Cda collaborative learning projects

CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, Inc.
Annual Report
June 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013
One Alewife Center, Suite 400, Cambridge MA 02140, USA
Available for download at: www.cdacollaborative.org

CDA Collaborative Learning Projects is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts on April 3, 2003. We are committed to improving the effectiveness of
international actors who provide humanitarian assistance, engage in peace practice, and are involved in
supporting sustainable development.
Photos: CDA
CDA is funded primarily by governments and companies who support us because we have a
proven capacity to combine robust analysis with pragmatic solutions to deliver practical tools and techniques
to field staff and international policymakers alike. Our methods are inductive; our approach is collaborative.
We work with individuals and organizations in the development, humanitarian, peacebuilding, and corporate
domains to assist them with identifying solutions to complex and shared challenges. Our partners are global,
but our focus is local, i.e., on people and communities who stand to benefit most from the international
assistance system.
Clockwise from top right: Do No Harm workshop, Yangon, 2013. Isabella Jean during a Listening Exercise, India, 2012 Photo: Chandrakant Deokar.
Reflecting on Peace Practice workshop, Barcelona, 2013. Mary B. Anderson and Marshall Wallace signing their book Opting Out of War, Cambridge, 2013.
Graphic Design by Jonathan Vogel-Borne

C DA A NNUA L R EPORT 2 0 1 2 – 2 0 1 3 | 3
Contents
Message from Executive Director, 4
Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles, 5
Financial Report, 6–7
CDA’s Collaborative Learning Process, 8–9
CDA Publications, 10–11
Publications in Focus, 12–15
CDA Programs, 17–25
Corporate Engagement Program, 18–19
Do No Harm Program, 20–21
Listening Program, 22–23
Reflecting on Peace Practice Program, 24–25
Looking Ahead to the 2013-2014 Fiscal Year, 26
Board and Staff, 27
Donors, back cover
On cover from left to right: Listening Exercise, Pakistan, 2013 Photo: Manuel Pereira. Corporate Engagement Program visit, Sierra Leone, 2011 Photo: CDA.
Listening Exercise, Pakistan, 2013 Photo: Manuel Pereira. Corporate Engagement Program visit, Uganda, 2011 Photo: CDA.

4 | C D A A NNUA L R EPORT 2 0 1 2 – 2 0 1 3
Message from the
Executive Director
Dear friends and colleagues,
Welcom e to CDA’s Annual Repor t for the fiscal
year June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013. We
hope you enjoy the new format we have adopted
for the report, with less text and more links to relevant
resources.
This has been a year of many transitions for CDA. First,
we made a decision early in this calendar year to use the
name “CDA,” rather than the elaborate name “CDA Collab-orative
Learning Projects.” While this remains our legal
name, everyone calls us “CDA” anyway! We have a new
logo and tagline to accompany the new name. [Discover
the story behind our name at: www.cdacollaborative.org/
about-us/who-we-are/early-development-of-cda.]
Second, I assumed the position of Executive Director on
January 1, 2013, following the three-year service of Steve
Darvill. Steve decided it was time to return to Australia,
where he is now in the vortex of rapid change in their aid
program. For me, after ten years as Co-Director of the
Reflecting on Peace Practice Program, it has been a period
of recalibration. As Executive Director, my programmatic
focus transitioned into attention to the administrative and
financial challenges of the organization, as well as keeping
track of all four of CDA’s programs. So far this has been
an enjoyable effort, as I work with such a dedicated and
talented group of people.
Finally, we have been slowly expanding the number of
staff at CDA, and now have fifteen, a gain of two positions
in one year. Thus we decided to relocate to a bright and
spacious new office in Alewife Center, Cambridge, MA.
One of the new staff positions is associated with a special
grant from the State Department for work on issues
of corruption in central Africa. This is an exciting new
challenge for CDA, undertaken in partnership with our
colleagues at Besa Consulting in Canada. Meanwhile, the
continuous challenge of extending CDA’s outreach was
met this year by launching a new, user-friendly website
and adding a half-time position dealing with CDA commu-nications.
This has also been a very productive year for CDA.
We finalized and released two books at the end of 2012:
Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of
International Aid and Opting Out of War: Strategies to
Prevent Violent Conflict. Both of these publications draw
conclusions from several years of evidence gathering and
analysis. They are highlighted later in this report.
In addition to these two books, CDA staff have shared
their lessons through working papers, articles, issue
papers, and guidance products on a wide range of topics
of interest to humanitarian, development, peacebuilding,
and corporate actors. Most of these are available on our
improved website, and a list of publications is provided in
this report.
Also in this report, each of the CDA programs has
briefly outlined their accomplishments during the 2013
fiscal year and their expected activities during the 2014
fiscal year. Yet as an organization, CDA is increasingly
identifying cross-cutting lessons and challenges shared
across its four programs. This coming year, in an effort to
make cross-program integration a reality, we are exploring
how best to realign CDA programs and link the rich array
of partners with whom we work.
Recently CDA has been exploring a cross-CDA collabo-rative
learning effort regarding the general theme of
prevention of armed violence. Each CDA program has
sorted through how it could contribute to learning in
this area within their specialized area as we determine
a specific focus for this effort. In a similar vein, we have
recognized that each CDA program is addressing issues
of monitoring and evaluation in one way or another. This
is, then, another area for cross-cutting work. We are also
seriously considering establishing CDA field presence in a
few selected locations, in order to sustain application of
CDA principles, lessons, and practical tools.
We look forward to engaging with many of you
during the year ahead. Please let us know if you have any
questions or feedback for us.
Best wishes,
Peter Woodrow

CDA’s Mission, Vision,
and Guiding Principles
Mission
CDA facilitates collaborative learning promoting effective and
accountable international engagements.
Vision
CDA strives for a world in which communities and nations demon-strate
resilience, drive their own development, and resolve conflicts
without resorting to armed violence.
Guiding Principles
Respect | Accountability |
Fairness | Transparency
We maintain relationships of respect, accountability, fairness, and
transparency with those whom we work and engage with, as well as
with our learning partners and donors.
People are a Source
of Guidance
The views and perspectives of people affected by international
assistance are an important source of guidance for improving future
practice.
Local Capacities are
More Effective
Local capacities for economic development, social change, and
peacebuilding are more effective and more sustainable as the basis
for policies and practices.
Context Matters
Context matters, and all interventions have impacts on the societies
and people involved.
Independence | Integrity |
Partnership
We preserve CDA’s independence and integrity by working with
international organizations in a spirit of partnership.
Impartiality
We sustain our impartiality with multiple interest groups by
refraining from becoming an implementing agency.

