TOOL T-24 | Analysis | Module 7: Conflict Assessment & Mapping

Conflict Mapping Tool

WHEN TO USE When a grievance escalates into active dispute; when multiple parties are in conflict the GRM cannot resolve; before designing any conflict response strategy.

How to Use It

1. Identify all parties to the conflict: primary (directly involved), secondary (with indirect interests), and tertiary (with influence or resources to help resolve it).

2. For each party, document: their stated position, underlying interests, relationships with other parties, and current level of engagement in the conflict.

3. Map the issues: distinguish the trigger issue (what the conflict is ostensibly about) from the core issues (the underlying concerns driving it).

4. Document the conflict history: what happened, in what sequence, who did what, what was agreed and not delivered.

5. Assess conflict dynamics: Is it escalating, stable, or de-escalating? Are there external actors influencing it?

6. Identify possible entry points for resolution: trusted intermediaries, shared interests, existing relationships.

7. Share the map (at an appropriate detail level) with those designing the response.

Purpose

To systematically document the parties, issues, relationships, history, and dynamics of a specific conflict, providing the structured understanding necessary for designing an appropriate response. A conflict response without a conflict map is guesswork.

Field Rationale

At multiple sites, conflict responses were designed based on surface-level understanding of what the conflict was about. Underlying interests (land tenure security, employment fairness, environmental heritage) were not mapped. Responses addressed stated positions without addressing the interests beneath them, which is why similar conflicts recurred after apparent resolution.