In 2021, the World Bank Group entrusted ALG with the critical assignment of supporting the development and design of a Regional Data and Coordination Platform (RDCP) for the Liptako-Gourma Region (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger). This strategic platform is designed to promote recovery and stability in this Fragility, Conflict, and Violence (FCV) hotspot, with a core focus on mainstreaming human rights.Approach: Anchored in Human Rights and Regional Cooperation

The overarching objective of the assignment was to support the development and design of the RDCP, specifically to:

• Strengthen human rights knowledge and learning in the region.
• Contribute to recovery and development by enhancing knowledge exchange and cross-collaboration among the three nation states.

The approach was built on an explicit mandate to follow a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA), ensuring all indicators and methodologies for data collection and monitoring of FCV risks were sensitive to the context and focused on the most vulnerable groups.

Methodology: A Six-Pillar Framework

ALG implemented a comprehensive six-part methodology, working closely with the World Bank Project team, Project Implementation Units (PIUs), the Liptako-Gourma Authority, and key human rights partners.

1. Stakeholder Mapping and Analysis: Conducted a comprehensive mapping of all relevant actors, including universities, think tanks, international organizations (e.g., G5, Sahel Alliance, UN), government officials, local NGOs, and CBOs, to ensure broad-based ownership and partnership in the RDCP’s design.
2. Database Stock-Take and Evaluation: Undertook a thorough inventory of existing spatial, temporal, and open-source datasets on FCV and human rights indicators, including international and regional data (e.g., WB Development Indicators, ACLED, UNHCR), to build upon existing information infrastructure.
3. Indicator Dashboard Development and Action Plan: Identified data gaps and proposed a dashboard of development indicators to monitor human rights and FCV risks. This involved:
   • Consulting with key partners (UNDP, AFD, DANIDA).
   • Developing an action plan for context-sensitive data collection on the ground, including proposing survey questions and innovative ICT tools.
   • Applying the OHCHR’s HRBA to inform indicator selection and data collection methodologies.
   • Creating detailed guidelines, measurement protocols, and training curricula for the PIU and surveyors.
4. Communications and Outreach Plan: Developed a strategy to engage policy makers, academics, and researchers, boost the RDCP’s visibility and credibility, and initiate regional dialogues and workshops.
5. Knowledge Exchange Systematization: Proposed a plan for sustained, continual knowledge exchange by integrating system support and incentives for stakeholders to contribute knowledge (e.g., crowdsourcing), promote workshops, and inform scholarship grants. This included recommending a collaboration/governance structure with regional partners.
6. Operationalization Action Plan: Prepared an overarching, harmonized action plan for the implementation and operationalization of the RDCP, detailing technical and resource prerequisites, capacity building needs, and a timeline for development.

ALG provided the World Bank and the regional governments with a robust, human rights-centric, and regionally cooperative roadmap for a credible data and coordination platform to promote recovery and stability in the Liptako-Gourma Region.