Shifting Power to Local Peace Actors

How could the Framework be utilized to strengthen international organizations in their efforts to support locally led peacebuilding? If seeking radical and sustainable change of the system for creating conducive space for locally-led peacebuilding, the Chain of Influence Framework must be turned upside down. Then, the needs of local actors become the foundation for international systems change (see figure below). 

Reversing the chains offers several ways for international organizations to contribute to a more effective and enabling system to emerge. From the perspective of a foundation, one avenue can be to take on broader processes – e.g., around diversity, equality and inclusion – of organizational change mandated by its leadership. As a consequence, this may lead to a rethinking of behaviors and policies on the next level of society, the political constituencies. Internal change processes that consistently support such change are challenging and require profound and organization-wide change in structures, practices and norms. For this to happen, it is important that top-level management understand the logic and need for systems change as well as taking on board organizational development managers in designing change processes that are based on the needs of local actors.

The figure used to visualize the logic of the Chain of Influence Framework is inspired by DNA. DNA is the basic component of any form of life. The systems design of DNA is both a source of replication and rigidity, as well as a source of growth and development. The molecules in DNA are tightly knit together, making their trajectory of replication difficult to change. They divide into new DNA structures that have the same characteristics as the original strand. The international aid system is equally tightly knit and is replicated within and between its organizations through chains of influence. It takes multiple trajectories to reach local actors, with a significant number of intermediaries embedded in the chains.

The colors used in the visual DNA-inspired Chain of Influence Framework shifts from blue to green to yellow and then to orange. The color blue symbolizes the power and technocracy of international organizations, while the color orange symbolizes the human potential of local actors in contributing to sustainable peace. In this figure, the directionality of power is illustrated by the reversal color coding.