6 | C D A A NNUA L R EPORT 2 0 1 2 – 2 0 1 3
Financial Report
CDA generated $1,415,107 in new and previously obligated funds during FY 2012-13, ending May 31, 2013. This repre-sents
a decrease of 33% when compared to the FY 2011-12 outcome ($2,098,911) and is similar to the FY 2010-11 income
of $1,463,136. A significant portion of the difference between FY 2012 and FY 2013 can be attributed to the timing of
when revenues were received.
Program expenses increased slightly over the previous fiscal year, from $1,541,611 to $1,741,267, resulting in a decrease
in net assets of $326,160. Donors to CDA’s programs this year include the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation
and Development, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Swiss
Agency for Development Cooperation, US Department of State, US Agency for International Development, UK Depart-ment
for International Development, PeaceNexus Foundation, Total S.A., and Suncor.
CDA’s financial statements are audited on an annual basis by Bernard Johnson & Company, P.C. in accordance with
the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The
following Statement of Financial Position and Statement of Activities for the year ending May 31, 2013 are extracted from
CDA’s financial statements. The complete audited statements are available upon request to CDA management.
PERCENTAGE OF PROGRAM EXPENSES OUT OF CDA’S TOTAL EXPENSES
The accompanying pie chart shows the distribution of CDA expenses across all programs and administration. During
FY 2012-13, 83% of expenses were attributable to direct and indirect program expenses and 17% to administration,
monitoring, and evaluation.

Financial Report
Statement of Financial Position
Year Ending
May 31, 2013 May 31, 2012
ASSETS US$
Total non-current assets 50,504 15,000
Total current assets 739,624 1,050,524
Total Assets 790,128 1,065,524
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS US$
Total net assets 703,621 1,029,780
Total current liabilities 86,507 35,744
Total Liabilities and Net Assets 790,128 1,065,524
Statement of Activities
Year Ending
May 31, 2013 May 31, 2012
REVENUE US$
Grant Revenue 1,110,620 1,691,780
Contract Revenue 277,429 405,795
Other 27,058 1,336
Total Revenue 1,415,107 2,098,911
Expenses US$
Program Expense 1,288,025 1,190,240
Administration and Support Expense 453,242 351,371
Total Expense 1,741,267 1,541,611
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS US$
Net assets, begining of year 1,029,780 472,480
Net assets, end of year 703,620 1,029,780
Total change in net assets (326,160) 557,300

CDA’s Collaborative Learning
and Dissemination Processes
Consultation 
early themes and
patterns.
Initial case studies
of eld experiences
and literature review
Initial consultation:
 framing of the question +
identication of information
needs
Additional cases studies
and consultations:
preliminary Issue Papers
Intensive case analysis
 revised Issue Papers
(provisional ndings)
Feedback Workshops
among practitioners 
validation/renement
of learning
Consolidated
lessons 
REPORT or BOOK
Collaborative
Learning Process
Identication of an
important question
New questions for
study
Progresss toward
sustainable peace
with justice
1
Development of
practical guidance
and tools
Awareness
raising, general
dissemination
Training
workshops
Mentoring, coaching,
accompaniment
Dissemination
Activities
Desired results, not in
CDA’s control!
Improvements in
program design, quality
eectiveness
Organizational learning,
systems change
3
2
4
5
6
7
8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Theory of Change
If practitioners are provided with
evidence-based findings regarding
what works, and are accompanied
through individual learning and
organizational systems change,
improved programming is more
likely to achieve sustainable
development with peace and justice.

CDA’s core commitment is to collaborative learning across organizations and contexts. The top cycle shows the
typical steps in CDA’s learning methodology. The bottom cycle depicts how CDA disseminates its findings through aware-ness
raising, training, and other forms of engagement.
Collaborative Learning Values:
• Involve people directly in the learning process.
• Test assumptions and inform policy and practice from field experience.
• Utilize joint reflective practice for mutual sharing and stimulating changes in policy and practice.
• Base learning on a wide range of perspectives elicited through open-ended inquiry.
This Year’s Learning and
Dissemination in Numbers
Awareness Raising Efforts
CDA wrote
21 publications,
including
2 new books
Training to Build Skills
CDA delivered
57 presentations and
led 13 training and
workshop events
Support Program Design
CDA responded
to 4 DFID Help
Desk Requests*
*What is a Help Desk Request? CDA is engaged in the Conflict, Crime and Violence Results Initiative
(CCVRI), which is a partnership between the UK Department for International Development (DFID)’s
Conflict Humanitarian and Security Department and a consortium of leading organizations in the
fields of conflict, security, and justice. CCVRI maintains a Help Desk function that provides direct
and customized support to DFID country offices as they try to improve measurement of results
in local contexts. CDA responds to Help Desk requests as a member of a CCVRI conflict-oriented
sub-consortium, with CARE UK and Search for Common Ground.

