Practical guide: GESI-CSPM

This guide and its accompanying toolkit are the result of a collective action-research process focused on impact for target groups and based on two key dimensions of our work: gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) on the one hand, and conflict-sensitive project management (CSM) on the other.

This work grew out of discussions within the MOPSS project on how to address these issues in the increasingly fragile and volatile contexts of West Africa. Between September 2021 and May 2024, a series of workshops was held in four countries – Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali and Niger – bringing project teams together around two objectives: to integrate GESI and CSM approaches more concretely into the project cycle, and to share experiences and strengthen collective learning. The process was characterised by its cross-sectoral (energy, agri-food and water), cross-thematic (climate, governance and GESI) and cross-country approach.

This practical guide explores the concepts, examines the links between GESI and CSM, and captures good practices for integrating these two cross-cutting approaches across three key stages: 1. context analysis, including project-context interactions; 2. planning and identifying strategies to do no harm and have positive impacts on gender equality, inclusion and social cohesion; and 3. gender- and conflict-sensitive monitoring and evaluation.

The GESI/CSM approach is relevant regardless of the level of fragility of the context or where an intervention sits within the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus. It becomes essential for projects operating in fragile and conflict-affected contexts and in settings where social exclusion and gender inequalities are particularly pronounced.

Vikki GRIME, Conflict Sensitivity Advisor | Jacqueline TERRILLON, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Consultant.

See the toolkit accompanying this practical guide.