OperationalizingtheStockholmDeclaration:
AcceleratingNewDealImplementation
CSPPSinputsfordiscussionsonNewDealImplementationandtheFutureoftheDialogue
Nairobi,1-4June2016
TheGlobalMeetingoftheInternationalDialogueonPeacebuildingandStatebuilding(Dialogue)heldin
Stockholmon5thAprilagreedonseveralkeyprioritiesfortheIDPStofocusonoverthenextfewyears.
One key priority is to bolster and accelerate New Deal implementation in support of countries
embarkingonapathwaytowardsgreaterstabilityandresilience.
This brief note suggests steps to translate the Stockholm commitments on accelerating New Deal
Implementation into tangible actions. These are presented as inputs for the discussion in both the
Implementation Working Group (IWG) and the meeting to discuss the future direction of the
InternationalDialogue.
I.
KeyPrinciplestoOperationalizeStockholmCommitments
IntheStockholmDeclarationtheInternationalDialoguespecificallycommitsto,interalia:
• acceleratingandimprovingtheimplementationoftheNewDealPeacebuildingandStatebuilding
Goals (PSGs) and using them as tools to guide our interventions to address the root causes of
fragility,conflictandviolence;
• identifying and addressing obstacles for New Deal implementation and difficulties in
operationalisingcountry-ledfragilityassessments;
• usingtheNewDealprinciplestoachievetheSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs)infragileand
conflict-affectedsituations;
• strengtheningdialoguebetweennationalauthoritiesanddevelopmentpartnersandbyincluding
civilsociety,toachievepolitical,economicandsocialreforms.
Addressingrootcausesissomethingcivilsocietyhaslongsupported.Attherootofconflictandfragility
astheDeclarationacknowledgeslieinjustice,humanrightsviolations,inequality,exclusion,poverty,
poormanagementofnaturalresourcesandtheabsenceofinclusivepoliticalsettlementsandcapable
institutions.Supportingtransitionsoutoffragilityrequirespoliticalandnotjusttechnicalresponses.It
iscrucialfortheseprocessestobelocallydrivenandowned,buildingoncollectivelydevelopedanalysis
of the both the challenges contributing to fragility and conflict, and the drivers of resilience. This
analysis,multi-stakeholderdialogue,andtheotherprinciplesthatdrivecommitmentsthroughoutthe
NewDeal,arealsocoretosuccessfulrealisationoftheSDGsincountriesemergingfromconflictand
fragility.
Operationalizing Stockholm commitments to accelerate and improve New Deal implementation
requirestheapplicationofotherkeyprinciplesthatallconstituenciesshouldadhereandcommitto–
andwhicharetabledasguidingprinciplesforNewDealimplementation(NDI)–tobeincorporated
also in the IDPS mandate and work plan. For civil society, those with particular relevance towards
ensuringfullernationalownershipoftheprocessinclude:
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Contextandconflictsensitive;
Locally driven and owned – within government this will require greater inclusion of all relevant
ministriesandparliament;
Forthistohappencoordinationandinformationsharingneedstobeimproved;
Gendersensitive;
Youth-focussed;givingshapetoexploringpotentialinvolvementofyouthinallaspectsrelatedto
NewDealimplementationatcountrylevel.
Critically,andashighlightedinAbidjanlessonsonNDI(seeboxbelow)weneedtorefineourcollective
understandingofwhatNewDealimplementationmeans.AspartnersintheInternationalDialoguewe
shouldhaveanagreementandjointunderstandingofcommonprinciplesandpracticesthatwebelieve
areneededacrosscountriesforeffectiveNDI,andawarenessofhowtheseenablecontextsensitive
approachestotheirrealisation.Further,weshouldembarkonjointplanningandstrategyprocess&
worktowardsdemonstrationofconcreteresults,withclearlyarticulatedmilestonesandbenchmarks.
Constituenciesalsoneedtoagreeonbestwaystostrengthenmulti-stakeholderdialogueatcountry
levelasthetooltoprovideguidanceandstrategicdirectiontoNDI–keyparametershereareinclusivity
andpartnership.
II.
MandateandToRforIWG
InordertoreflectandoperationalizeStockholmcommitmentsonNDI,themandateoftheIWGshould:
• Reference/reflect that the Stockholm Declaration commits to “accelerating and improving the
implementationoftheNewDealPeacebuildingandStatebuildingGoalsandusingthemastoolsto
guideourinterventionstoaddresstherootcausesoffragility,conflictandviolence’.
• SetupappropriatemechanismstoidentifyandaddressobstaclesforNewDealimplementation
anddifficultiesinoperationalisingcountry-ledfragilityassessments.
