Conflict

Mounting evidence suggests that governance and conflict are intricately connected, and that poor governance performance exacerbates underlying tensions and ignites violent conflict. In this sense, governance assessments carried out in conformity with a set of principles, such as inclusive participation, capacity development and national ownership, may shed light on the peace and conflict dynamics in a society. 

Governance is, to a greater or lesser extent, factored in existing methodologies for assessing violent conflict, especially in conflict analysis frameworks. These analyses are developed and used mainly by donors and international organizations such as UNDP or World Bank.

But demand is growing for assessing governance in post-conflict environments as an integral part of broader peacebuilding strategies. This remains an unexplored area, and more knowledge is needed on how to adapt existing governance assessment frameworks to particular conditions of post-conflict settings. 

Existing knowledge and good practices in this area may provide valuable contributions to the development of governance assessment tools. Lessons to be applied are related, but not limited, to indicators used in these frameworks, contextual considerations, conflict sensitivity and gender awareness approaches, and methodologies. However, improvement remains needed in terms of comprehensiveness and harmonization of governance indicators and understanding.