person, a group of people or by another organisation?

j One person k l m n

j Group of people k l m n

j Another organisation k l m n

j Don't know k l m n

Other (please explain)

8. If you answered one person founded your organisation in the previous question, please indicate below his/her public/professional position. If you answered a group of people founded your organisation, please indicate below the type of affiliation or ties they have in common. (e.g. neighborhood /professional, ethnic, family, friends…) If you answered another organisation founded your organisation, please indicate below the type of organisation (e.g. Political party, business organisation, religious organisation, public state agency….) 9. If your organisation is registered, please indicate the year it was formally registered with the public authorities? MM Indicate the year

DD /

YYYY /

and insert "01" for day and month if unknown

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*10. Which among the following options describe the type of formal engagement that

your organisation has with Pax Christi International? (The term Pax Christi (PC) affiliated member replaces the previous two categories of "affiliated organisations" and "partner organisations”)

j PC Affiliated Member k l m n

j PC Group k l m n

j PC Section k l m n

j Other relation with Pax Christi (Please explain) k l m n

11. For how long has your organisation been part (as affiliated member, group or section) of Pax Christi movement?

j Never k l m n

j Less than 1 year k l m n

j Between 1 3 years k l m n

j Between 3 7 years k l m n

j More than 7 years k l m n j Don’t know k l m n

12. Has your organisation participated in any of the following Pax Christi actions? Pax Christi Regional

Yes

Don't know

j k l m n

Consultation Pax Christi Continental Consultation Joint Pax Christi activities (e.g. Peace weeks, ex combatants DDR, Sudan Election Observation...) In case of joint PC activities, please explain

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*13. What has been the annual number of paid Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employees in your organisation over the last three years?

“Fulltime equivalent” is a measure based on a minimum of 35 hours worked per week; e.g. two parttime jobs make one FTE.

j 1 5 k l m n

j 11 20 k l m n

j None k l m n

j Don’t know k l m n

j Over 20 k l m n

j 6 10 k l m n

*14. What has been the annual number of FTE volunteers in your organisation over the last three years?

j 1 5 k l m n

j 11 20 k l m n

j None k l m n

j Don’t know k l m n

j Over 20 k l m n

j 6 10 k l m n

*15. What has been your organisation's annual expenditure over the last three years? The response should be based on the costs for the general operations of your organisation. These include salaries, fringe benefits, and other personnel costs; purchases of goods, supplies, and services; and any fees and charges paid. It does not include expenditures that normally are paid for more than one year, e.g. land acquisition, building construction, purchase of major equipment and vehicles. Quantities are expressed in euros.

j 50.001 – 140.000 euros k l m n

j Less than 10.000 euros k l m n

j 140.001 350.000 euros k l m n

j 10.001 50.000 euros k l m n

j Over 350.000 euros k l m n j Don’t know k l m n

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*16. What has been your organisation's annual revenue over the last three years? Revenues are inflows of spendable resources received by the organisation during the last three years. Cash revenues can be distinguished from inkind revenues, which include the imputed value of volunteer labor. We only acknowledge cash revenues. More specifically, we differentiate three main sources of cash revenue: a) Fees and charges (include membership dues; service charges paid directly by the client in exchange for services; investment income; and income from the sale of goods and services); b) Public sector payments (revenues coming the government, intergovernmental organisations as well as quasigovernmental entities at all levels (state, provincial, municipal). In essence, we use “public sector” and “governmental” synonymously. Public sector revenues include grants and contracts; statutory transfers mandated by law in support of an organisation; and third party payments (i.e., indirect government payments for reimbursement to another organisation for services rendered to individuals); c) Philanthropy, or private giving (includes revenues received Don’t from at least four types of sources: (a) individual contributions; (b) private foundation grants (including church); (c) corporate donations; and (d) NGOs international or national. Quantities are expressed in euros

j 50.001 140.000 k l m n

j Less than 10.000 k l m n

j 140.001 350.000 k l m n

j 10.001 50.000 k l m n

j Over 350.000 k l m n

j Don't know k l m n

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 17. According to the information provided above regarding your revenue, please indicate: What is the percentage (%) obtained by each source of the total revenue of your organisation over the last three years? Be aware that the sum of the percentages must EQUAL 100% otherwise you will receive an ERROR message. We differentiate three main sources of cash revenue: a) Fees and charges (include membership dues; service charges paid directly by the client in exchange for services; investment income; and income from the sale of goods and services); b) Public sector payments (revenues coming the government, intergovernmental organisations as well Don’t as quasigovernmental entities at all levels (state, provincial, municipal). In essence, we use “public sector” and “governmental” synonymously. Public sector revenues include grants and contracts; statutory transfers mandated by law in support of an organisation; and third party payments (i.e., indirect government payments for reimbursement to another organisation for services rendered to individuals); c) Philanthropy, or private giving (includes revenues received from at least four types of sources: (a) individual contributions; (b) private foundation grants (including church); (c) corporate donations; and (d) NGOs international or national. Fees and charges: Public funding (whether national or international): Private funding (whether national or international):

