CHILD PROTECTION COORDINATION WITHIN the CLUSTER APPROACH an Inter‐Agency Survey
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PROVISIONAL RELEASE CHILD PROTECTION COORDINATION WITHIN THE CLUSTER APPROACH An Inter‐Agency Survey March 2008 This document summarizes the main findings of an inter‐agency survey on child protection coordination within the cluster approach that took place from 30 November to 20 December 2007 and covered Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Liberia, Mozambique, the Philippines, Somalia and Uganda. CPIE Coordination Structures within the Cluster Approach Contents INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................3 AIMS OF THE SURVEY....................................................................................................................4 METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................................................4 SURVEY CONSTRAINTS..................................................................................................................5 MAIN FINDINGS.............................................................................................................................6 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................14 ANNEXES ...................................................................................................................................15 ANNEX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CHILD PROTECTION CLUSTER ACTIVITIES – SURVEY (GENERIC)………………………………………………………………………15 ANNEX 2: LIST OF ORGANISATIONS INTERVIEWED IN EACH COUNTRY…………………….21 ANNEX 3: COMPILED CHART OF FINDINGS…………………………………………………22 ANNEX 4: LIST OF DOCUMENTATION AND TOOLS RECEIVED FROM THE FIELD…………….26 ANNEX 5: SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE FIELD AND THE ANNUAL PLANNING WORKSHOP OF THE CHILD PROTECTION WORKING GROUP……………………28 ANNEX 6: COUNTRY BRIEFS: 6.1: CÔTE D’IVOIRE………………………………………………………….30 6.2: DRC……………………………………………………………………. 44 6.3: LEBANON 2006………………………………………………………….60 6.4: LIBERIA………………………………………………………………….71 6.5: MOZAMBIQUE…………………………………………………………...80 6.6: PHILIPPINES……………………………………………………………..90 6.7: SOMALIA……………………………………………………………….100 6.8: UGANDA……………………………………………………………….117 2 CPIE Coordination Structures within the Cluster Approach Child Protection Coordination within the Cluster Approach: An Inter-Agency Survey INTRODUCTION With the introduction of the cluster approach as a key element of the humanitarian reform agenda in 2005, new approaches to sectoral coordination have been developed to improve predictability and accountability for humanitarian action. Several evaluations have been undertaken to date on how clusters are being implemented and progress towards these goals, including review of the protection cluster at field and at global levels.1 The global Protection Cluster Working Group (PCWG), as originally established in 2005, comprised nine separate “areas of responsibility” in a unique architecture2 which was intended to recognize the broad scope of protection as well as the existing technical coordination mechanisms within these areas. The nine areas of responsibility were subsequently reduced in a protection cluster working group retreat in November 2007 to five in order to allow for clearer accountability structures. The inclusion of these elements was considered essential to build a strong foundation for more comprehensive protection strategies with all relevant actors, as well as ensure adequate attention to speciality areas, such as child protection and gender based violence. Although the protection cluster as a whole has been reviewed as part of the 2007 IASC evaluation and through a variety of real-time evaluations in specific crises, the areas of responsibility have not been well documented to date. As a result, little is known about how child protection is managed, coordinated and organized within the cluster approach. Historically, effective child protection coordination mechanisms pre-date the cluster approach and actors within such structures had rarely partnered with broader protection coordination mechanisms. The protection cluster is the first systematic attempt to bring a diverse profile of protection actors together, including child protection actors in this way. With the anticipated scaling up of the cluster approach in 2008, there is interest in identifying the various ways in which these new mechanisms are functioning and to better understand opportunities, challenges, roles and shared responsibilities that this new partnership allows. There is an expectation that much could be learned from current coordination practice in “clusterized” countries. A review of how child protection actors are working within broader protection coordination structures will better allow protection actors and child protection advocates to identify joint priorities for policy, technical guidance, or operational support, as well as areas for separate child protection collaboration. 1 Among these are the November 2007 IASC external evaluation and November 2006 IASC Interim Self-Assessment of Implementation. 2 The current 5 areas of responsibility and their focal point agencies include: Child Protection (UNICEF), Land, Housing and Property Rights (UNHABITAT), GBV (UNFPA/UNICEF), Rule of Law (UNDP/OHCHR), Land Mines (UNMAS). The decision of the PCWG retreat to reduce the number of areas of responsibility remains to be endorsed by the IASC Principles. 3 CPIE Coordination Structures within the Cluster Approach In response to this identified need, the child protection membership of the global Protection Cluster Working Group3 agreed in the fall of 2007 to support an exploratory survey on child protection coordination and the cluster system. The International Save the Children Alliance, International Rescue Committee, UNHCR, OCHA and UNICEF volunteered to conduct interviews and work as an interagency survey team. UNICEF contracted the Women’s Commission to oversee the interagency survey, conduct additional case interviews and to draft the compiled report. AIMS OF THE SURVEY The survey was designed to be a very light tool to gather baseline information about current child protection coordination mechanisms, perceived relationships between these mechanisms and the protection cluster, and priorities for field support. It was anticipated that this would then provide indications of how the Child Protection Working Group of the PCWG could provide guidance to field-based colleagues in implementing cluster work, and inform a field- based perspective within the PCWG on opportunities or challenges that the introduction of the cluster approach has brought about for child protection coordination mechanisms and actors. The timing of the survey was determined to allow for preliminary results to be shared with participants and inform the Annual Planning Workshop of the Child Protection Working Group in Geneva, 16-18 January 2008. Final results will be used to inform other stakeholders about child protection within the cluster approach as well. METHODOLOGY In order to undertake the survey, a generic questionnaire was drafted to allow for comparative results in the surveys4. As mentioned above, a cross-agency team of surveyors was set up comprising UN agencies (OCHA, UNICEF and UNHCR) and NGOs (Save the Children Alliance, International Rescue Committee, Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children). Within the team it was agreed that the interviews would be confidential, in order to allow for candor. Between November 30th and December 20th 2007, 8 countries were surveyed,5 and a total of 25 people from UNICEF, UNHCR, OCHA, IRC, the International Save the Children Alliance, NRC, and national NGOs were interviewed6. Although most of the interviews took place by phone, some were conducted in person. On average, the interviews took between 1 and 1 ½ hours. All interviewees were field-based, with the exception of a small number of participants who have recently returned from field postings. 3 Current membership includes: International Save the Children Alliance, International Rescue Committee, World Vision International, Terre des Hommes, Women’s Commission on Refugee Women and Children, OCHA, UNHCR and UNICEF (as the Child Protection focal point agency). ICRC also participates as an observer. 4 See questionnaire in Annex 1 5 Originally, 9 countries were foreseen. However, it proved impossible to interview counterparts in Colombia within the given timeframe. The Women’s Commission received a questionnaire from UNHCR Colombia in February 2008. The results therefore reflect mainly the survey of the 8 countries, where several people were interviewed. 6 See list of interviewees and countries in Annex 2. 4 CPIE Coordination Structures within the Cluster Approach The survey was developed primarily as an exploratory tool of how child protection coordination is currently functioning at the field (capital and sub-office) level. With this in mind, many of the survey questions were open to allow for perception and impressions. While these responses were triangulated to a certain degree, the survey methodology did not include cross- checking all information with other sources. The results should not, therefore, be seen as an evaluation of child protection mechanisms nor of field-based protection clusters; rather, the results should be seen as a mapping of concerns, opportunities, weaknesses, and gaps which can be addressed to improve predictability, accountability—and eventually perceived impact—of the