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An external website for the Monitoring process of the Principles for Good International Engagement has been launched.
Further information concerning this initiative is available at www.oecd.org/fsprinciples
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About 35 countries considered fragile in 1979 are still fragile in 2009, and in comparison to other developing countries, the gap has been widening since the 1970s. Without a strengthened model of international engagement, these countries will continue to fall behind. This certitude led to the drafting, piloting and adoption of a set of DAC Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations (2007) by OECD development ministers.
The Principles reflect a growing consensus that fragile states require responses that are different from those needed in better performing countries. These states face severe development challenges such as insecurity, weak governance, limited administrative capacity, chronic humanitarian crises, persistent social tensions, violence or the legacy of civil war.
The Principles emphasise the need to:
1. Take context as the starting point
2. Ensure all activities do no harm
3. Focus on state building as the central objective
4. Prioritise prevention
5. Recognise the links between political, security and development objectives
6. Promote non discrimination as a basis for inclusive and stable societies
7. Align with local priorities in different ways and in different contexts
8. Agree on practical co-ordination mechanisms between international actors
9. Act fast… but stay engaged long enough to give success a chance
10. Avoid pockets of exclusion (“aid orphans”)
Five developing countries—Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Timor Leste–currently work to benchmark the quality of international assistance, as well as their own responsibilities, through the lens of these DAC Principles. The results will be made available at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2011.
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