18. Have any sources among the public and private funding represented more than 20% of the total revenue over the last three years? j Yes k l m n

j No k l m n

j Don’t know k l m n

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 19. How many sources have represented more than 20% of the total revenue?

j None k l m n

j Only one k l m n

j Between 1 – 3 k l m n

j More than 3 k l m n j Don’t know k l m n

20. Does your organisation...? follow national or

Yes

Don't know

j k l m n

international accountancy rules? provide annually basic financial information (balance…)? go through an external independent financial audit?

*21. Does your organisation have other offices apart from your main office?

j No k l m n

j 1 k l m n

j 2 4 k l m n

j 5 7 k l m n

j Over 7 k l m n

22. If so, what are the cities, towns or villages where these offices are located? 23. Please mark the options that fit your organisation's resources: Office with two rooms

Yes

Don't know

j k l m n

or more Computers for each technical paid person Car Mention other important resources

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 24. How many of the following items does your organisation have? Office Rooms Computers Cars

*25. Does your organisation have a governing body or board? j Yes k l m n

j No k l m n

If none is established, please explain your decision making structure

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*26. Choose the option that best reflects your agreement with the following

statements regarding your organisation's method for appointing members of your organisation's governing body according to its frequency over the last five years. Examples of third party can be: the bishop of the diocese, a state authority (local/provincial o central government) a political party or movement, an important donor (private or public) another NGO, any other external body or individual that is not a member of the organisation. More than half of the

I agree

I partially agree

I don't agree

Not applicable

c d e f g

members are appointed by one or more third parties, the others by the members of the organisation themselves All members are appointed by one or more third parties None of the governing body's members are appointed by a third party they are all appointed by the members of the organisation themselves Less than a quarter of the members are appointed by a third party, the others by the members of the organisation themselves Between half and a quarter or the members are appointed by one or more third parties the others by the members of the organisation themselves

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 27. Choose the option below that best reflects your organisation's strategy regarding whom to employ for the highest executive position within the last five years. j We have rarely experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the k l m n

highest executive position is taken by the organisation's governing body. j We have never experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the k l m n

highest executive position is taken by the organisation's governing body. j We have always experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the k l m n

highest executive position is taken by the organisation's governing body. j We have almost always experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible k l m n

for the highest executive position is taken by the organisation's governing body. j We have normally experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the k l m n

highest executive position is taken by the organisation's governing body.

*28. Please give your opinion about your organisation's governing body (e.g. the board).

Not at all. Needs urgent Rarely. Needs Partly. Needs attention and considerable important

some

agree. May need little

I agree. No need for

Don’t know

improvement

j k l m n

improvement Provides overall policy

I almost fully

improvement

direction and oversight Provides accountability and credibility Is capable of strategic formulation, fund raising, public relations and lobbying Respects bylaws concerning fixed terms of office and a quorum

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*29. Choose the option that best describes the general working of your organisation's governing body.

j 1. Not functioning at all k l m n

j 2 . Badly functioning (e.g. low participation, conflict among members, most important decision are not taken k l m n

by the governing body) j 3. Low functioning (low participation, members only meet from time to time, some important decisions k l m n

about the organisation are taken by other organisational bodies or a third party) j 4. Medium (e.g. some members end their term before planned, medium members participation in meetings, k l m n

body does not meet regularly, some issues are pending decision for long time) j 5. Well functioning (e.g. members normally end their term as planned, participate regularly in meetings and k l m n

activities, regular meetings, issues are assessed by the body and decisions are taken) j 6. Don’t know k l m n

If you chose option 1, 2 or 3, please explain

30. Terms duration Between half and For more than half Less than a a quarter the time the time of the quarter of the Since its creation of the organisation's organisation's organisation's existence existence existence How long has the

Don't know

j k l m n

person holding the most influential positions in the board (President) held this position in the organisation? How long has the most influential position in the executive body (General Director, Executive Manager..) held this position in the organisation?