1 0 | C D A A NNUA L R EPORT 2 0 1 2 – 2 0 1 3
CDA Publications
Articles
Questions for Planning Any Development Project. DNH program staff. CDA. June 2012
Application of the RPP Program Reflection Exercise Addressing Land Related Conflicts in Tierra Firma. Peter
Woodrow, Koenraad van Brabant. CDA.
November 2012
Aid Recipient Perspectives on Strengthening Country Systems. Dayna Brown. USAID. November 2012
The Do No Harm Chain: Linking Analysis to Actio In Using Both DNH Frameworks. Nicole Goddard. CDA. May 2013
What Do Local People Really Think? Do Our Evaluation Systems Really Measure What Matters?
May 2013
Dayna Brown. InterAction: Monthly Developments.
Blog Posts
When was the last time you just sat and listened? Dayna Brown. CDA. December 2012
Another look inside the aid “industry”. Dayna Brown. CDA. January 2013
Old Whines. Marshall Wallace. CDA. February 2013
We are committed to listen to you. Isabella Jean. CDA. February 2013
The B-Word. Candice Montalvo. CDA. February 2013
Evidence – is it in the eye of the beholder? Dayna Brown. CDA. March 2013
Best Practices. Candice Montalvo. CDA. April 2013
Listening Leads to Better Outcomes. Dayna Brown. CDA. April 2013
Books
Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of International Aid. Mary B. Anderson, Dayna Brown,
Isabella Jean.
December 2012
Opting Out of War: Strategies to Prevent Violent Conflict. Mary B. Anderson, Marshall Wallace. Lynne
Rienner Publishers.
January 2013
Guidance Notes
Risk and Do No Harm. DNH program staff. CDA. August 2012
Developing Options. DNH program staff. CDA. August 2012
Monitoring and Evaluating Conflict Sensitivity: Methodological Challenges and Practical Solutions. Diana
Chigas, Rachel Goldwyn. UK Aid.
March 2013
Practical Approaches to Theories of Change in Conflict, Security and Justice Programmes Part I. Peter
Woodrow with Nick Oatley. UK Aid.
March 2013
Human Rights and Do No Harm. DNH program staff. CDA. April 2013

C DA A NNUA L R EPORT 2 0 1 2 – 2 0 1 3 | 1 1
Issue Papers
Linkages and Convergences. RP program staff. CDA. August 2012
Claims and Reality of Linkages between Peace Writ Large and Peace Writ Little. RP program staff. CDA. August 2012
Women, Gender, and Peacebuilding: Do Contributions Add Up? RP program staff. CDA. August 2012
The Contribution of Civil Society in Peacebuilding. RP program staff. CDA. August 2012
Leadership and Adding Up. RP program staff. CDA. August 2012
“Outsider” Roles and Relationships in Cumulative Impacts. RP program staff. CDA. August 2012
Strategies for Dealing with the Hard to Reach. RP program staff. CDA. August 2012
Addressing or Neglecting Persistent Issues: Threats of Renewed Violence or a Long-term Development
Agenda. RP program staff. CDA.
August 2012
Timing of Work and Progress in Domains. RP program staff. CDA. August 2012
Newsletters
Do No Harm Summer 2012 Newsletter. DNH program staff. CDA. June 2012
CDA Summer 2012 Newsletter. CDA staff. CDA. August 2012
Do No Harm Fall 2012 Newsletter. DNH program staff. CDA. November 2012
CDA Winter 2012 Newsletter. CDA staff. CDA. December 2012
CEP Winter 2013 Newsletter. CEP program staff. CDA. February 2013
CDA Spring 2013 Newsletter. CDA staff. CDA. April 2013
Reports
Listening Exercise Report from Tamil Nadu Southern India. Isabella Jean. Oxfam International. September 2012
Theories and Indicators of Change (THINC): Concepts and Primers for Conflict Management and Mitiga-tion.
Eileen Babbitt, Diana Chigas, Robert Wilkinson. USAID.
January 2013
Theories and Indicators of Change (THINC) Briefing Paper: Concepts and Primers for Conflict Management
and Mitigation. Eileen Babbitt, Diana Chigas, Robert Wilkinson. USAID.
January 2013
Working Papers
Evaluating Impact in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Programs. Mark M. Rogers. CDA. November 2012
Evaluating Relevance in Peacebuilding Programs. Mark M. Rogers. CDA. November 2012
An Alternative to Formal Evaluation of Peacebuilding: Program Quality Assessment. Diana Chigas, Cordula
Reimann, Peter Woodrow. CDA.
December 2012
Evaluability Assessments in Peacebuilding Programming. Cordula Reimann. CDA. December 2012

Opting Out of War: Strategies to
Prevent Violent Conflict
New book by Mary B. Anderson and Marshall Wallace
In the mid st of war , some communities develop
strategies to exempt themselves from participation
in surrounding violence. This book reports stories of
existing capacities and resilience on the part of multiple
communities—some quite sizable and significant—that
manage to prevent violent conflict when all the incentives
that surround them are to become involved, to fight.
Stories of Thirteen Communities The stories of thirteen
communities show that opting out of violent conflict
is possible. Normal people living normal lives have the
option to say no to war, and they exercise that option.
Normal leaders in systems that already exist can and do
respond to and support their people in non-engagement
strategies. This kind of conflict prevention does not require
special training, new leadership, or special funding. It
occurs, repeatedly and around the world, in different types
of conflict.
The communities described in this book were successful
because they acted with intentionality and planning to
set themselves apart from the agendas of the war, for
pragmatic rather than ideological reasons. They did not
avoid interaction with actors in the conflict nor attempt
to be irrelevant to the battle. They were not hidden
from view by remoteness or because of insignificance in
numbers.
The alternate route they chose is not war prevention,
but it does constitute prevention of violent conflict in their
contexts. The communities themselves did not claim to be
models of universal applicability, and we do not make this
claim for them. In most cases, they also did not attempt to
influence other communities or the wider war dynamics as
peace or anti-war activists.
Relevance for Conflict Prevention The stories are inter-esting
and impressive in and of themselves. Beyond that,
by describing, comparing, and analyzing these thirteen
examples, this book intends to add to and broaden the
discussion of how conflict prevention can work in other
areas. The cumulative evidence from the communities
represents a strong coherent body of experience that can
provide useful and practical insights for local and interna-tional
actors who seek to improve the outcomes of current
conflict prevention efforts.
Strategies for Non-Engagement Resilience What
do these communities do that succeeds? Do their strate-gies
hold any relevant lessons for broader peacemaking
efforts undertaken by international actors?
CDA Publications
in Focus

