Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations

This 4-page document from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) outlines a set of 10 principles for good international engagement in fragile states and situations. (OECD understands states to be fragile when state structures - defined as the executive, legislative, and judiciary arms - lack political will and/or capacity to provide the basic functions needed for poverty reduction and development and to safeguard the security and human rights of their populations.) The principles are intended to help international actors foster constructive engagement between national and international stakeholders in countries with problems of weak governance and conflict, and during episodes of temporary fragility in the stronger performing countries. They are designed to support existing dialogue and coordination processes, not to generate new ones.

Communication-related elements of the principles are summarised below:

1. Take context as the starting point - Sound political analysis is needed to adapt international responses to country and regional context, beyond quantitative indicators of conflict, governance, or institutional strength. It is particularly important to recognise the different constraints of capacity, political will, and legitimacy.
2. Ensure all activities do no harm - To avoid inadvertently creating societal divisions and worsening corruption and abuse, international interventions must be based on strong conflict and governance analysis and include appropriate safeguards. Donor countries also have specific responsibilities at home in addressing corruption. Increased transparency concerning transactions between partner governments and companies in the extractive industries sector is a priority.
3. Focus on state-building as the central objective - International engagement will need to: i) address issues of democratic governance, human rights, civil society engagement, and peacebuilding; ii) strengthen the capability of states to fulfil their core functions by ensuring security and justice, mobilising revenue, and establishing an enabling environment for basic service delivery, strong economic performance, and employment generation. The hope is that support to these areas will strengthen citizens' confidence, trust, and engagement with state institutions. Civil society has a key role both in demanding good governance and in service delivery.
4. Prioritise prevention - International actors must be prepared to take rapid action where the risk of conflict and instability is highest. A greater emphasis on prevention also includes: sharing risk analyses; looking beyond quick-fix solutions to address the root causes of fragility; strengthening indigenous capacities, especially those of women, to prevent and resolve conflicts; supporting the peacebuilding capabilities of regional organisations; and undertaking joint missions to consider measures to help avert crises.
5. Recognise the links between political, security, and development objectives - There may be tensions and trade-offs between these interdependent objectives, which underlines the need for international actors to set clear measures of progress in fragile states. Within donor governments, an inclusive approach is needed, involving those responsible for security, political, and economic affairs, as well as those responsible for development aid and humanitarian assistance. Partner governments also need to ensure coherence between ministries in the priorities they communicate to the international community.
6. Promote non-discrimination as a basis for inclusive and stable societies - Measures to promote the voice and participation of women, youth, minorities and other excluded groups should be included in state-building and service delivery strategies from the outset.
7. Align with local priorities in different ways and in different contexts - Where possible, international actors should seek to avoid activities which undermine national institution-building. It is important to identify functioning systems within existing local institutions, and work to strengthen these.
8. Agree on practical co-ordination mechanisms between international actors - working together on: upstream analysis, joint assessments, shared strategies, and coordination of political engagement. Wherever possible, international actors should work jointly with national reformers in government and civil society to develop a shared analysis of challenges and priorities, using simple integrated planning tools such as the transitional results matrix to help set and monitor realistic priorities.
9. Act fast...but stay engaged long enough to give success a chance - Capacity development in core institutions will normally require an engagement of at least 10 years. Since volatility of engagement (not only aid volumes, but also diplomatic engagement and field presence) is potentially destabilising, international actors must improve aid predictability in these countries and ensure mutual consultation and coordination prior to any significant changes to aid programming.
10. Avoid pockets of exclusion ("aid orphans") - states where there are no significant political barriers to engagement, but few international actors are engaged, and aid volumes are low. (This also applies to neglected geographical regions within a country, as well as neglected sectors and groups within societies.) When international actors make resource allocation decisions, they should ensure coordination of field presence, determination of aid flows in relation to absorptive capacity, and mechanisms to respond to positive developments in these countries.