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*31. Does the organisation have adequate rules and good practice regarding the succession of key board figures and the executive director?

j Not at all. Needs urgent attention and important improvement k l m n

j Rarely. Needs considerable improvement k l m n

j Partly. Needs some improvement k l m n

j I almost fully agree. May need a little improvement k l m n

j I agree. No need for improvement k l m n j Don’t know k l m n

32. Is there a clear division of responsibilities between the governing body and the staff members?

j It is common practicea and clearly reflected in institutional documents k l m n

j It is common practice but not reflected in any document k l m n j It is normally clear k l m n j It is seldom clear k l m n

j There is no clear division k l m n

j Do not know k l m n

*33. The mission of the organisation is clear and well shared among all staff, board members and members or supporters of the organisation.

j I partly agree k l m n

j I almost fully agree k l m n

j I mostly don’t agree k l m n

j I fully agree k l m n

j I don’t agree at all k l m n j Don’t know k l m n

34. In few words, what is currently the mission of your organisation?

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*35. Rank between one and five your opinion about the importance of the following

elements, as a source of your organisation's inspiration. Number one being the most important, and five the least important. For ranking questions, it is best to read all the statements first and then rank them. Attention, statements can move up and down once you rank them. 6

Mutual help among the organisation's members

Vision for community social improvement

Vision for political change

Christian values

Valuing local traditions

*36. Score the following statements regarding your organisation's strategies. A

strategy is a set of planned actions that respond coherently to the organisation's priorities and last longer than specific actions I fully agree Strategies are aligned

I almost fully agree

I partly agree

I mostly don’t I don’t agree at agree

all

Don’t know

j k l m n

with mission. Strategies are effective at identifying and utilising leverage Strategies are effective because they help to focus the organisation Strategies are effective because they are realistic about the organisation’s capacity to carry out its work

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*37. Express your agreement with the following statement according to your

organisation's practice over the last five years. Mark only one option per row.

Action or project

I agree

I partly agree

I don't agree

Not applicable

j k l m n

identification is mainly driven by beneficiaries’ demands Action or project identification is mainly driven by board members opinions and discussion of the organisation's priorities or by the General Director. Action or project identification is mainly driven by donors’ demands Action or project identification is mainly driven by cooperation offers from third parties (Church, public authorities, other kind of organisations…) Action or project identification is mainly driven by diagnostic studies and/or the organisation's staff technical opinion

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 38. If you responded to the previous question that you agreed that action or project identification is mainly diven by board members opinions and discussions or by the General Director: Are decisions driven ONLY by the organisation President or the General Director? j Yes k l m n

j No k l m n

Other (please explain)

*39. Express your agreement with the following statement according to your

organisation's practice over the last five years. Mark only one option per row.

Information about

I agree

I partly agree

I don't agree

Not applicable

j k l m n

activities and financial situation is published in the web and/or in the office external panels for everybody Information about activities and financial situation is provided regularly to members, beneficiaries or volunteers Information about activities and financial situation is provided to anybody upon request Information about activities and financial situation is only send to members upon request Information is not provided unless requested by public authorities

40. How do you hear back from your action beneficiaries or constituencies? 41. How do you receive feedback regarding activities or projects?

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*42. Score between one and five the frequency your organisation undertakes the following activities for monitoring and evaluation purposes.

Never, except Very frequently, as an internal rule

Frequently

Sometimes

Rarely

when specifically requested by external actor

Organising

j k l m n

beneficiary’s feedback collection exercises (focal groups, surveys…) Person responsible produces regular reports Engaging internal staff for monitoring and evaluation Engaging external independent consultants Staff visits to project activities

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 43. Rank the options that best reflect the practice to appoint the members of your organisation's governing body according to its frequency overthe last five years? Number one being the most common to your organisation's practice or/and rules, and number five the least common. For ranking questions it is best to read all the statements first and then rank them. Attention, statements can move up and down once you rank them. Examples of third party can be: the bishop of the diocese, a state authority (local/provincial or central government) a political party or movement, an important donor (private or public) another NGO, any other external body or individual that is not a member of the organisation. 6

More than half of the members appointed by one or more third parties, the others by the members of the organization themselves Between half and a quarter or the members are appointed by one or more third parties the others by the members of the organization themselves None governing bodies members are appointed by a third party they are all appointed by the members of the organization themselves All members appointed by one or more third parties Less than a quarter of the members are appointed by a third party, the others by the members of the organization themselves

44. Rank between 1 and 5 the following options according to your opinon about the organization reality for the last five years on the matter. Mark with 1 when you think the option is the closest to reality 5 the less common. Attention: Statements will move up or down once you rank them. 6

We have rarely experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the highest executive position is taken by the organization governing body. We have normally experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the highest executive position is taken by the organization governing body. We have always experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the highest executive position is taken by the organization governing body. We have never experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the highest executive position is taken by the organization governing body. We have almost always experienced that the decision about whom to employ as the person/s responsible for the highest executive position is taken by the organization governing body.

