This is the sixth in a series of annual conferences on development finance and public financial management reform organised by the Centre for Aid and Public Expenditure at ODI. The conference will focus on the practical and policy aspects of how to use finance to support fragile states in their transition out of fragility and the associated implications for public financial management. The conference is being organised jointly with the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department.
This special issue explores the increased interest and engagement by donor and national governments in ‘stabilising’ contexts affected by armed conflict and complex emergencies, and considers its implications for international humanitarian action.
A summary of initial findings from an ongoing review of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which will include a set of league tables. The key message is that progress is possible, with a number of countries making real achievements.
A renewed donor interest in stabilising countries affected by political violence, armed conflict and chronic poverty – so-called fragile states – should come as a welcome development to humanitarians who have long complained of the indifference shown to large-scale human suffering in these contexts. In some places, at least, it could mean that humanitarian assistance is no longer used for ‘moral absolution' in the absence of serious political commitment to protecting civilians.
This HPG Working Paper considers the implications of ‘stabilisation’ for international humanitarian action. It argues that, while humanitarian actors have been most preoccupied with the growing engagement of the military in the humanitarian sphere, it is trends in international political engagement in these contexts that represent the more fundamental challenge.
Lisa Denney is a Research Officer with an interest in security and development, peacebuilding in fragile states and informal governance practices. Her research and work experience has focused largely on Sierra Leone.