Unit 0. Initial Scoping

Understanding and engaging with the surrounding context is the foundation of any successful project. Before launching a locally led action project, facilitators need to define the area in which they will work and develop a general awareness of the environmental, social, economic and political factors that shape it.

This unit helps project managers, community mobilisers and facilitators (1) develop their understanding of key terms and frameworks relevant to climate, peace and security, and (2) build a ‘baseline assessment’ of an area they mean to work in. By the end of the unit, participants should have a clear picture of how to uncover a community’s socioenvironmental context and the factors that influence it.

Module 0.1 begins with an overview of conceptual frameworks for social and environmental analysis. In Module 0.2, a range of tools for conducting a baseline assessment are introduced. Module 0.3 discusses strategies for engaging others, even during this preliminary stage of project management.

Concepts, tools, and participatory methods discussed in Unit 0 include:

The three modules of Unit 0 will help users:

• understand key terms in Climate, Peace and Security, especially as related to conflict-sensitive climate resilience
• build awareness of various analytical frameworks examining social and environmental systems
• appreciate the importance of integrating locally led action with national and global policy frameworks
• conduct a baseline assessment with attention to environmental, social, economic and political factors
• use existing platforms and conceptual frameworks to identify an area’s key risks and opportunities related to climate and conflict
• support monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning processes by initiating iterative forms of analysis to inform a more robust action plan
• incorporate participatory approaches, even during the initial stages of a potential intervention
• consider themes for collective deliberation, to be collaboratively addressed throughout a project
• engage donors in meaningful ways to bridge locally led action with global policy frameworks

The overall purpose of Unit 0 is to equip facilitators to use contextual analysis and baseline assessment findings to inform and guide effective Locally Led Action on Climate, Peace and Security.