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 45. Rank between 1 and 5 your agreement with the following statement according to your organization practice for the last five years. 1 the most common 5 the less common. 6

Action or project identification is mainly driven by beneficiaries’ demands Action or project identification is mainly driven by board members opinions and discussion of the organization priorities or by the General Director. Action or project identification is mainly driven by donors’ demands Action or project identification is mainly driven by cooperation offers from third parties (Church, public authorities, other kind of organizations…) Project identification is mainly driven by diagnostic studies and/or the organization staff technical opinion

46. Rank between 1 and 5 your agreement with the following statement according to your organization practice for the last five years. 1 reflects the one you agree most, 5 the one you agree less. 6

Information about activities and financial situation is published in the web and/or in the office external panels for everybody Information about activities and financial situation is provided regularly to members, beneficiaries or volunteers

Information about activities and financial situation is provided to anybody upon request

Information about activities and financial situation is only send to members upon request

Information is not provided unless requested by public authorities

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

Survey introduction (second section) This is the second half of the Pax Christi survey we have recently asked you to complete. Below you will find questions regarding your constituencies, your organisation's external relations, communication environment and peace priorities. Please, choose the options that best respond to your organisation during the last five years. The time estimated to complete this section is between 20 40 minutes. We ask you to please reply before the 2nd of May. As in the previous survey, one survey interviewer has been assigned to help you with filling out the survey. You can contact your him/her whenever any doubt or problem with the survey arises or if you have any suggestions or comments. We are planning to phone you by the end of April, beginning of May to discuss your answers and leave a space for your comments and/or suggestions. Your organisation should decide who needs to be involved to complete the survey. It can be more than one person, but it is important that your organisation designates one person as the contact person and main person responsible for the content of the survey. If the person filling out the second part of survey is different from the one who completed the first section, we ask you to provide your name and position. This person should guarantee that the data provided is correct and, in case of doubt, he/she should be easily accesible to respond to the survey interviewer's requests. In order to ensure the quality of the data provided we request that the person(s) completing the survey fulfill some basic criteria: 1) Engaged with the organisation for at least three years 2) Responsible for any of the organisation's peace actions for at least one year within the last five years 3) At least a basic knowledge regarding peace issues at the local or national level. Finally, questions marked with the symbol * are compulsory. You will be alerted by the system that a reply has to be provided. Thank you again for your contribution. It will help to improve the Pax Christi International Network.

*1. What is the name the organisation you are representing? Full name:

2. What is your name and surname? Name Surname

3. Are you female or male?

j Female k l m n

j Male k l m n

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 4. What is your position at the organisation? This is only necessary if you are different from the person who completed the first half of the survey.

j 1. President of the board k l m n

j 2. Board member but not president k l m n

j 3. Executive director k l m n

j 4. Technical staff but not executive director k l m n

j 5. Other (Please detail) k l m n

Constituencies

*5. Do your beneficiaries embody a relatively limited or restricted community (e.g. the

residents of the neighborhood, the members of a parish or groups of people involved at the education system…) or an unrestricted community (e.g. citizens, young people…)? j Restricted k l m n

j Unrestricted k l m n

*6. The beneficiaries within this restricted or unrestricted community are mainly..... j Other. Please, specify below. k l m n

j Organisations, or other collective actors (parish, unions...) k l m n

j Individuals k l m n

j Segments of the population with some particular features (e.g. victims of human rights violations, children k l m n

and youth affected by war…). Please, specify below. If you have chosen “segments” or “other”, please briefly explain the features and/or common bond of this/these group(s)of people

Constituencies

*7. How frequently do the beneficiaries outlined above participate ......? in the planning of

Rarely

Sometimes

Almost always

Never

Don’t know

j k l m n

activities or programs in carrying out the organisation's programs

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*8. Your beneficiaries (members of restricted community/ies or of unrestricted community/ies) are MAINLY based in

j Both areas equally k l m n

j Urban areas k l m n

j Rural areas k l m n

j Don't know k l m n

9. How long has the organisation had some relationship with its beneficiaries?

j Less than 1 year k l m n

j Over 6 years k l m n

j Permanent (since its creation) k l m n

j Between 2 6 years k l m n

j Between 1 2 years k l m n

j Depending on funding k l m n

j Do not know k l m n

Constituencies 10. Please, explain your reply to the previous question. 5 6

11. Could you give a rough estimation of the annual number of beneficiaries over the last three years?

j Less than 100 k l m n

j Between 100 500 k l m n

j Between 501 2.500 k l m n

j Between 2.501 10.000 k l m n

j Over 10.000 k l m n j Don’t know k l m n

12. Does your organisation have members that are distinct from its beneficiaries?

j No k l m n

j Yes. Please explain how you identify these members (e.g. fee payment, registration process, activity k l m n

attendance….)