These non-war communities shared six characteristic
capacities that supported and informed each other as the
communities relied upon them to stay out of war:
1. Making a decision to opt out of war as a commu-nity.
2. Choosing an identity that was well known, tradi-tional,
and incompatible with the war.
3. Maintaining normal life as much as possible
through continuing to provide services and
promote economic activity.
4. Supporting internal cohesion through local
dispute resolution and codes of conduct.
5. Achieving security through engagement with
fighters and trickery.
6. Celebrating with one another through festivals,
holidays, sporting events, etc.
If war breaks out and widespread violence occurs, this
indicates that existing prevention systems have not been
strong enough. Worse, war itself causes many pre-existing
connections to fail. As a result, most observers—both
insiders and outsiders—conclude that new systems need
to be imagined and created to enable a warring society to
become peaceful.
This conclusion is undoubtedly true, but it may be
less true than we imagine. These thirteen communities
provide examples of strategies and processes for avoiding
participation in conflict that exist more often and in more
warring areas than we usually recognize. The thirteen
situations are not unique. In each of these locations and in
many others around the world where conflict occurs, we
have heard many stories of similar groups.
In areas where war was being waged, these communi-ties
were able to opt out of the conflict and to develop
strategies by which they survived without joining sides.
Taken together, their stories provide useful insights into
the capacities needed to prevent conflict and provide
strong markers of resilience. They show that such capaci-ties
and resilience exist—even in warring areas. They
deserve our attention and provide instruction for other
communities and for international actors.
The book can be found for purchase here on CDA’s website.
During Corporate Engagement Program visit, Madagascar, 2011. Photo: CDA

Time To Listen: Hearing People on the
Receiving End of International Aid
New book by Mary B. Anderson, Dayna Brown, and Isabella Jean
Does the way international assistance is provided
make sense? Is it working as we mean it to? This
book approaches these questions by asking people
on the receiving side about their experiences with inter-national
aid efforts. It captures the ideas, insights, and
analyses of almost 6,000 people across twenty countries
where international aid has been provided.
From such a range of locations and people, one might
expect vastly different ideas and opinions. However,
remarkably consistent patterns and common judgments
emerged. In the midst of difference, there was striking
unanimity and consistency about the processes and the
effects of the current international aid system.
The evidence presented in this book shows that
people want smarter aid, not necessarily more aid. Using
their words, their experiences, and their ideas, this book
describes why the cumulative impacts of international
aid efforts have not met expectations. It describes a way
forward to make changes that, according to those on
the receiving end, will lead to more effective and lasting
results.
Local Voices Need to be Heard:
Four Key Messages
1. International aid is a good thing that is
appreciated.
2. Assistance as it is now provided is not
achieving its intent.
3. Fundamental changes must be made in how aid
is provided if it is to become an effective tool in
support of positive and lasting economic, social,
and political changes.
4. These fundamental changes in how aid is
provided are both possible and doable.
A New Aid Paradigm
A paradigm shift is necessary to alter the way interna-tional
aid is conceived and provided. At the core of the
current externally driven aid delivery system is a focus
on the delivery of goods, services, and ideas engendered
from outside the local context. Time To Listen proposes
transforming the approach to providing aid by engaging
with local people in collaborative planning and decision-making
processes in which insiders and outsiders analyze
the context, generate options, and jointly decide the
best strategy for pursuing the desired changes that local
people seek, as well as joint evaluations of the progress
made and challenges remaining.
To make this shift, donors and aid agencies need to
simplify and refocus their policies, procedures, alloca-tion
of resources (time and money), and the time and
talents of their staff and partners on the ultimate goal of
supporting local people to drive their own responses to
crises, recovery, and long-term development.
CDA Publications
in Focus

Externally Driven Aid Delivery System Collaborative Aid System
Local people seen as beneficiaries and aid recipients Local people seen as colleagues and drivers of their own
development
Focus on identifying needs Focus on supporting/reinforcing capacities and identifying local
priorities
Pre-planned/pre-determined programs Context-relevant programs developed jointly by recipient
communities and aid providers
Provider-driven decision making Collaborative decision making
Focus on spending on a pre-determined schedule Fit money and timing to strategy and realities on the ground
“This focus on the cumulative impact of aid on poor people is really valuable, because it contrasts with
most aid evaluations, which focus on individual projects or programs….
But perhaps the most disturbing point is that I cannot think of a previous exercise like this—recording
the views of aid recipients on this scale…. If you want a challenging, thoughtful, uncomfortable,
bottom up critique of aid, Time to Listen is the place to start.”
—Duncan Green, Strategic Adviser for Oxfam GB. The full review is available on Duncan’s blog From Poverty
To Power. [See more reviews and references to the book’s findings here on our website.]
CDA knows that bringing about systemic change
requires a critical mass of individuals and organizations
hearing and acting on the findings of Time to Listen both
individually and collaboratively. We made the book avail-able
for purchase at a low cost and in a free downloadable
format so that it would be easily accessible and shareable.
We also started a blog, Time to Listen, which provides a
forum to share ideas and guidance on how to act on the
Time to Listen findings. Within a few months of the book’s
publication, CDA staff have made many presentations to
and held discussions with key audiences including donors,
aid agencies, the UN , evaluators, researchers, and others on
the findings and implications of the lessons in the book.
Staff evaluated and rewarded for managing projects
on time and on budget
Staff evaluated and rewarded for quality of relationships and results
that recipients say make lasting positive changes in their lives
Monitoring and evaluation by providers on project
spending and delivery of planned assistance
Monitoring, evaluation, and follow-up by providers and recipients
on the results and long-term effects of assistance
Focus on growth Planned draw down and mutually agreed exit/end of assistance
strategy
The book can be found for free download or for purchase here on CDA’s website.