• Address the needed greater attention for a New Deal strategy to be linked to appropriate
applicationofFOCUSprinciples.
• AdoptanapproachtoguidehowNewDealprincipleswillbeusedtoachieveSDGsing7+countries
(buildingontheworkoftheSpecialworkinggrouponthistopic).
• Identify and support needed actions to address gender inequality in NDI and establish cross
linkageswithforeseenworkongendermainstreamingthroughoutND-processesandworkplans.
Ascivilsociety,wesupportstrengtheningtheIWGtoincreaseitsusefulness.Webelievethatastronger
rolesuggestsitsprimaryfunctionsshouldbe:
• supporting countries willing to align and implement the New Deal and SDGs and mobilizing the
Dialogue’s constituencies’ human, technical and financial resources to support country
implementationteamsastheydeveloptheirstrategicapproachestoNDI;
• servingasaplatformforshapingandrefiningcommonstrategicprinciplesandpracticestosupport
NDI, facilitating joint learning around what supports implementation in different contexts, and
findingtechnicalandpoliticalsolutionstoproblemsrelatedtoNDI.
TheIWGshouldserveasaspacewhereg7+implementingcountriesconvergewithotherIDPSpartners
to:
• shareexperiencesandtoreflectonimplementationchallengesanddiscusspracticalsolutionsand
strategies. In particular, to support the strategic linkages between key New Deal instruments,
notablyfragilityassessmentsandthePSGs,andhowtheycanbeeffectivelyengagedandaligned
withtheSDGgoalsinfusedincountrynational(onevision)plans,aswellascompacts.
• support the development of Country Dialogues, feeding lessons into overall learning about New
Dealimplementation.
• produceandrefineguidancenotestosupportimplementation,asneeded,andconductNewDeal
monitoringsurveysinordertotrackofprogress.
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LessonsoneffectiveNewDealimplementation(NDIWorkingGroup,AbidjanReport,2015)
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ThereisneedtoreflectatcountrylevelonwhatNDimplementationmeans,lookslike;the
strategies; there should be clear ‘theories of change’ to guide action and enable effective
review.
Contextspecificity,pathdependency:Factorswhichallowforhighlyconsultativeprocesses
insomecountriesmaynotbeeasilytransferabletoothers.
“Inclusive” needs clarification. More guidance from CSPPS could be helpful. More
constructiveanddeeperconversationswithinfluentialstakeholdersisneeded.
Coordinationisakeyproblem,pooledandtrustfundsexist,anditiscrucialtoensurethey
areharmonised.NDIisdiverseandthereforeacceptingflexibilityisnecessary.
IntegrationofNewDealknowledgeintotransitionorinterimagreements,whichareoften
developedbyindividualpartnersnotincollaboration,isreallylacking.
TheNewDealneedshighlevelmarketingandcommunicationforeachcountry.
III.
TowardsaNDIStrategy
The IWG should lead in developing a clearer articulation of the overarching strategy of New Deal
implementation. While the specific nature of New Deal Implementation is and must be shaped in a
particularnationalcontext,dependingonnationalneeds,thelackofattentiontounderstandingand
promoting the interlinkages between New Deal principles and how they “add up” to valued results,
needstobeaddressed.Inthecontextofthe2030Agendathishasbecomemorepressing,andtheneed
forclearguidanceisneeded.Centralconsiderationsare:
• A New Deal process is a tripartite stakeholder framework working on basis of a principled
approach:itiscontextandconflictsensitive,comprehensiveinanalysis,developedinaninclusive,
builtondialogue,anditistransformativeinnature.
• NDIshouldbespearheadedonthebasisofajoint,inclusivelydevelopedFragilityAssessment(FA).
Increasinglythisisbeingskippedforexpediency,whichcivilsocietyisnotinagreementwith.FAprocessescanbuilduponpreviousanalyses;butminimallythereneedstobecollectivebuy-inand
verificationoftheanalysis.FAsalsoneedtoconductedandupdatedregularlytoensureeffective
monitoringofprogressandawarenessofnewdriversastheyarise.OnbasisoftheFAaTheoryof
Change(ToC)isconstructedthatcanguideeffectiveplanning.
• FAsneedtofeedintothedevelopmentofotherinstruments,includingNationalDevelopment
Plans(onevisiononeplan),NewDealcompacts,andothernationalandinternationalplansto
address related to development and peace related planning. Civil society has long cautioned
againsttooeasyadoptionofexistingnationaldevelopmentplanswithoutdueconsiderationthat
theyaddressdriversofconflictandfragility.WesupporttheproposalsthatemergedfromtheWHS
on the need for Peace and Development Plans. Minimally, all development plans should follow
principlesofconflictsensitivity,onthebasisofanalysiswithinFAs.