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa Constituencies 13. If yes, how many members does your organisation have?

j Less than 15 k l m n

j Between 501 1000 k l m n

j Between 15 100 k l m n

j Between 101 500 k l m n

j Over 1001 k l m n

j Don’t know, please explain k l m n

14. Your organisation's peace actions over the last five years have been mainly directed towards...

j As many people as possible, without any previous selective criteria k l m n

j key people (e.g. group of professionals, politicians, media or business people, church leaders…). Please, k l m n

explain what kind of key people your organisation has mainly addressed. 5 6

Networks

*15. Does your organisation...? share peace

Rarely

Sometimes

Normally

Almost always

Never

j k l m n

information with other organisations design or plan activities or projects with other organisations undertake peace activities or projects with other organisations analyse situations to be addressed with other organisations

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*16. Rank between one and five the following type of networks, according to your

preferences. Number one being the most preferred network and five being the least preferred. Attention: Statements will move up or down once you rank them. 6

Network organised around an advocacy campaign

Network organised around issues that affect a geographical area

Network promoted by a leading actor

Other type of networks

Network organised around sharing knowledge on a global theme

17. If you ranked "other type of networks" first or second in your list on the previous question, please, explain below what other type of networks you prefer. 5

18. Other than Pax Christi, how many networks has your organisation participated in over the last five years?

j None k l m n

j Between 2 3 k l m n

j 1 k l m n

j Between 4 7 k l m n

j Over 7 k l m n

j Don’t know, please explain k l m n

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*19. As a result of your participation in a network, did your organisation established

relationships with any of the following actors? And if so, score how valuable each of theose relationships were/are, in general. No relationship Not valuable at Rarely valuable established all

At least half of them were valuable

Most of them

All of them

were valuable

very valuable

Church organisations

j k l m n

Local civil society

j k l m n

National authorities

j k l m n

Academic

j k l m n

organisations International civil society organisations Regional and international intergovernmental organization (not civil society) Local or subnational authorities

institutions / research institutes / think tanks Political parties or movements

*20. How much has the participation in networks impacted the organisation’s work?

j Strategic factor for the whole of the organisation's work k l m n

j Very important in some areas k l m n

j Important in some areas k l m n

j Important only in few cases k l m n

j Nothing relevant k l m n

If possible, explain your choice:

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*21. The following sentences express different expectations for the potential primary

role of a Pax Christi Network, please rank them between one and five, according to your level of agreement. Number one being the one which you agree with the most and five being the one which you agree with least. A Pax Christi African Network should ... 6

Support Member Organisation's (MOs) general organisational capacities development Support MO's search for donors and skills associated with a donor based relationship (proposal writting, reporting...)

Facilitate MO's exchange and help to define a common position that can be communicated externally

Contribute to designing projects that can be implemented by MOs in their respective countries

Other

22. If you ranked "other" first or second in your list on the previous question, please explain what other role would you propose for a future Pax Christi network. 5 6

23. Indicate your organisation's level of agreement with the following statement: My organisation would be able to engage some resources (staff time, money…) in a Pax Christi African Network.

j Do not agree at all k l m n

j I mostly disagree k l m n

j I only partially agree k l m n

j I mostly agree k l m n j Absolutely k l m n

j Don’t Know k l m n

Networks For the following four questions you CAN REPEAT the name of the organisations in your lists.

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*24. Identify five organisations working on peace issues that you value most in your

geographical region (i.e. organisations active in your country and/or neighboring countries). List them from one to five according to the value you attach to them. Number one being the one you value most and five being the one you value the least in the list. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

*25. Identify five organisations (national or foreign) that you have exchanged regularly

with around peace issues (i.e. disarment, peace education, reconciliation, conflict prevention or conflict transformation) over the last three years.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Exchange regularlyâ&#x20AC;? is understood here as information sharing (i.e. phone conversations, eÂmail exchanges or physical meetings) that have taken place at least once every two months within the last three years. "Exchange" does not imply that you work together. Rank them from one to five according to the frequency and quality of your mutual exchange. Number one indicates the highest rank and five the lowest. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

*26. Identify five organisations (national or foreign) that you have been working with

over the last five years that you consider the most important to your organisation achieving its goals.

