Conflict Sensitivity & Do No Harm is presented here as an approach to prevent activities from inadvertently doing harm, to instead maximise opportunities to do some good and where possible contribute to peace.
Do No Harm originates from the Hippocratic Oath (ancient Greece) where medical practitioners pledge not to cause more harm than good. More recently, since the 1990s Do No Harm has been applied by aid actors as an approach to improve the provision of assistance in conflict-prone settings without doing harm. During the early 2000s Conflict Sensitivity surfaced as term to describe a similar process. While some may distinguish minor methodological differences between the two, Do No Harm is today widely considered synonymous with Conflict Sensitivity. Accordingly, both terms are used interchangeably throughout this page.
Conflict Sensitivity functions to increase effectiveness by informing and guiding the provision of assistance or resources in conflict-prone settings. It does this primarily by identifying opportunities to improve assistance, as well as highlight unintended consequences that may contribute to violence. It uses this information to act to adjust activities to ‘Do No Harm’, 'Do Some Good', and where possible promote peace.
As described in the DCA International strategy 2019-2022, organisations operate in a complex, fragile and ever-changing world where armed conflicts, violent confrontations, climate related disasters, poverty and extreme inequality continue to cause human suffering. In complex settings, good intentions can sometimes inadvertently make a situation worse.
Seen through this lens, Conflict Sensitivity is based on the premise that the provision of assistance/resources is not always considered neutral especially when applied to areas affected by violent conflict. Assistance is a form of resource that can be misused to strengthen one side of a conflict or weaken an opposing side. The possibility of substantial harm increases when interventions fail to identify and address the detrimental effects of otherwise well-intended actions.
There are three main steps to Conflict Sensitivity that should be considered. These include the ability to:
Understand the context
Understand the two-way interaction between activities/operations and the context
Act to adjust initiatives to avert harmful outcomes (Do No Harm) and reinforce opportunities to maximise positive impact (Do Some Good) AND WHERE POSSIBLE SUPPORT PEACE.
Conflict Sensitivity is grounded in analysis that can be used for programme management and strategic planning (e.g. PPM processes and Theories of Change). Conflict Sensitive analysis is only valuable when it is context-specific and includes gender, age and diversity dimensions as well as other relevant social groupings (e.g. cultural, ethnic, religious, communal).
Since Conflict Sensitivity concerns everything related to the provision of assistance/resources, analysis can provide useful input that informs not just a specific initiative, but wider operations and activities. Accordingly, rather than constrained to a single-action tick-box exercise, Conflict Sensitivity instead thrives as a live process incorporated into all workflows.
To further integrate Conflict Sensitivity in your work, you may wish to consider:
Should you require additional technical assistance on Conflict Sensitivity, support is available in the following areas:
Since 2019 a DCA Conflict Sensitivity course has been rolled out to DCA staff and partners in the Country Offices. Content incorporates blended learning, task-based learning, Participatory Learning and Action (PLA), and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approaches. Conflict sensitivity affects all areas of programming and therefore the training has been designed to appeal to a wide range of learner types, to be inclusive of all staff and partners regardless of educational background.
Conflict Sensitivity and Do No Harm are often used interchangeably.
Gender is integral, consequently Conflict Sensitivity/Do No Harm is also referred to as Gender and Conflict Sensitivity.
Conflict Sensitivity/Do No Harm is applicable to all conflict-prone settings irrespective of the severity or frequency of violence. This includes contexts experiencing underlying tensions (e.g. latent conflict), cultural violence (e.g. linguistic, cultural), structural violence (e.g. socio-economic, political, legal, apartheid, discrimination) and/or direct violence (e.g. extra judicial killings, use of lethal force, torture).
Conflict Sensitivity/Do No Harm is applicable to all who support initiatives in conflict-prone settings. This includes all aspects of programming and operations spanning human resources, ProLog, legal, finance, fundraising, media/communications, advocacy, projects and other activities.
Conflict Sensitivity/Do No Harm is considered international good practice in conflict-prone settings and is often used as an approach by international institutions, International Non-Governmental Organisations, Local Non-Governmental Organisations, Community Based Organisations, Inter-Governmental Organisations, diplomatic missions, state bodies, local authorities, and the private sector.
Conflict Sensitivity is applicable to all SDGs in contexts affected by violent conflict according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Knowledge Platform.
Not to be used without completing the introductory workshop to Conflict Sensitivity or similar approved training.
Not to be used without completing the introductory workshop to Conflict Sensitivity or similar approved training.
Not to be used without completing the introductory workshop to Conflict Sensitivity or similar approved training.
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Should you want to learn more about conflict sensitivity, please check out the resources below:
