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Self Report 2017

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.

1B
Act early

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    DRC operates in 22 out of 38 fragile countries in the world. In addition to providing humanitarian assistance, DRC's mandate and programmatic ambition is also to promote solutions to displacement problems and address root causes of conflict. Building our capacity for conflict analysis serves a do-no-harm purpose for our own programs. It also serves as a commitment to inform other actors' responses (be it operational or policy-wise) in fragile environments, where there are many triggers for conflict and displacement. DRC recognizes our need to expand our capacity further to undertake conflict analysis as a distinct skill-set.

  • Achievements at a glance

    DRC has recruited a Global Conflict Analysis Advisor with the mandate to ensure that processes, guidance and tools are developed. Planned start up activities include: 1) Scoping: create overview DRC engagement in conflict analysis and conflict sensitivity analysis, assess quality of past conflict analyses and how they have been used and identify needs for future technical support and training. 2) Develop process descriptions, workplans, budget formats, ToRs for researchers when implementing conflict analyses and ensuring conflict sensitivity, identify data collection and analysis tools and develop guidelines and manuals for conflict analysis and for development of conflict sensitivity frameworks for DRC/DDG projects. 3) Develop and deliver basic training sessions. 4) Provide quality assurance and other technical support. 5) Develop conflict analysis survey data collection tools.

    Three robust conflict analyses were produced in 2016 (Libya; Kyaka and Nakivale (Uganda), and NE Nigeria) and shared with relevant stakeholders.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Immediate change will be assessed through performance of the Global Conflict Analysis Advisor, in terms of outputs and changes in staff capacity will be assessed by the Global Programme Lead on DRC's programme platform on addressing root causes to conflict and displacement. In the longer run, change will be assessed through the buy-in by managers to prioritize to undertake resource conflict analysis as a minimum operational modality.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Competing priorities around organizational priorities and capacities, leading to inability to resource the new global function with a substantial funding portfolio to drive the standardization, implementation and roll-out of conflict analysis capacity.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    Global conflict assessment advisor will deliver against a work plan, and gradually expand his outreach to country / regional programs.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Accountability to affected people

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    1C - Remain engaged and invest in stability

2A
Respect and protect civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    The Danish Demining Group (DDG), a unit within DRC, has specialized and developed a range of high quality products and approaches to address armed violence at the community level ranging from clearance of mines and ERWs, reducing number and negative impacts of small arms, to risk and conflict management education, including community policing. DDG is also active in global advocacy to advance international treaties on armed violence. This commitment reflects the ambition of DRC to build on and expand the number of people benefiting from DDGs interventions to create a safer environment without threat of armed violence and explosive ordnance.

  • Achievements at a glance

    Over a two year period, DDG has increased the number of beneficiaries as follows:
    - as per end 2016, 706,000 individuals benefited from DDGs mine and ERW clearance activities, constituting a 18% increase compared to the start of 2015
    - as per end 2016, 1,800,500 individuals benefited from DDGs Risk Education activities, constituting a 52% increase compared to the start of 2015
    - as per end 2016, 35,000 individuals benefited from DDGs community-based armed violence reduction activities, constituting a 46% increase compared to the start of 2015.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    DDG systematically tracks output and outcome monitoring through an elaborated MEL system and database

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Access to people affected by armed violence is a constant challenge. In addition, it is a challenge to maintain a volume of mine/ERW action projects necessary to sustain highly technical operations and staff.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    DDG pursues further programmatic growth for the benefit of people affected by armed violence. On the capacity side, DDG focus on increasing performance on outcome monitoring and establishing more partnerships.

  • Cross cutting issues

    People-centred approach

2D
Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    This commitment expresses DRC's determination to remain a strong advocate for the respect of human rights and international humanitarian law. DRC will continue to pursue joint advocacy through global, regional and country-based alliances.