Please, list them between one and five in relative order of your assessment of their importance to your organisation's goals. Number one being the most important and five the least important in the list. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*27. Identify three Pax Christi organisations (national or foreign) you have been

working with over the last five years that you consider to be most important to your organisation achieving its goals. Please, list them between one and five in relative order of your assessment of their importance to your organisation's goals. Number one being the most important and five the least important in the list. 1. 2. 3.

Communication environment

*28. Indicate your organisation's level of use of... It is the most Not at all

Rarely

Sometimes

Frequently

frequent communication tool

mobile phones

j k l m n

internet

j k l m n

29. If in the previous question you chose: "Not at all", "Rarely" or "Sometimes"; please indicate which of these reasons best explains the limited use of mobile phones and/or the internet. Cost

No reliable network

Other

Mobile phone

j k l m n

Internet

j k l m n

If you chose "other", please explain

30. Does your organisation's staff or board use SMS to stay in touch amongst themselves and with beneficiaries or members?

j Never k l m n

j Rarely k l m n

j Sometimes k l m n

j Frequently k l m n

j It is the most frequent communication tool k l m n

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*31. Score the use of the following online applications: It is among the Most of the staff Most of the staff Most of the staff

most used

Most of the staff

or board members or board members or board members software or board members are not registered are registered but are registered but application for use it regularly. to this software don’t use it at all use it rarely communication purposes j k l m n

j k l m n

Facebook

j k l m n

Twitter

j k l m n

Other social network

j k l m n

Skype or any other free online communication application Dropbox or any other online file sharing application Online email groups (e.g. yahoo or google groups, allow to share easily information by sending your message for all group members to only one email address)

If you chose "other social network" or use other online applications for communication, please explain

*32. Does your organisation refrain from sharing certain types of information through mobile phones and/or the internet for fear it will be intercepted by others?

j I mostly don’t agree k l m n

j I partly agree k l m n

j I almost fully agree k l m n

j I fully agree k l m n

j I don’t agree at all k l m n

j Don’t know, please explain k l m n

33. Briefly mention any other aspects, related to the internet or mobile phone, that constrain your organisation's use of these technologies.

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa Priorities 34. Apart from peacebuilding, is there any other sector in which your organisation has been active over the last five years? Rank them from one and five according to their importance to your organisation (elements to consider for valuing importance may be: number of actions, resources devoted, priority level within the organisational strategy...) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

*35. Choose your level of agreement with the following statements according to your

organization's history. What has been the geographic scale of your organisation's peace actions over the last five years? Never

Rarely

Sometimes

Frequently

Most frequently

j k l m n

Province scale

j k l m n

Whole country

j k l m n

A number of

j k l m n

One location (village, town, city) Between one and 10 locations

countries in one region

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa

*36. Have the peace actions that your organisation has implemented over the last five years been directed towards any of the following areas?

Cultural elements that help to

Very frequently

Frequently

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

j k l m n

give meaning to a certain worldview (Language, perception about “other groups") Individuals (e.g. address their experiences of conflict, train them on peace related skills...) Laws, procedures, policies, institutions or economic conditions that affect all members of a community Groups where people interact regularly (e.g. schools, neighbors, members of an ethnic or religious community, workers) Other

If you chose "other", please give more details:

Peacebuilding functions for civil society organisations Following recent research on civil society peacebuilding actions, researchers have identified seven different functions that civil society organisations can play in peacebuilding. SEVEN PEACEBUILDING FUNCTIONS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS: 1. Protection of citizens against violence from all parties. This includes disarmament activities. 2. Monitoring of human rights violations, the implementation of peace agreements, etc. Most activities here are aimed at conflict prevention. 3. Advocacy for peace and human rights; Advocacy can be nonpublic (organisation communicates with the political apparatus in private) or public (claims and demands are made in public via demonstrations, press releases, petitions, or other statements in support of a specific demand). 4. Socialisation to values of peace and democracy, as well as to develop the ingroup identity of marginalised groups; most peace education activities can be included within this function. 5. Intergroup social cohesion by bringing people together from adversarial groups; most reconciliation activities can be included within this function. 6. Facilitation of dialogue of the local and national level between all sorts of actors. Page 12

Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 7. Aid projects or service delivery to create entry points for peacebuilding, i.e. for the six above functions. "Aid projects or service delivery" is understood here as the provision of aid and services by civil society actors to help waraffected populations as far as they support peacebuilding efforts that can be considered among the six functions above. For more detail about the meaning of each function you can read the questions below which include a detailed list of activities per function. 37. Choose between one and four functions from the seven below that your organisation has predominantly undertaken over the last five years. You can mark a MAXIMUM OF FOUR options.

