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Self Report 2018

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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  • 1C
    Remain engaged and invest in stability

    Joint Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Commits to support the realization of The Peace Promise, which is a set of five commitments to develop more effective synergies among peace, humanitarian and development actions in complex humanitarian situations in order to end human suffering by addressing the drivers of conflict.


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    Partners: International Alert, CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, Peace Direct, Conciliation Resources, Human Appeal, World Vision International, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), CARE International, Alliance for Peacebuilding, Cord, Interpeace, Saferworld, Search for Common Ground, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, UNESCO, United Nations Department of Political Affairs, World Bank, Initiatives of Change International, Women for Women International

    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    The American Friends Service Committee's (AFSC) goal in its Shared Security Framework is to influence the attitudes and behavior of key actors – the decision-makers, influencers, media, community and religious leaders who play such a critical role in setting agendas and either supporting or blocking political, social, and economic change.

    On the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, AFSC led efforts in Washington, D.C. to articulate policy alternatives, working with a network of Korean Peace activists, veterans, and families separated by the Korean War.  Despite the volatile political climate, concerted advocacy resulted in the passage of legislation (H. Con.Res 40 on Dec. 10, 2016) in Congress that encourages family reunification and calls on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to take steps to build goodwill conducive to peace on the Korean Peninsula.

    AFSC has been able to influence the State Department around travel restrictions and AFSC's recommendations for humanitarian engagement are included in policies and legislation. Two letters sent to President Trump by Democratic members of the House incorporated AFSC language.

    On Palestine, support for the No Way to Treat a Child Campaign continues to grow organically as groups around the country use AFSC-developed resources and materials.  37 congressional offices attended a briefing on the campaign and an online petition to Congress gathered 10,000 signatures.  New campaigns have also formed in Australia and Canada.

    In Asia, AFSC workshops and facilitated dialogues have prompted Chinese companies to engage with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), a group they previously shunned. The Beijing Hunwei Company consulted with Cambodian NGOs before constructing a large waste-to-energy facility in Phnom Penh; another Chinese company reached out to AFSC to address ongoing company-community conflict in Cambodia using the alternative dispute resolution approach. 

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Programs report progress and lessons learned every quarter. At the end of three-year cycles, an evaluation is carried out to determine the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of our peacebuilding approaches. Program teams respond to the evaluation by reviewing recommendations and develop an implementation plan to address them.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    In a global environment of growing intolerance and impunity, governments are tightening their grip on civil society; the space to exist as an international NGO has become more restrictive. Internal turmoil over finances also prevented AFSC from doing all it could or should.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    AFSC plans to leverage its capacity as a convener to help local organizations build stronger local and regional networks, develop a cohesive voice, engage with decision-makers and lift up voices that are usually not heard.  By connecting government officials, civil society groups, and community leaders around triggers of violence and militarism, AFSC will continue to catalyze efforts find sustainable solutions and address the involvement of the United States government in restricting space.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    AFSC is working with other international peacebuilding organizations to carry out the #EndViolenceNow campaign to create a robust enabling environment for more adoption of peaceful approaches as the points of departure for decision-makers and opinion-shapers through political action, public dominant narrative, and policy change.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    AFSC uses a tools called Social Network Weaving and Analysis to map where there are connections and determine where we can link movements to spark energy and change. Communications research has guided us in identifying the dominant narrative and articulating the alternative peaceful narrative we would like to build.

  • 1D
    Develop solutions with and for people

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Using a concept of shared security, AFSC will influence key decision‐makers and non‐traditional allies globally to choose peaceful transformation of conflict in the areas of migration, political and organized violence, business and peace, and election violence prevention. Using our learning from program work and policy analyses, AFSC will mobilize a global consortium, engaging communities with international policy platforms, developing and amplifying shared security messages through strategic media campaigns, evidence-based advocacy, network building to change dominant narratives, practice and policy multilateral levels.
    • Advocacy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Business and Peace: American Friends Association Committee's (AFSC) work with Chinese academics resulted in the release of new investment guidelines in March 2017 that emphasize consultations with local communities impacted by investment projects; the release was attended by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.  AFSC workshops and facilitated dialogues have prompted Chinese companies to engage with non-governmental organizations, a group they previously shunned.  The Beijing Hunwei Company consulted with Cambodian NGOs before constructing a large waste-to-energy facility in Phnom Penh; another Chinese company reached out to AFSC to address ongoing company-community conflict in Cambodia using the alternative dispute resolution approach.  In Myanmar, facilitated dialogue led the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to invite the Myanmar China Pipeline Watch Committee to comment on its corporate social responsibility report and on the company’s health and safety practices. 

    AFSC was instrumental in building a community of practice on migration issues in Latin America and supported a joint statement by civil society networks in Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador to advocate for the safety, dignity and human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants regardless of their migratory status and push for sustainable and comprehensive solutions to human mobility in response to the United Nations’ Global Compact for Migration. 

    In Africa, AFSC built relationships with journalists around the continent in preparation for research and convening on media coverage of elections and journalists’ role in addressing election violence.     

     

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    AFSC report on a quarterly basis against a results framework with impact indicators at various levels. On the broader level, AFSC is measuring how it is progressing towards a narrative shift against militarism and violence though its work in narrative change, policy and practice, and networking and partnership. 

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    AFSC already addresses core problems of militarism, inequality, injustice and racism; the escalation of hostile rhetoric and threats, particularly under the current US administration, has made its work more urgent, as communities and allies struggle to know how to respond.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    • Dig deeper into AFSC's analysis of drivers of ‘restricted spaces’, with a particular focus on responding to the involvement of the United States government in restricting space.
    • Find strategic leverage points using existing work, resources, and networks to build regional initiatives around organized political violence in the Middle East and Asia.
    • Leverage communications science and research to understand and change the dominant media narrative.
    • Leverage network weaving tool for more effective networks.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    • Continue active participation and commitment to "Making the Case for Peace," a campaign organized by a coalition of CEOs of peacebuilding organizations around the world.
    • Continue leveraging convening skills to build effective and critical linkages and partnerships between key people including those most affected by conflict and non-traditional actors that are otherwise not involved in the peace process including women and members of marginalized communities and key institutions to strengthen efforts in preventing and transforming conflict.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    • Connect and convene grassroots voices, including marginalized and underrepresented, to those in a position to shape public opinion and policies.
    • Use communications research to map out where current public narratives are regarding an important issue and figuring out how to influence people so new alternatives become politically possible.

    Keywords

    Migrants, Private sector, Protection