  • Achievements at a glance

    Our ambition to expand our capacity for undertaking (joint) evidence-based advocacy is reflected in DRC's global 4-year strategic plan (3/5 global strategic priorities serve this purpose). Since June 2016, DRC has produced/contributed to and disseminated 5 advocacy papers at the global level, 2 of them as joint NGO initiatives for the HLM Summit and to HC Protection Dialogue for UNHCR SCOM. At EU level, DRC contributed to 4 inter-agency advocacy statements, produced 3 DRC recommendation papers/ presentations, and participated in 2 expert roundtables on EU policies and actions related to refugee and migrant protection. At field level, DRC is co-leading 2 protection clusters, is member of 1 HCT, and has established regional advocacy programs in 2 regions. Core field advocacy priorities include: access to IDPs and besieged, legal stay documentation for refugees; child marriage; child labour; advocacy on protection crises e.g Nigeria and Lake Chad; voluntary return in safety ...

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Progress on DRCs global strategic priorities (of which DRC's corporate advocacy capacity is central) is being assessed on a quarterly basis. At global and EU level, progress is measured against an annual workplan and reporting. No structured process for assessing progress at field level has been laid out.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Difficulties pertain mostly to measurement on advocacy outcomes and activities. DRC's country and regional programs and global entities undertake advocacy in many different ways and take many different forms. Focus and relevance are guided by DRC's mandate, but depend to a large extent on challenges and opportunities in the context. Hence, coherence between levels is a challenge. Quantifying the output and measuring outcomes is underdeveloped in DRC as of now.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    Production of a global engagement and advocacy plan (GAEP) is pending, and will possibly be resourced within 2017. Will set common priorities, and establish a MEL framework that will allow for more coherent tracking of outputs and outcomes.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Humanitarian principles Refugees

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    2A - Respect and protect civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities 2C - Speak out on violations

3A
Reduce and address displacement

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    With a displacement mandate, and given the increasing protractedness of displacement, DRC is a strong protagonist of bridging the humanitarian and development divide. Internally we must be able to address acute needs through emergency assistance, but we must also be able to deliver transitional and durable solutions within a medium- to long-term (development) perspective. In addition to building internal capacities and refining solutions oriented approaches in partnership with others, we have a responsibility to influence the political and institutional environment that sets the frame for addressing displacement. We must work to overcome bureaucratic funding obstacles and promote solution-friendly policies.

  • Achievements at a glance

    DRC has introduced a new global Response Framework, linking 3 core programmatic platforms intended to bridge DRC emergency programming, programming in support of solutions for displaced populations and programming that addresses root causes in fragile environment, i.e. a deliberate attempts to design programmes that address these issues in interrelated and comprehensive manners. In the reporting period all DRC country programmes, have framed their programmes in the context of the new response framework. DRC has devised an engagement plan for the global compact on refugees with a focus on advancing a principled solutions agenda. DRC has produced and advanced statements in connection to the NY summit, and at the EU level participated in panel discussions, and consultations with EEAS and issued joint recommendations to the EU. At field level, DRC initiatied and hosted joint NGO secretariats in support of solutions (ReDSS, DSP), taking central role in regional evidence-based advocacy (rountables, reports).

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    A global lead for the so-called "solutions programme platform" secures coherence of DRC's engagement in various forms (programme, evidence, advocacy) and at various levels (global-regional-field), and monitors progress. The work is guided by DRC's global 4-year strategic plan, v2020. Annual planning and reporting is done with reference to DRC's senior mangement group which includes senior field staff.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Despite ambitious global commitments, the political reality makes it difficult to make headway in promoting solutions-friendly approach and policies to displacement (in particular refugee) crisis, and also a challenge to safeguard core principles for refugee protection. In addition, it remains a challenge for DRC as a civil society organization to identify obvious entry points for engagement in the many state-led processes. Internally, the challenge is to make the most of the various field-driven initiatives, and invest global resources for maximum global impact.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    Contribute to global efforts to bring forward and translate "the new ways of working" into refugee crisis, and explore an expanded / new role for civil society in these processes. Further, a focus for DRC will be to advance a principled solutions-agenda in context of the global compacts, and to establish a space for people of concern to influence longer-term responses to displacement.