c Protection of citizens against violence from all parties d e f g

c Monitoring of human rights violations d e f g

c Advocacy for peace and human rights d e f g

c Socialisation to values of peace and democracy d e f g

c Intergroup social cohesion d e f g

c Facilitation of dialogue d e f g

c Aid projects or service delivery d e f g

*38. Rank from one to seven the functions mentioned above according to their relative

importance with regard to your organisation's peace building work over the last five years. Number one being the most important and seven the least important or least practiced by your organisation. 6

Protection of citizens against violence from all parties

Monitoring of human rights violations

Advocacy for peace and human rights

Socialisation to values of peace and democracy

Intergroup social cohesion

Facilitation of dialogue

Aid projects or service delivery

Peacebuilding functions for civil society organisations 1. Protection of citizens against violence from all parties. This includes disarmament activities. 2. Monitoring of human rights violations, the implementation of peace agreements, etc. Most activities here are aimed at conflict prevention. 3. Advocacy for peace and human rights; Advocacy can be nonpublic (organisation communicate with the political apparatus in private) or public (claims and demands are made in public via Page 13

Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa demonstrations, press releases, petitions, or other statements in support of a specific demand). 4. Socialisation to values of peace and democracy, as well as to develop the ingroup identity of marginalised groups; most peace education activities can be included within this function. 5. Intergroup social cohesion by bringing people together from adversarial groups; most reconciliation activities can be included within this function. 6. Facilitation of dialogue of the local and national level between all sorts of actors. 7. Aid projects or service delivery to create entry points for peacebuilding, i.e. for the six above functions. "Aid projects or service delivery" is understood here as the provision of aid and services by civil society actors to help waraffected populations as far as they support peacebuilding efforts that can be considered among the six functions above. ATTENTION: ONLY answer the questions below that refer to the functions you have selected previously. Remember that you could have chosen a maximum of FOUR functions from the seven peacebuilding functions outlined here. 39. Has your organisation carried out over the last five years any of the following type of actions that help to PROTECT the population, individuals or organisations against violence from all parties?

c Watchdog activities to reduce threats or the actual cases of violence (normally external NGOs) d e f g

c Negotiation of peace zones within which arms are not allowed d e f g

c Landmine collection d e f g

c Disarment d e f g

c Demobilisation of former combatants d e f g

c Reintegration of former combatants d e f g

c Other security related intervention. Explain below d e f g

c Other protection activities (not security related). Explain below d e f g

40. Has your organisation carried out over the last five years any of the following type of actions that MONITOR conflict situations (e.g. human rights violations or the implementation of peace agreements), providing this information to human rights and other advocacy groups and giving recommendations to decisionmakers. c Creation of political earlywarning systems d e f g

c Reporting human rights abuses d e f g

You can briefly mention examples, if you wish

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 41. Has your organisation carried out over the last five years any of the following type of actions that promote relevant social and political themes in the PUBLIC AGENDA? Choose only the type of actions, if any, that your organisation has carried out over the last five years. Select also at the column level the approach that your organisation has predominantly used for the type of action selected, between the following two: 1. Nonpublic advocacy (communicating with the political apparatus in private) or 2. Public communication (claims and demands are made public via demonstrations, press releases, petitions…)

Agendasetting

Non public advocacy

Public communication

c d e f g

bringing themes to the national or local agenda (awareness, campaigns, research…) Lobbying for civil society involvement in peace negotiations Creating public pressure for issues related to the conflict (e.g. child soldiers, …) Creating public pressure against the recurrence of war. Other advocacy or public communication activities. If you chose "Other advocacy or public communication activities", please explain

Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa demonstrations, press releases, petitions, or other statements in support of a specific demand). 4. Socialisation to values of peace and democracy, as well as to develop the ingroup identity of marginalised groups; most peace education activities can be included within this function. 5. Intergroup social cohesion by bringing people together from adversarial groups; most reconciliation activities can be included within this function. 6. Facilitation of dialogue of the local and national level between all sorts of actors. 7. Aid projects or service delivery to create entry points for peacebuilding, i.e. for the six above functions. "Aid projects or service delivery" is understood here as the provision of aid and services by civil society actors to help waraffected populations as far as they support peacebuilding efforts that can be considered among the six functions above. ATTENTION: ONLY answer the questions below that refer to the functions you have selected previously. Remember that you could have chosen a maximum of FOUR functions from the seven peacebuilding functions outlined here. 42. Has your organisation carried out over the last five years any of the following IN GROUP SOCIALISATION type of actions that aim for values of peace and democracy, as well as to develop the ingroup identity of marginalised groups? c Peace education activities that aim at enhancing a culture of peace and constructive conflict resolution for d e f g

