Network Foundation Guide

CHAPTER 2: LANDSCAPE CONTEXT

By understanding the existing of efforts of in-country stakeholders involved in DRM, private sector networks will be better able to assess gaps in private sector engagement and the potential for a network to add value.  This chapter will guide you through a process to landscape existing private sector DRM efforts in your country through desk research and consultation.  Through this landscaping process, networks will be able to identify specific needs, map them against existing efforts, and pinpoint gaps that still exist. Networks may also choose to use these resources to periodically update their landscape map as private sector engagement efforts in your country evolve.  

 

Note that completing the process described in this chapter relies on meeting with and gathering input from a variety of stakeholders to map their key activities, areas of expertise, and needs.  This can take time and multiple iterations to complete and to keep up-to-date. It should be considered an important ongoing part of the due diligence that should be completed before launching a network.  This landscaping should also be kept up-to-date as new information arises and as new actors come on the scene, to avoid having to conduct a major comprehensive refresh more frequently.

 

The resources in this chapter will help answer the following questions

1. How can I best identify key stakeholders and actors in my country?

2. Who are the key private sector actors in my country, and how are they engaged in DRM?

3. Are there existing private sector networks in my country, and how are they engaged in DRM?

4. What key government agencies are involved in DRM in my country and what is their current engagement with the private sector?

5. What are the key UN agencies and NGOs involved in DRM in my country and what is their current engagement with the private sector?

6. Are there any other key actors in my country engaged in DRM and what is their engagement with the private sector?​

7. What are the gaps in private sector engagement in my country? What role could a private sector network play in the humanitarian space?

8. What are the core legal and regulatory frameworks to be aware of that might impact private sector engagement in DRM?

7. What are the gaps in private sector engagement in my country? What role could a private sector network play in the humanitarian space?

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<<ASSESSING NEEDS AND IDENTIFYING GAPS>>

 

Once you have identified the relevant stakeholders in your country and gathered information on their current activities with respect to the private sector and DRM, the next key step is to identify key themes around the current activities and level of engagement for each stakeholder group. This will allow you to assess the remaining needs and gaps expressed by different stakeholders that a private sector network may be able to address. It is important to note that a private sector network may not be the best platform to address all remaining DRM needs in a given country and to focus on those gaps and synergies with other actors that are most aligned with the value proposition discussed in Chapter 1.

 

The templates provided by CBi provide a framework to collect and aggregate responses from key stakeholders and to map who is currently doing what. Once you have a solid understanding of the existing activities being undertaken and the needs expressed by relevant stakeholders you should use those templates, or adapt them to suit your needs, to build a comprehensive picture of the activities that can be scaled up and remaining areas where activities should be occurring, but where nobody is yet doing them.

 

Example Gap Assessment:

Below is an example of a gap assessment framework that has been populated for a particular country. On the left hand side are all of the activities that should be occurring to support private sector engagement in DRM activities, and to strengthen the resilience of private sector companies. On the top are the set of stakeholder groups who might be involved in those activities. Green rows are activities where one or more stakeholders are already taking action to a sufficient degree.  Yellow rows are activities where one more more stakeholders are taking partial action but where there is room for improvement (consider partnering with organizations in those rows to expand coverage). Red rows are activities where no actor is currently engaged.

 

By plotting the current activities of each stakeholder against the needed activities (and adding any specific needs you've identified through interviews) you should be able to see the existing gaps and potential areas for your network to focus its activities.

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<<SUPPORTING MATERIAL>>

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• Link to downloadable Landscape Gap Assessment Tool

• Benchmarking report template

• Example benchmarking report from another network (Fiji)