  • Cross cutting issues

    IDPs Refugees

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    3C - End statelessness in the next decade

3D
Empower and protect women and girls

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    While we are not an agency specialized in women's or children's rights, it remains important for DRC to build and maintain staff and organizational capacity to do gender-sensitive programming and to deliver high quality protection responses to violations primarily targeting women and children, such as GBV. The commitment reaffirms DRC's determination to keep building internal capacity in gender-sensitivity and GBV response, based on a structure with no global GBV specialists (but two global general protection specialists) and only a few DRC-specific guidelines for gender and GBV work, but a large network of protection (and GBV) specialists based in the field.

  • Achievements at a glance

    During the course of 2016, the 'Guidance on Protection Analysis' was finalised which comprises analytical tools identifying protection risks (threats, vulnerabilities and capacities across age, gender and diversity). Trainings in applying these analytical tools have been convened at global, regional and country level. In addition, 'DRC Child Protection Policy' was revised and updated - a policy aimed at ensuring the protection of and consideration of the particular protection risks and needs of girls and boys. Similarly, DRC developed the 'DRC Child Safeguarding Policy' with the aim to safeguard and protect children (across gender, age and diversity) by creating awareness among staff of what Child Safeguarding is, by prohibiting harm against a child/children, and by enforcing mechanisms to address complaints about suspected Child Safeguarding matters. On GBV, 8 out of 39 country programmes (21%) implement projects with GBV components.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Global protection specialists in HQ maintain an overview of DRCs protection pogrammes and protection capacity in field operations. Through an annual planning process, they identify gaps in capacity, and addresses them through direct support (in terms of trainings) as well as development and disseminsation of global standards. Child Protection and GBV have been on the annual work plan of the global protection specialists for a number of years.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    DRC is a decentralized organization with significant freedom at regional/country level to lead programming and implement responses. The prime responsibility for programme quality also rests with the regional / country managers, including mobilizing resources for quality assurance. The global specialists provide overall guidance and monitoring of quality and capacity gaps, and have the mandate to impose quality enhancing measures on country / regional operations. The main challenge, thus, is to ensure coherence across country / regional programmes in terms of approaches and programming focus.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    The global protection specialists have GBV on their work plan for 2017, when it comes to developing DRC-specific guidelines for quality response.

  • Cross cutting issues

    Gender

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    2D - Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

4A
Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    DRC puts people affected by displacement and conflict at the centre of our work. By extension, we need to constantly challenge ourselves to improve in the way we serve people of concern and to avoid becoming self-contained, avoid path dependencies and default programming. Keeping a constant focus on changing our approaches in ways that can empower people and strenghthen local systems translate these commitments to advance cash-programming, refining bottom-up metholodigies, and develop ways we work in partnerships with national and local partners. These commitments underpin DRC's core strategic and programmatic priorities.

  • Achievements at a glance

    Regarding cash transfer programming, in 2015, DRC recruited a Global Cash Advisor, which has in 2016 developed and rolled-out a CTP ToT (a total of 126 staff have been trained since start 2016), and 10 key staff have received structured capacity building. A total of 130 staff (programme+admin/logs) with cash-competency work in DRCs programmes as per end 2016. Regarding bottom-up programmes, a global lead in developing further DRC's bottom-up programmes to address root causes and long-term effects of displacement has been appointed. An immediate result is to ensure a 92% growth (finance-wise) in this area of programming with DRC's core strategic donor Danida from 2017-2018. Regarding partnerships, at the end of 2016, DRC maintains 51 local partners for implementation. The 51 local partners are engaged in only 18 projects out of 321. The trend is, therefore, that DRC maintains a limited but intensive partnership approach in programming.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Cash: global cash advisor delivers on an annual work plan based on global and field CTP, both in terms of volume and quality.
    Bottom-up: a global lead delivers on a work plan to roll-out a global "addressing root causes" programmatic platform (capacity building, standards, QA). Project volume will be monitored via a revision of DRC's grant management system.
    Partnerships: partnership is 1 of 5 global strategic priorities for DRC. Progress on the related change projects are being monitored on a quarterly basis by senior management. As per 2017, mandatory for country programmes to devise partnership strategy