Photo: CDA
Photo: Carrie O’Neil
Photo: CDA
Photo: CDA

CDA PROGRAMS
ACCOMPLISHMENTS FUTURE PROSPECTS

Photo: CDA
Corporate Engagement
Program
Over the past year , the Corporate Engagment
Program (CEP ) has continued disseminating the
lessons learned from Getting it Right and launched
a new learning project focused on business and armed
non-state actors.
Disseminating Lessons from
Getting it Right
Supporting Corporate Operations This past year
we have continued working closely with companies to
help them embed conflict sensitivity into their business
practices and to expand
our learning about
approaches to improving
corporate practices.
In addition to ongoing
work with Total, we
conducted a field visit to
Maersk Drilling in Angola.
We developed recom-mendations
to make their
Corporate Social Respon-sibility
(CSR) planning
The Corporate Engagement Program (CEP)
works to ensure that companies have
positive impacts on communities in the
vicinity of their operations by developing
and implementing practical management
tools for constructive company-community
engagement.
tool more robust and to
strengthen policies at the
headquarters level. We
continue to work with Suncor Energy in their development
of internal guidelines for operations in complex environ-ments.
Engagement with China This year we also had an
opportunity to engage in dialogue with Chinese compa-nies
about their impacts on local communities outside
of China. CEP joined with the American Friends Service
Committee (AFSC) in supporting the New Century
Academy on Transnational Corporations (NATC) in devel-oping
a Chinese-language volume about social, political,
and conflict risk in complex
environments. As part of
this collaboration, CEP ’s
Preventing Conflict in
Exploration (PCE) tool was
translated into Chinese and
published as an appendix to
the NATC book.
CEP staff were also
featured speakers at a one-day
conference that NATC convened in Beijing. A second
Corporate Enagagement Program
Director, Dost Bardouille,
visit to Beijing took place in
April 2013, coinciding with
meetings of the UN Global
Compact and the Global
Business Initiative. Both visits
included meetings with
Chinese enterprises, financial
institutions, journalists, and
civil society organizations
(CSOs). We continue to pursue
these networking and experi-ence-
sharing opportunities in
an effort to develop sustained
programmatic work with
Chinese corporations, financial
institutions, regulatory bodies, and CSR experts.
International Council of Swedish Industry CEP
joined with CDA’s Reflecting on Peace Practice Program
(RPP ) to produce a chapter in the newly published book
Management in Complex Environments. The book was the
final product of a project organized by the International
Council of Swedish Industry (NIR). The chapter integrates
RPP ’s thinking about “Peace Writ Large” with CEP ’s knowl-edge
of conflict-sensitive business practice. The book was
published by NIR in November 2013.
speaking in Beijing
Accomplishments During This Fiscal Year

New Initiatives
Business and Armed Non-State Actors In January
2013, we launched a new collaborative learning project
focused on business and armed non-state actors (ANS As).
This multi-year project is aimed at developing guidance
for conflict-sensitive
business practice in areas of
violent intrastate conflict.
With the first phase of
the project underway, we
have produced a literature
review and convened an
initial consultation, held
in Geneva, which brought
together representatives of
companies, governments,
and international agencies,
as well as individual experts,
to discuss the challenges
that companies and other actors face when they operate
in areas where ANS As are active.
The Coming Year
CEP will continue to work with corporations to support
their efforts to improve their impacts and their relation-ships
A Global Network The past year CEP
presented or facilitated at workshops
and confernces in 13 different countries!
As a way of staying engaged with our
expanding network of multi-lateral
initiatives, peer organizations, and
corporations we started launching our own
newsletter. Don’t wait to subscribe!
with communities. Field visits to Total operation
sites in Nigeria and Bolivia are scheduled for September
and December 2013, respectively. We will pursue further
dialogue with Chinese state-owned enterprises and finan-cial
institutions and extend our partnership with NATC
and AFSC. CEP will also continue to work directly with
company partners to develop further learning on internal
organizational challenges to leading in complex markets.
CEP seeks to undertake regular consultations with a small
corporate working group on
practical management and
systems thinking options
towards responsible business.
ANSAs During the first half
of 2014, we will complete the
first phase of the Business and
ANS As learning project with
a state of play reporting on
current gaps in and challenges
to responsible business in areas
where ANS As are present, as
well as an advanced program
plan for phase two to identify lessons learned from
companies working in areas where ANS As are present.
Cambridge Consultation CEP is convening a consulta-tion
in the fall with leaders from the extractive industries,
NGOs, and governments to discuss key challenges facing
businesses that seek to operate constructively in fragile
and conflict-affected environments.
Practitioners at a Reflecting on Peace Practice workshop in Cyprus, 2012. Photo: CDA

The Do No Harm Program (DNH ) has spent the
past year reflecting on how best to move aid workers
from knowledge to understanding to actions. We
have worked on several new approaches, techniques, and
methodologies for teaching Do No Harm and broadening
its reach. We began a process for updating the existing
DNH tools and integrating DNH with tools from other
CDA programs and partner organizations, which included
adapting DNH and expanding the method.
Applying DNH to Land
Issues Land issues are
often driving factors of
conflict. Access to land, to
titles, and to the resources
and benefits associated
with land are frequent
flashpoints for violence
and drawn-out conflicts.
Yet technical and legal
specialists often view their
work as neutral or as a
small piece of a larger
process, and assume that
they need not worry
about their impacts on the context.
In June 2012, we began working with a land tenure
expert on the challenge of incorporating conflict sensi-tive
practices into the work of technical specialists
working on land tenure and property rights interven-tions.
By early 2013, the DNH team and the land tenure
expert completed a tool specifically for technical and
legal specialists: DNH in Land Tenure and Property Rights:
Designing and Implementing Conflict Sensitive Interven-tions
(the “land tool”). This land tool reminds specialists
that their work has impacts on conflict, and that they can
look for options to mitigate negative impacts and build
upon positive effects. The tool also incorporates special-ized
perspectives on gender and marginalized groups in
relation to land tenure.
The draft land tool was presented to the World Urban
Forum in Naples, Italy in September 2012, and many
organizations gave feedback for the final version. The tool
was also field tested in the Democratic Republic of Congo
and Colombia by Mercy Corps.
DNH and Govern-mental
Entities DNH
has been working with
the Ministry of Agricul-ture
and other partners
in Colombia, aiming to
ensure that a significant
land restitution program is
conflict sensitive. The land
tool noted above is one
result of that engagement.
The DNH team and donor
representatives have
gained insights into the
benefits and challenges
of working with official
bodies in highly politicized contexts.
Integrating DNH with Reflecting on Peace Practice
The other major adaptation of DNH in the past year was
a joint project with CDA’s Reflecting on Peace Practice
Program (RPP ). The two programs worked together to
create a pilot training program which combined DNH and
RPP tools and lessons. The four-day training workshop was
tested in March 2013 in Yangon, Myanmar/Burma with
an audience of local NGOs, international NGOs (INGOs),
CSOs, and UN agency employees.
Do No Harm
Program
The Do No Harm Program (DNH)
promotes conflict-sensitive humanitarian,
development, and peacebuilding practice,
especially in conflict-prone and fragile
environments. DNH offers practical tools
for context analysis, conflict-sensitive
program/project design, and ongoing
monitoring of impacts on issues of conflict.