• FAandToCshouldalsofeedintoacountryNewDealImplementationWorkplan.
UsingNewDealPrinciplestoRealiseAgenda2030
InprincipleweagreewiththedirectionoftheDraftDiscussionDocumentbeingpresentedatthe
IWG,“RealisationoftheSDGsinCountriesAffectedbyConflictandFragilityandtheRoleoftheNew
Deal.”
• PSGs:ThePSGsaretheagreedkeyprioritygoalsofg7+countries.Theyshouldbeusedto
frametheprioritizationofSDGsandwiderdevelopmentplanning.Theyshouldalsobeused
asafocusofsupportforinternationalactors.Theyshouldalsobeusedtoframeotherkey
nationalpolicyinstruments,i.e.thebudget,sectoralprogrammingandM&Eprocesses.
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FOCUS: NDI should be spearheaded on the basis of an inclusively developed Fragility
Assessmentthatservesasalensforallnationalplanningandpolicyinstrumentsandasa
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basisfordevelopingNewDealImplementationCountryStrategiesandWorkplans.FAsand
PSGsareparticularlyrelevanttowardsensuringthatAgenda2030iscontextandconflict
sensitive.
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TRUST:EffectiveSDGrealizationwillbedrivenbyNewDealTRUSTprinciplesandpractices
thatemphasizecommitmentstousingcountrysystems,informationsharingandongoing
dialogue. These processes will benefit regularized, predictable meetings and clear
information-sharingmechanismsthatengageallrelevantstakeholderstoensureinclusive
participation. Utilizing country systems to channel development aid and procurement is
paramount, as are inclusive and transparent monitoring systems to ensure their
accountability.Countrysystemsincludecivilsocietysociety.
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Inclusivitymeanswholeofgovernmentengagement(allrelevantministriesandparliament)
as well as deep and ever-increasing engagement with civil society in the widest sense –
includingorganisedcivilsocietyasrepresentedintheDialoguebyCSPPSattheinternational
level and its membership across g7+ countries as well as women and youth groups,
customaryleaders,andcommunitybasedorganisations.
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MonitoringtheSDGsandNDImplementation:Theg7+selected19indicatorsareagood
startformonitoringSDGprogressacrossg7+countries.Theseshouldbelinkedwithanalysis
ofthePSGsandthesub-dimensionsasconceptualisedintheFragilityAssessmentmatrix,
andawidercountryspecificselectionof‘conflict,fragilityandresilience’indicators.Theg7+
MenuofIndicatorsthatcapturedtheworkofthepilotcountriesinmappingindicatorscan
supportcountryselectionofindicators.
IV.
TowardsTangibleAction
InordertoachievethismandateandfulfilStockholmcommitments,theengagementtoaccelerateand
improveNDIshouldbetranslatedintotangibleactions,whichcouldinclude:
• Focusspecificeffortsalignedwithcommitmentsonfewkeycountrieswheresuccessispossible
andresultscanbecapturedtoprovetheDialogue’srelevanceandapplicability.
• Work on basis of a country level action plan on NDI – agreed upon between all constituencies,
whichwillalsoserveasreferencedocumentinmonitoringprogress.
• Agreeonbasiccommitmentstoforgeorbuttressstrongerstructuresatnationallevels,including
thecompositionandtimelinesfortheactivationof“CountryNewDealImplementationTeams”.
Attention here is needed to take action to ensure greater whole of government participation,
includingallrelevantministries.
• Embarkonprocessesofsustaineddialogueatcountrylevel–thatdepartfromjointanalysis(e.g.
NewDealFragilityAssessments)andwithinclusiveplanningtomoveacountryforwardtowards
morestabilityandresilience(lookingatbothrootcausesaswellasfactorsthatcanbolstergreater
resilience).
• AgreeonNDguidancenotesandmonitoringinstrumentsthatcanbeusedtosupportcountriesin
NDIandinmonitoringprogress.Theyshouldalsoarticulatetherelationshipandsupportsynergies
between the New Deal and Agenda 2030. Civil society supports the notion that guidance notes
should be “light” and “linked” – that is, not ad hoc but all coming under an overarching “NDI
guidance”thataddressesNDIstrategyandvisionoverall,andhowthedifferentmechanismswork
togethertoachievethisincontextspecificways.
• Decideonfocus,approachandtimelinesforcountrydialoguestosupportNDI.
• Support government New Deal Focal Points to conduct advocacy and broaden government
coalitionsaroundtheNewDeal.
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