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Commitments are pursued through different work streams.
    Cash: cash-at-scale, trends to centralize provision through one-partner approach. Keeping up with technological development
    Bottom-up: generating funding for programmes. Available funding instruments focussed on state-building not accessible for NGOs, and not focussed on communities
    Partnerships: DRC is self-implementing and perceives itself to be a first-line responder. Local partnerships always pursued but in first instance with existing community structures and local authorities, not necessarily NNGOs or national authorities. More classic partnerships more suitable for DRC in more stable contexts and development-oriented programming. Here DRC wishes to advance approaches.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    - Recruit roving cash advisor to build capacity among staff and help set-up CTP systems/capacity in smaller programs
    - Refinement and further development of bottom-up programmes under addressing root causes programme platform: global resourcing, training, full alignment in country programs
    - Development of global partnership strategy and pursuit of partnerships under Grand Bargain, Global Compacts and other key global and regional processes, expanding / piloting partnership modalities with private sector

  • Cross cutting issues

    Cash

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    3A - Reduce and address displacement

4C
Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    With a displacement mandate, and given the increasing protractedness of displacement, DRC is a strong protagonist of bridging the humanitarian and development divide. Internally we must be able to address acute needs through emergency assistance, but we must also be able to deliver transitional and durable solutions within a medium- to long-term (development) perspective. In addition to building internal capacities and refine solutions oriented approaches in partnership with others, we have a responsibility to influence the political and institutional environment that sets the frame for addressing displacement. We must work to overcome bureaucratic funding obstacles and promote solution-friendly policies.

  • Achievements at a glance

    DRC has introduced a new global Response Framework, linking 3 core programmatic platforms intended to bridge DRC emergency programming, programming in support of solutions for displaced populations and programming that address root causes in fragile environment, i.e. a deliberate attempt to design programme that address these issues in interrelated and comprehensive manners. In the reporting period all DRC country programmes, have framed their programmes in the context of the new response framework. DRC has devised an engagement plan for the global compact on refugees with focus on advancing a principled solutions agenda. DRC has produced and advanced statements in connection to the NY summit, and at the EU level participated in panel discussions, and consultations with EEAS and issued joint recommendations to the EU. At field level, DRC initiated and hosted joint NGO secretariats in support of solutions (ReDSS, DSP), taking central role in regional evidence-based advocacy (rountables, reports).

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    A global lead for the so-called "solutions programme platform" secures coherence of DRC's engagement in various forms (programme, evidence, advocacy) and at various levels (global-regional-field), and monitors progress. The work is guided by DRC's global 4-year strategic plan, v2020. Annual planning and reporting is done with reference to DRC's senior mangement group which includes senior field staff. In the reporting period all DRC country programmes as part of their annual review circle were requested to frame their programmes in the context of the new response framework, and will report against progress in their annual programme review events.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    A global lead for the so-called "solutions programme platform" secures coherence of DRCs engagement in various forms (programme, evidence, advocacy) and at various levels (global-regional-field), and monitors progress. The work is guided by DRC's global 4-year strategic plan, v2020. Annual planning and reporting is done with reference to DRCs senior mangement group which includes senior field staff.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    Contribute to global efforts to bring forward and translate "the new ways of working" into refugee crisis, and explore an expanded / new role for civil society in these processes. Further, a focus for DRC will be to advance a principled solutions-agenda in context of the global compacts, and to establish a space for people of concern to influence longer-term responses to displacement.

  • Cross cutting issues

    IDPs Refugees

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    3A - Reduce and address displacement

5E
Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

Individual Commitment

Core Commitment

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    DRC has a complex donor portfolio, and therefore a myriad of reporting requirements. We have a very strong interest in reducing complexity, easing work loads and thereby releasing more time for quality

  • Achievements at a glance

    Sponsoring and partaking in workstream #9 related to harmonized and simplified reporting requirements. Tentatively proposed pilot country. In 2017, DRC will be invited to final selection of pilot countries by the end of March 2017.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    DRC's engagement in the Grand Bargain workstream #9 rests with the Head of HQ Compliance and Risk Unit, who is monitoring progress on the potential field pilot by a DRC operation, and engaging in the global discussions on behalf of DRC.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Keeping informed and engaged in the workstream when not being in the lead.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    Participation in field pilot of common reporting format.

  • Specific initiatives

    Grand Bargain