Fragile environments
What approaches contribute to sustainable capacity development in fragile state contexts? Stabilizing the governance infrastructure in post-conflict situations sometimes requires the outsourcing of nearly all government roles in the early stages of recovery. With many development initiatives driven by external actors, it is nonetheless critical for such interventions to support the transition to country-owned and country-led development by strengthening emerging capacity where it crystallizes.
Building on Issue 32 of Capacity.org, this page aims to showcase best practice by development organizations and donors, as well as inspiring casestudies that highlight the importance of strengthening community-led initiatives to foster peace and development in such contexts.
Featured Article
Africa Capacity Indicators 2013 report published
The 2013 edition of the Africa Capacity Indicators Report (ACIR) on the theme
Capacity Development for Natural Resources Management was launched in March 2013. The
report focuses on what African countries need to do individually and collectively to effectively
manage the continent's nautral resource wealth. Like the previous two editions, the Africa
Capacity Index ranks the performance of 44 African countries according to four key clusters of
capacity: the policy environment; processes for implementation; development results at the country
level; and capacity development outcomes.
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Recent Articles
Strengthening local accountabilities in fragile contexts: Lessons from Nepal, Bangladesh and Mozambique
07 June 2013
IDS Working Paper 422 (April 2013) explores societal dynamics in fragile contexts and the role that external partners can play in strengthening domestic accountability through giving local project participants opportunities to "practise democracy."
MoreBuilding institutional capacity in South Sudan through triangular cooperation
09 May 2013
This policy brief from the Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre highlights experiences from a regional capacity development initiative in Eastern Africa coordinated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The project brings civil servant support officers (CSSOs) from neighbouring countries and twins them with counterparts in various government ministries in South Sudan, with the aim of rapidly develop core government capacity in a coaching and mentoring scheme.
MoreSustainable intensification: A new paradigm for food security and community resilience in Africa
08 May 2013
While the concept of "sustainable intensification" is viewed by some as a cynical attempt to
promote industrial-scale agriculture, there is a growing international counter-movement that aims
to demonstrate that intensification can also be driven by small-scale and sustainable farming
systems. Falling squarely in the second camp is the Montpellier Panel, an international group of
experts whose latest report aims to offer "a practical pathway towards the goal of producing more
food with less impact on the environment."
Building local capacity for ecosystem-based adaptation
08 May 2013
Many Strong Voices (MSV) is an initiative to reduce the vulnerability of coastal
communities to climate change. Based on case studies in Belize and Seychelles the project is
working to formalize a methodology that combines evidence-based, scientific data with community
knowledge and experiences.
Mainstreaming climate change into community development processes
25 April 2013
Drawing on a district-level planning process in Thailand that aimed to mainstream climate
change into local development plans, the authors of this paper argue that the current process of ‘
predict-then-act’ climate change adaptation is inherently flawed. The uncertain nature of climate
change predictions can lead to dilemmas in selecting proper measures, whilst the long timeframes
involved hinders investment and distances stakeholders’ priorities. Furthermore, this sequential
process often overlooks the role of socioeconomic dynamics in changing countries' risk profiles
over time.
Scaling up climate information services for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia
24 April 2013
This
white
paper summarizes the lessons learnt from across cases, projects and research experiments in
effectively developing and providing climate information and advisory services for smallholder
farmers. The case studies were presented at an international workshop in Senegal in December 2012,
co-organized by CGIAR's Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)
and its partners. The workshop discussions focused on two projects that are attempting to reaching
farmers at scale: Integrated Agrometeorological Advisory Services (IAAS) in India (which recently
announced in 2012 plans to scale up to 10-12 million farmers) and Mali’s Projet d’A ssistance
Agrometeorologique au Monde Rural (which has provided innovative services to farmers since
1982).
Other Topics
Essential Readings
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Annotated bibliography on capacity development in fragile situations (LenCD)
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WDR 2011: Conflict, security and development
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GSDRC Topic Guide on Fragile States
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Derick Brinkerhoff (2007) Capacity Development in Fragile States, ECDPM Discussion Paper 58D
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Capacity.org Issue 32 (December 2007) Fragile States
More Web Resources
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Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP)
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Peace and Collaborative Development Network
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United States Institute for Peace (USIP): Capacity building resources for practitioners in post-conflict environments
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The Oslo Forum: Informal retreats for senior conflict mediators, high-level decision makers and key peace process actors






