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At the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, a number of countries and international organisations endorsed an agreement on a new global direction for engagement with fragile states. More than 1.5 billion people live in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Caught in cycles of poverty and violence, few of these countries will achieve a single Millennium Development Goal by 2015. The New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States sets out five goals — legitimate politics, justice, security, economic foundations and revenues and services — to give clarity on the priorities in fragile states.
The facts
- 1.5 billion people live in conflict-affected and fragile states.
- About 70% of fragile states have seen conflict since 1989.
- Basic governance transformations may take 20-40 years.
- 30% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) is spent in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.
- These countries are furthest away from achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The current ways of working in fragile states need serious improvement. Despite the significant investment and the commitments of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005) and the Accra Agenda for Action (2008), results and value for money have been modest. Transitioning out of fragility is long, political work that requires country leadership and ownership. Processes of political dialogue have often failed due to lack of trust, inclusiveness, and leadership. International partners can often bypass national interests and actors, providing aid in overly technocratic ways that underestimate the importance of harmonising with the national and local context, and support short-term results at the expense of medium- to long-term sustainable results brought about by building capacity and systems. A New Deal for engagement in fragile states is necessary.
The vision
We, the members of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (“the Dialogue”), comprised of the g7+ group of 19 fragile and conflict-affected countries, development partners, and international organisations, believe that a new development architecture and new ways of working, better tailored to the situation and challenges of fragile contexts, are necessary to build peaceful states and societies. These are presented in the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States (the “New Deal”).
The “New Deal”, which builds on the vision and principles articulated from the Millennium Declaration to the Monrovia Roadmap, proposes key peacebuilding and statebuilding goals, focuses on new ways of engaging, and identifies commitments to build mutual trust and achieve better results in fragile states.
We recognise that the success of our combined effort depends on the leadership and commitment of the g7+ group of fragile states supported by international actors. We also recognise that constructive state-society relations, and the empowerment of women, youth and marginalised groups, as key actors for peace, are at the heart of successful peacebuilding and statebuilding. They are essential to deliver the “New Deal”.
The New Deal
We, the members of “the Dialogue”, endorse the “New Deal” and commit to undertake the necessary actions and reforms to implement it.
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We agree to use the Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Goals (PSGs), as an important foundation to enable progress towards the MDGs to guide our work in fragile and conflict-affected states. By September 2012, a set of indicators for each goal will have been developed by fragile states and international partners, which will allow us to track progress at the global and the country level.
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We commit to FOCUS on new ways of engaging, to support inclusive country-led and country-owned transitions out of fragility based on a country-led fragility assessment developed by the g7+ with the support of international partners, a country-led one vision and one plan, a country compact to implement the plan, using the PSGs to monitor progress, and support inclusive and participatory political dialogue.
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We commit to build mutual TRUST by providing aid and managing resources more effectively and aligning these resources for results. We will enhance transparency, risk management to use country systems, strengthen national capacities and timeliness of aid, improving the speed and predictability of funding to achieve better results.
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>> Download the complete New Deal - English | French
Who has endorsed the New Deal? (as of 10 February 2012)
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Afghanistan
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Burundi
Canada
Central African Republic
Chad
Democratic Republic of Congo
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Guinea Bissau
Guinea
Haiti
Ireland
Japan
Liberia
Luxembourg
Netherlands
New Zealand
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Norway
Portugal
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Sudan
Spain*
Sweden
Switzerland
Timor-Leste
Togo
United Kingdom
United States
African Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
European Union
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
UN Development Group
World Bank
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* Pending official communication.
What's next ?
Our challenges now are to deliver the New Deal, to maintain an open dialogue, and to build new partnerships in support of it.
Implementation: Over the coming years, International Dialogue members will undertake the necessary actions and reforms to implement the New Deal. Concrete results require a focus at the country level. Some policy and political changes will require focus at the global level. It will be key to effectively monitor what works,and to swiftly adjust what does not.
Dialogue: Change processes are complex and political. They require inclusive leadership and open dialogue. We will maintain
and enrich the critical dialogue we need to realise better results in transitions out of conflict and fragility.
Pilots - A new Deal for engagement in fragile states
Click here to see the list of pilot countries
What are people saying about the New Deal?
"This new deal is an opportunity to focus much-needed attention on peacebuilding and state building. I urge all to pursue this important work."
"Another achievement in Busan was the launch of the 'New Deal' for ways of working in fragile and conflict-affected countries, which are often furthest from reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)."
Andrew Mitchell, UK International Development Secretary
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"The New Deal for International Engagement in Fragile States sets out five goals — legitimate politics, justice, security, economic foundations and revenues and services — to give clarity on the priorities in fragile states. It also highlights the importance of fragile countries taking ownership of their own development, and sets out a road map for better use of both international and domestic resources."
"The New Deal gives new hope in terms of achieving the MDGs"
H.E. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Timor-Leste
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"Fragile states require a fundamentally different approach to development that recognises political and security challenges. The process of change begins in Busan."
Alastair MCKECHNIE writing in The Guardian
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"The proposed ‘New Deal’ is not about donors ‘giving’ fragile states a better deal – but about fragile states demanding a better deal. For this first time, it is fragile states themselves articulating the challenges that they face and putting forward an agenda for change in aid practice."
Lisa Denney writing in the ODI Blog
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Of the many aid effectiveness issues taken up in Busan, the fragile states agenda came away with one of the most promising outcomes and the potential to engender far-reaching change. The New Deal, agreed by a group of fragile states and their key donor partners, sets out a strategy for supporting development that is country-owned, context-specific, focused, practical and urgent.
Laurence Chandy, Brookings
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"Given the diversity of conditions in fragile states, the New Deal offers a different approach to development effectiveness, with each country agreeing with its development partners a set of short-term priorities around justice, security, economic foundations and democracy. It’s an interesting new approach, but one which will require a lot of commitment to implement"
Peter Grant, Agulhas
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"The one place where a push for honest collaboration comes through is in relation to the New Deal developed by the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding."
Dan. Smith, Dan Smith's blog; Analysis & commentary on world issues
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".. given the large numbers of poor now living in fragile states, a proportion that is only likely to grow, the arguments to avoid engagement in fragile states are losing strength. "
Homi Kharas, Brookings
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"The fragile states group, known as the g7+, and a number of supportive international aid donors...endorsed a set of principles to guide how they work together known as the New Deal for Engagement with Fragile States."
Jennifer Erin Salahub
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"...this means jointly advocating for greater coherence between aid, diplomacy, military/security, financial, and commercial agendas."
Larry Atree,Saferworld
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