Research has shown that agencies often find it most useful to learn and draw inspiration from organisations with similar mandates, operating in a similar geographical context or of a similar size, and from specialist conflict related organisations. In particular, agencies can draw on others’ experiences of establishing conflict units, appointing conflict advisers or bringing in outside conflict specialists.

There is also a range of networks that can offer organisations wishing to mainstream conflict sensitivity the wealth of their own reflections and learning on conflict and institutional capacity related issues – see Table 5.

Conflict units and advisers will be most successful in mainstreaming conflict sensitivity when they help practitioners and policy- and decision-makers to increase the impact and sustainability of their work. There is currently an unresolved debate, particularly amongst donor agencies, as to whether designated conflict or peacebuilding units are more or less effective for mainstreaming conflict sensitivity than field-based specialists. Currently, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has a headquarters based Peacebuilding Unit that provides peacebuilding support to CIDA’s regional teams. The UK government, on the other hand, has recently chosen to increase its emphasis on region-based conflict advisers who support country programmes directly. Other agencies argue that conflict is everybody’s business and reject the idea of designated specialists fearing that they will impede the mainstreaming of conflict sensitivity by marginalising it within one department or individual.