Today, 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. Read more...

Delegates at the second global meeting of the International Dialogue formed a joint agreement, the Monrovia Roadmap on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding. The Roadmap includes an agreement to support nationally led assessments of fragility, a stronger emphasis on inclusive political dialogue, the use of a country-level agreements between government and international partners to agree on priorities and results, and a 'new deal' to improve the delivery of international assistance to fragile situations. Read more...

The International Dialogue Co-chairs will host a high-profile event on the 21st of April during the World Bank and IMF Spring meetings. The purpose of the event is to discuss the progress in implementing the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States and to showcase concrete actions and plans to implement it. This event will also provide an opportunity to encourage enhanced commitment by national and international partners to implement the New Deal. The event will be a roundtable moderated by a leading personality. It will feature the participation of Ministers and senior officials from g7+ countries, development partners, and representatives of international organisations, civil society, the media, and the private sector.