Expanding the Method In addition to sector-specific
and cross-program adaptations of DNH , this year a great
deal of DNH training has taken place. In past years, the
DNH program has largely delegated requests for training
to consultants and long-time DNH trainers. This year,
we made a point to accept some of these requests in
order to pilot test modules and methodologies for the
new Trainer’s Manual that we are developing. The DNH
program facilitated a DNH analysis of Madagascar with
NGO workers based in that country, a Training of Trainers
workshop in Myanmar/Burma, a Training-to-Practice
workshop in Spain, and a DNH field assessment in three
villages in Myanmar/Burma.
In each of these workshops and activities, new training
methodologies, new modules, or new techniques were
tested and honed. These will feed into an updated DNH
Trainer’s Manual, which will take a broad view of DNH , its
audience, and a variety of training methodologies.
The Coming Year
Additional Sector-specific Tools Based on the experi-ence
of developing the land tool and the excitement it
generated, the DNH program is planning to produce a
number of other sector-specific tools. Currently, we have
plans to create a DNH and Environment tool, a DNH and
Gender tool, and a DNH and Good Governance tool.
DNH Manuals and Guides In the coming year, we will
complete three significant publications:
1. We will complete the training manual for the
combined DNH /RPP “Significant Change”
workshop, present it to colleagues for their
feedback, and produce a final document for distri-bution.
2. We will complete the rewrite of the DNH Trainer’s
Manual. The new version will incorporate not only
lessons learned in the course of the 2006-2011
reflective case studies, but also the wide range
of innovations in DNH training our colleagues
around the world have made, along with the tools
and lessons of other CDA programs.
3. Finally, we will develop a DNH User’s Guide,
incorporating the learning from DNH applications
since publication of the original book in 1999 and
additional lessons from the reflective case studies
that followed it.
Concluding the Colombia Project CDA’s involvement
with the Colombia land restitution process will come to an
end during the coming fiscal year. DNH is documenting
and analyzing that process and previous engagements
with government bodies in Afghanistan and Liberia
in order to generate provisional lessons regarding the
integration of conflict sensitivity principles and practice
into government programs.
Colleagues Making Innovations In the run-up to
the elections in Kenya, our colleagues there developed
training on conflict sensitivity for journalists. Colleagues
in Bolivia are also working on designing and imple-menting
crisis prevention strategies for the highest levels
of government. In the coming year, DNH hopes to capture
and share these experiences so that the excitement for
innovation, new ideas, and new approaches is kindled.
Do No Harm Training of Trainers in Yangon, March 2013. Photo: CDA.

Time to Listen Published In December 2012,
CDA published Time to Listen: Hearing People on the
Receiving End of International Aid. The book summa-rizes
evidence gathered by listening to nearly 6,000 people
in over twenty countries who have received, participated
in, or observed international assistance. It shares their
perspectives on how the current externally driven aid
delivery system functions and on how the international
aid paradigm needs to shift so that local people are more
meaningfully engaged in all aspects of aid efforts to make
them more collaborative
and effective. [See special
section in this report on
Time to Listen.]
Influencing Policies and
Guidance The Listening
Program (LP ) has provided
input into several policy
and guidance documents
where our findings and
methods were directly
referenced, such as the
Interagency Standing
Committee (IASC) Account-ability
to Affected Popula-tions
(AAP) Framework and
Tools, ALN AP’s 2012 State
of the Humanitarian System
Report, and several InterAction policy briefs, including
“More Effective Capacity Building within US AID Forward”
and the Foreign Assistance Briefing Book (FABB). LP also
presented its policy brief, “Aid Recipient Perspectives on
Strengthening Country Systems,” on a panel at US AID’s
Experience Summit on Strengthening Country Systems in
November 2012.
As co-chair of InterAction’s Conflict and Fragility
Working Group, CDA staff participated in several high-level
meetings and policy discussions on the New Deal for
International Engagement in Fragile States and the Global
Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation with
US government officials, NGOs, UN agencies, and policy-makers.
Research and Evaluation on the Effectiveness of
Feedback Mechanisms CDA’s expertise on listening
processes and feedback
systems continues to be
sought by donors and
operational agencies.
This year, CDA began an
action-research project
with ALN AP focused
on the effectiveness
of feedback mecha-nisms
in humanitarian
contexts and to develop
evidence-informed
guidance for operational
agencies. ALN AP and
CDA conducted field visits
to Sudan, Pakistan, and
Haiti to document effec-tive
feedback practices at
the operational level in
emergency settings. CDA also began work this year as part
of a consortium with ITAD and Development Initiatives to
research and evaluate beneficiary feedback mechanism
pilots that the U.K. Department for International Develop-ment
(DFID) has established in both humanitarian and
development programs.
Listening
Program
The Listening Program (LP) exists to
support local people in driving their own
development. LP works with donors, aid
agencies, and others to more systematically
listen to the perspectives of people who
live in societies that have been on the
recipient side of international assistance to
ensure that their voices inform policies and
practice and to increase the roles of local
people in decision-making processes.

