Biodiversity in Science in Africa

Purpose and use

This evaluation examines how Sida integrates conflict sensitivity across its strategies and operations, with the purpose of strengthening learning and improving how Sida’s work affects peace and conflict dynamics.

Conclusion

It finds that conflict sensitivity is increasingly embedded in Sida’s portfolio but applied unevenly across contexts. Stronger results emerge where analysis is continuous, partner capacity is high, and adaptation is proactive. Weak monitoring systems and inconsistent feedback loops limit learning and the ability to track outcomes or anticipate risks.

Recommendation

The evaluation recommends establishing minimum standards for conflict sensitivity across all strategies, ensuring regular context updates, strengthening monitoring, evaluation and learning systems with simple indicators, and proactively addressing recurring risks such as gender backlash, unequal targeting, and challenges linked to country exits.

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Annexes

Annex 1: Annex list
Annex 2: Country case studies

As humanitarian needs continue to increase while global humanitarian funding decreases, the case for Anticipatory Action (AA) has emerged as a way to both ethically and cost-effectively address needs ahead of climate and non-climate induced crises. The humanitarian scope is limited as to what, where and when humanitarians should contribute to the broader anticipatory agenda, given pressed budgets for today’s acute needs and respective comparative advantages of development, peace and climate aid.

This brief focuses on Sida´s humanitarian approach to AA outlining how Sida will work with partners in support of AA which is principled, complementary, research based and locally led. Priority is given to operational anticipatory action through fuel funding (what) in high severity contexts (where), closer to peak crisis impact (when). While taking a humanitarian departure in this brief, a nexus broad approach is outlined for collective efforts towards improved resilience among the most at-risk and crisis exposed populations around the world.