society at large or for single groups within the society or the conflict which are done in an educational format (e.g. conflict resolution training…) c Actions that aim at building or consolidating ingroup identity (strengthening the identity of a particular d e f g

group) You can briefly mention examples, if you wish

43. Has your organisation carried out over the last five years any of the following type of actions that aim to promote SOCIAL COHESION, building “bridging ties” across adversarial groups? c Activities focused on relationships among adversarial group to promote social values such as cohesion for d e f g

peace, reconciliation, and the corresponding change of attitudes or behavior towards the “other” (dialogue, exchange visits…) c Activities oriented to bring together representatives and/or members of (former) conflicting groups attempting d e f g

to reach an outcome larger than relationship change, i.e. an initiative for peacebuilding, for negotiations. Normally these activities involve the participation of key actors. c Activities oriented to bring together representatives and/or members of (former) conflicting groups attempting d e f g

to reach an outcome that is not directly related to peace negotiations (i.e. business or development outcomes – e.g. run a water service, collecting disposal) You can briefly mention examples if you wish:

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 44. Has your organisation carried out over the last five years any of the following FACILITATION or mediation actions?

c Between civil society and warring parties on the village or district level. d e f g

c Between warring parties to negotiate peace outcomes (peace zones, violence free days) d e f g

c Between international or national aid agencies and the warring parties as a means to ensure delivery of d e f g

goods and services to communities c Between international or national aid agencies and local civil society (because NGOs are usually not d e f g

acquainted with the local context, they are in need of facilitators to negotiate with local communities as well as armed groups) You can briefly mention examples, if you wish

45. If in the last five years your organisation has carried out some AID PROJECTS OR DELIVERED SOME SERVICES aimed to enhance the peacebuilding functions mentioned above, please mention the type of project or service undertaken and the function it was connected to (among the other six peacebuilding functions for civil society organisations) 5

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa 46. We would like to know more about your organisation's actions over the five last years. Therefore, if you have selected any of the actions types listed in the questions above, please mention here again the action type (according to the option names provided above) and include the TIME period when your organisation's action(s) took place (from x to x) and its main LOCATION. You can include up to a maximum of eight actions. In some cases, your organisation's activities can be associated to more than one type of action described in this part of the survey. If this is the case, you can repeat them and mention the different types of action to which it is associated. For the time period, if possible, please write the fourdigit year and the month when the action started and finished. 1. Action type / Time period / Location: 2. Action type / Time period / Location: 4. Action type / Time period / Location: 5. Action type / Time period / Location: 6. Action type / Time period / Location: 7. Action type / Time period / Location: 8. Action type /

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Mapping of the Pax Christi International Member Organisations in Africa Time period / Location:

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PAX CHRISTI INTERNATIONAL - MEMBER ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA Burundi Centre Jeunes Kamenge Commission Justice et Paix Episcopale Burundi Nduwamahoro Non-Violent Actif Cameroon ACERAC-Justice et Paix Cercle International pour la Promotion de la Création Chad Commission Justice et Paix Episcopale Tchad D.R. Congo Centre d’Information et d’Animation Missionnaire Afrique Commission Justice et Paix Episcopale DR Congo Groupe Jérémie Bukavu Groupe Justice et Libération Groupe Lotus Groupe Universitaire Butembo Les Amis de Nelson Mandela pour la Défense des Droits Humains Ligue des Femmes pour le Développement et l’Education à la Démocratie Nous Sommes Frères / Pax Christi Bukavu Pax Christi Bukavu Pax Christi Goma Pax Christi Kikwit Pax Christi Uvira Réseau ‘Jeunes dans le Monde pour la Paix’ Réseau des Femmes pour un Développement Associatif Ethiopia Interfaith Peace Building Initiative Research Centre for Development and Education Ivory Coast Centre de Recherche et d'Action pour la Paix Kenya Amani Communities Africa Chemchemi Ya Ukweli Peace Tree Network People for Peace in Africa Liberia Development Education Network Mali Initiative Malienne Pax Christi pour le Développement Rwanda Association Modeste et Innocent Pax Christi Groupe de Paroisse Busogo South Africa Denis Hurley Peace Institute SA Catholic Bishops’ Conference Justice and Peace Department South Sudan Holy Trinity Peace Village Kuron Uganda Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative Justice and Peace Commission, Archdiocese of Gulu Kotido Peace Initiative