“Donors could also consider further research aimed at documenting and promoting field-level good
practice in supporting beneficiary participation, such as that conducted by the Listening Project. The
recommendations from research on this subject should be integrated into donor policy and guidelines
for working with partners, and widely disseminated through practical training modules.”
—OECD DAC: “Towards Better Humanitarian Donorship: 12 Lessons from DAC Peer Reviews”
Changing the Aid Paradigm LP will continue to share the
findings in Time to Listen and will engage with and support
donors and operational aid agencies (international and local)
to change the ways their agencies listen to and engage with
local people. For instance, we will continue our engagement
with DFID in Myanmar/Burma and with DFID’s Learning
Group on empowerment and accountability.
Research and Learning on Feedback Processes LP
will continue to gather learning and evidence to provide
practical guidance on establishing and integrating effec-tive
feedback loops into organizational decision-making
processes and structures. We will also gather lessons on
how organizations effectively integrate feedback loops
beyond the project level into agency strategies and
policies, so that the ideas and perspectives of local people
are heard—and acted upon—by decision makers.
Looking for “Positive Deviants” LP will gather examples
and evidence of “positive deviants” who work in collabo-rative
ways suggested in Time to Listen and of better
business models to support local people in driving the
changes they seek in their societies. We will work to secure
new funding and partners for case studies on positive
examples of collaborative and innovative ways that donors
and aid agencies engage with local people.
The Coming Year
World Vision feedback box in south Darfur. Photo: CDA.

Reflecting on Peace Practice
Program
This year , the Reflecting on Peace Prac tic e
Program ’s (RPP ) work has focused on three
core themes: supporting RPP practitioners around
the world in their efforts to enhance the effectiveness
and relevance of peacebuilding initiatives, developing
cutting edge tools and approaches in peace practice,
and enhancing synergies and collaboration with other
programs at CDA. It has been a watershed year in all areas.
New Approaches to Training and Accompaniment
As part of an effort to support the growing cadre of
global RPP users and peace practitioners, RPP conducted
an impact and utilization review in East Africa. We inter-viewed
key RPP partners based in Kenya to better under-stand
how they are applying RPP tools and concepts and
what kinds of support local peacebuilders need. Almost
every person interviewed confirmed what we have heard
from practitioners in
other regions: regular
and ongoing consulta-tion
and training from
experienced local RPP
practitioners is essen-tial
for sustained and
The Reflecting on Peace Practice Program (RPP)
aims to improve the effectiveness of peace
efforts. RPP provides practical tools for conflict
analysis, program design, and evaluation, with
an emphasis on systems thinking and theories
effective integration of
RPP into their program
planning and review.
Engagements of
this kind have shaped RPP ’s efforts over the past year to
develop new approaches for disseminating RPP more
effectively and providing the kind of support that our
regional practitioners need.
of change
Advancing Regional Expertise An advanced RPP
training was conducted in the Philippines for members
of Action Asia, a network of peace practitioners in South
and Southeast Asia. This workshop positioned Action Asia
practitioners to use RPP tools and methodologies with
greater confidence and sophistication and to advise novice
users in the region.
Augmenting Global Coverage A training held in Barce-lona
focused on increasing RPP ’s worldwide footprint, with
a view to expanding the pool of RPP consultants able to
support peacebuilding programs globally. The training
included participants from Colombia, Bolivia, South Africa,
Germany, Madagascar, Israel, Palestine, and the United
Kingdom, among other locations.
New Tools for Evaluating Peacebuilding Programs
RPP published four working papers on program review
and evaluation. Two aim to help evaluators understand
and apply OECD DAC evaluation criteria of relevance and
impact of peacebuilding initiatives. The other two working
papers adapt well-estab-lished
evaluation methods
to the peacebuilding
context, addressing evalu-ability
assessments and
program quality assess-ments.
These tools also
incorporate appropriate
RPP approaches.
Working with DFID, RPP
staff developed guidance on the monitoring and evalua-tion
of conflict sensitivity. This product includes an evalu-ator’s
toolkit and helps to fill a real gap in literature and
practice.
Theories of Change in Peacebuilding RPP , in conjunc-tion
with colleagues at the Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy at Tufts University, developed a guide on using
theories of change in peace programs for the U.S. Agency

for International Development (US AID), including a refer-ence
manual of prominent theories of change from the
peacebuilding field. RPP also produced guidance material
on theories of change at multiple levels for DFID.
Conflict Analysis Resource Together with the Global
Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPP AC)
and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), RPP refined and
disseminated a conflict analysis field guide for practi-tioners.
This guide pulls together a number of different
analytical tools and offers helpful guidance on how to
conduct conflict analyses.
The Coming Year
RPP Book on the “Adding Up” Process RPP will
complete its collaborative learning process on the cumula-tive
impacts of peacebuilding in its next major publication,
expected to be completed during the next fiscal year.
Dissemination to Additional Regions In the coming
year, following partners’ requests for training and engage-ment,
we will explore how RPP approaches and tools can
become more relevant in regions in which RPP does not
have an extensive presence yet, including the Middle East.
Creating Master Practitioners RPP will invite a group
of experienced RPP practitioners from around the world
to join us for our inaugural Master Training. This course,
scheduled early in the next fiscal year, is designed to help
participants achieve mastery in applying and facilitating
analysis, design, and the monitoring and evaluation of
peacebuilding programs using RPP tools and concepts.
These seasoned RPP practitioners are expected to act as
catalysts and multipliers in their countries and regions, and
provide advanced local support.
Building In-House Know-How Several staff from the
AFSC participated in RPP training workshops during this
fiscal year. During the coming fiscal year, those AFSC staff,
with coaching support from RPP , are planning to conduct
a series of in-house customized trainings for the AFSC
staff around the world, aimed at expanding the use of RPP
tools for AFSC’s global programs. RPP is also supporting
the development of an e-learning module to be used in
orienting additional staff.
Monitoring Evaluation of Peacebuilding The evalu-ability
and program quality assessment processes noted
above will be piloted at four field sites in the next fiscal
year. RPP will gather lessons learned from the evaluability
and program quality assessments with the organizations
that have agreed to participate in the pilots. These lessons
will help further refine evaluation and program review
methodologies in the peacebuilding field and further
inform RPP ’s work in this area going forward.
An Action Asia colleague from Indonesia explains her program strategy using the Relecting on Peace Practice Matrix. Photo: Carrie O’Neil

