There is no way around it

Working on fragile or conflict contexts is different from work in other projects. The consulting team of a GIZ programme and the individual consultants have to deal with security issues as well as with their own emotionality. National consultants’ personal histories are interlinked with specific conflict issues and actors. This emotionality and how consultants deal with it plays an important role when the consultants interact with the client systems and within their own consulting team. The consultants need to be aware of their own backgrounds and of how to keep the necessary distance to the clients. To deal with tensions and conflicts in the team and rather create a constructive and supportive working atmosphere, the GIZ project or programme manager and the team can strengthen their skills of self-reflection, communication, feedback, peer consulting, and other necessary technical and methodological skills.

Authors

Uta Giebel, Barbara Unger

Applying these skills will enable the team to work more effectively on the conflict context. The experience of a BMZ financed GIZ Peacebuilding Programme in Colombia (Cercapaz, 2007-2015) can inspire others how to achieve this.