How to evaluate innovative peacebuilding: the experience of Smart Peace

Smart Peace combines expertise in conflict analysis, community dialogue, political level mediation, evaluation, policy influence and behavioural science to deliver targeted and adaptive conflict resolution interventions in Nigeria, Myanmar and the Central African Republic.

Smart Peace is a programme funded by UK Aid for strategic conflict resolution in fragile and conflict-affected regions. It is implemented by a specialist global consortium led by Conciliation Resources, and comprising of The Asia Foundation, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, International Crisis Group, the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, the Behavioural Insights Team and Chatham House.

The combination of diverse methodologies and approaches used across Smart Peace requires a diverse range of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning tools. Four new reports outline the different methods and explain how these approaches and tools have been adapted to serve the Smart Peace consortium, and the benefits they have delivered in practice. The four methods are:

1. Peer Review

An effective peer review creates a trusted critical conversation between colleagues from both inside and outside a project team, without immediately moving to decision-making, and without imposing binding recommendations. In Smart Peace, peer review was adapted to harness the full participation of multiple partner organisations in a consortium setting.

2. Outcome Harvesting

Outcome Harvesting is a monitoring and evaluation approach designed for programmes which experience constant change, and contend with unexpected and unforeseeable actors and factors in their programming environment. We have developed an adapted version of the Outcome Harvesting methodology to support the Smart Peace consortium to systematically monitor and ‘harvest’ results on an ongoing basis.

3. Sensemaker

Sensemaker is used for assessments, monitoring, evaluations and research. It can be used as a stand‑alone method or in combination with other MEL methods. It lends itself well to participatory monitoring and evaluation and adaptive management practice. 

4. Strategy Testing

Strategy testing offers a structured method for translating learning into action. Through an iterative process of stocktaking, learning and decision-making, this approach requires teams to consider new information, changes in the operating environment, achievements and roadblocks, and to adapt programme interventions accordingly.

To learn more about Smart Peace, join us on Friday 17 September as members of the consortium present lessons learnt from their experiences of innovative peacebuilding in Nigeria, Myanmar and the Central African Republic. Register here.

Smart Peace was initiated in late 2018 as a four year project of approximately £12 million pounds. In 2021, following the decision to reduce the UK’s spending on Overseas Development Assistance, and similarly to many other UK Aid programmes, Smart Peace received notice of early programme closure and will be closed over a year ahead of its original closure date.