Conflict Sensitivity and Risk Management

Capital, resources and opportunities can unintentionally aggravate tensions in conflict-affected communities. A systematic understanding of grievances, power structures and security arrangements helps organisations reduce harm and operate safely.

Operating within conflict-affected contexts risks inadvertently contributing to or creating social tensions amongst communities through the injection of capital, resources, assets and opportunities. Without an in-depth understanding of pre-existing local dynamics, international actors may aggravate historical grievances, embolden specific stakeholders or compromise staff safety. However, the primary challenge is not only to acknowledge conflict-sensitive approaches, but to systematise these frameworks within rapidly shifting and complex environments. For example, misinterpreting tribal alignments, patronage networks or security arrangements can foster mistrust, undermine interventions and destabilise communities.

Sector expertise

How We Help Clients

Conflict sensitivity forms one of the fundamental foundations of MECS’ risk management strategy. Utilising our extensive field networks and technical expertise, we ensure that our partners’ interventions reduce community tensions and promote social cohesion. Our customised approach consists of a sequence of inter-related processes, including understanding root/proximate causes, explaining societal connectors/dividers, mapping influential stakeholders, locating conflict trends and uncertainties as well as plotting scenarios and developing mitigation measures. By delivering localised insights, we produce strategic and actionable advice that enables our partners to operate safely and effectively in the world’s most complex environments.

successful project

Selected case studies

Selected case studies and publications across this expertise area are available on the Case Studies page.

The Role of Tribes in the Release of IS Combatants in Northeast Syria
Study of the role tribes play in the release and reintegration of IS combatants in northeast Syria, including community brokering, accountability and security trade-offs.
The Role of Tribes in the Release of IS Combatants in Northeast Syria
Do Syrian Communities Perceive Former IS Combatants as a Threat?
Perception study on how Syrian communities view the reintegration of former IS combatants — exploring threat perception, security concerns and conditions for acceptance.
Do Syrian Communities Perceive Former IS Combatants as a Threat?
Between States of Movement
Research note on patterns of secondary movement and displacement transitions across Syria, and what they reveal about household decision-making under prolonged uncertainty.
Between States of Movement
Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons in Syria
Long-form research on durable solutions for IDPs in Syria — return, local integration, settlement elsewhere — and the conditions under which each pathway becomes viable.
Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons in Syria
Deir-ez-Zor Rapid Needs Assessment — February 2025
Multi-sectoral rapid needs assessment in Deir-ez-Zor governorate. 416 households surveyed across 7 communities to identify protection, shelter, livelihoods and basic services needs.
Deir-ez-Zor Rapid Needs Assessment — February 2025

Let’s Collaborate with Us!

Whether you need field-based evidence, independent verification or specialist advice, MECS can shape a service around your operating context and decision needs.

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