Looking Ahead to the
2013–2014 Fiscal Year
Each of the CDA program s has provided
brief outlines of their plans for the next fiscal
year in the sections above. However, CDA is
aiming to increase the ways that we integrate the
four programs and work as a unified organization.
In light of that, we want to share with you how we
envisage the areas of program cooperation during
the 2013-2014 fiscal year:
Expanding on
Current Col-laboration
CDA
will be building
on the signifi-cant
progress on
cross-program
collaboration
during this year,
including the joint
DNH /RPP training
program and the
CEP /RPP chapter
for the Interna-tional
Council of
Swedish Industry’s
book.
A New Collabora-tive
A Focus on Myanmar/Burma
In March of 2013, DNH provided two training programs in Myanmar/Burma
and a joint DNH-RPP program. Staff returned a second time to provide a
Training of Trainers workshop for local NGOs, and accompanied participants
to the field to support application. Demand for additional conflict sensitivity
training has been so strong that CDA is considering establishing a field
presence there. CDA has several years of experience in the region, including
involvements by CEP since 2001 and more recent engagements by LP.
• CDA trained trainers in DNH and presented an integrated DNH-RPP
program [read more].
• LP staff have been advising on the development of beneficiary feedback
mechanisms [read listening exercise].
• CEP has been working with Total since 2001 in the Yadana Pipeline
corridor [read report].
Learning Process CDA is exploring the possibility
of launching a new cross-program learning process
within the broad field of conflict prevention. The pro-cess
has already started through the commissioning
of a paper exploring issues of definition and the state
of play among the many different sub-areas included
in the prevention arena. In the months ahead, CDA
staff will determine how CDA can best contribute to
this important area—and frame the core questions to
be addressed.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Feedback Mechanisms
Each of the CDA programs has insights and specific
tools to offer regarding ME processes and ap-proaches
to eliciting feedback from local people and
organizations. Several of the tools and processes de-veloped
during this past year need field testing and
further refinement (such as our recently launched
Working Paper Series). We also intend to conduct
further evidence gathering and to develop additional
resources to support stronger accountability to those
at the receiving end of aid and to ensure organiza-tional
learning.
CDA Country
Focus CDA is con-sidering
establish-ing
an ongoing
field presence in
selected places.
The fundamental
idea is to apply all
of CDA’s learning
and “lenses” in
specific priority
locations. CDA is
in a position to
bring to bear the
relevant insights,
analytical frame-works,
and practi-cal
tools of all of
its programs in specific settings of conflict and fragil-ity.
In each context, it will be necessary to determine,
in a flexible manner, which tools and concepts are
appropriate.
CDA programs have experience, current contacts,
and, often, active partners in almost all fragile and
conflict-affected countries and in many of the con-flict
zones within them. We have already performed
the proposed roles in many places over many years;
we intend now to simply undertake a more focused
approach in selected locations. Our partners and
donors are encouraging us to take this approach to
strategic engagement. The first such site is likely to
be Myanmar/Burma.

Board and Staff
CDA Board Members
Jonathan Moore, Chair; Shorenstein Center on
the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard
University
Elizabeth D. Gibbons, Harvard School of
Public Health
Richard (Dick) Harter, Treasurer; Bingham
McCutchen LLP (retired partner)
Sherine Jayawickrama, Hauser Center for Nonprofit
Organizations at Harvard University
Larry Minear, Researcher (retired)
Edward Mulherin, Leonard, Mulherin Greene
Reverend Don Remick, Massachusetts Conference of
the United Church of Christ
David Whittlesey, Interpeace, MaineStreams
CDA Staff Members
Peter Woodrow, Executive Director
Dost Bardouille-Crema, Director, Corporate
Engagement Program
Chloe Berwind-Dart, Program Manager, Reflecting
on Peace Practice Program
Dayna Brown, Director, Listening Program
Diana Chigas, Co-Director, Reflecting on Peace
Practice Program
Nicole Goddard, Associate Director, Do No Harm
Program
Isabella Jean, Director of Evaluation and Learning
and Associate Director, Listening Program
Ben Miller, Associate Director, Corporate
Engagement Program
Jamie Thompson, Office Manager
Marshall Wallace, Director, Do No Harm Program
We Said Farewell to Staff Members Who
Left CDA in FY 2012-2013:
Steve Darvill, former Executive Director
Todd Dusenbery, former Program Manager, Central
Africa Accountable Service Delivery Initiative
Didi Houessou, former Chief Financial Officer
Candice Montalvo, former Program Associate, Do
No Harm Program and Listening Program
We Welcomed Staff Members Who Joined
CDA in Early FY 2013-2014:
Sarah Cechvala, Program Manager, Corporate
Engagement Program and Listening Program
Anita Ernstorfer, Co-Director, Reflecting on Peace
Practice Program
Jasmine Freehoff, Program Associate, Do No Harm
Program and CDA Communications Associate
John Morgan, Finance Manager
Hannah Vaughan-Lee, Program Manager, Central
Africa Accountable Service Delivery Initiative

Donors
The following organizations currently donate to CDA and its programs:
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Contributes to: Listening Program
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway
Contributes to: Do No Harm, Reflecting on Peace Practice
PeaceNexus Foundation
Contributes to: Corporate Engagement Program
Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency)
Contributes to: Do No Harm, Reflecting on Peace Practice, Listening Program
Suncor Energy
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Contributes to: Do No Harm
Total
U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics
and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
Contributes to: The Central Africa Accountable Service Delivery Initiative
UK Department for International Development (DFID)
Contributes to: Corporate Engagement Program, Do No Harm, Listening Program,
Reflecting on Peace Practice
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Contributes to: Do No Harm, Reflecting on Peace Practice
CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, Inc.
One Alewife Center, Suite 400, Cambridge MA 02140, USA
Available for download at: www.cdacollaborative.org
Email your feedback to: feedback@cdacollaborative.org

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