The International Dialogue is the first forum for political dialogue to bring together conflict-affected and fragile countries, international partners, and civil society to identify, agree and realise more effective ways of supporting transitions out of fragility and building peaceful states. It was established 2008 in Accra, in response to the need for a better and more focused effort to address the challenges of conflict and fragility. It is based on the principles that successful transitions in conflict-affected and fragile countries require national ownership and leadership, strong international support and partnership. 

The International Dialogue consists of 55 members dedicated to improve international engagement in fragile and conflict affected states. The members are composed of the g7+ group of fragile and conflict-affected states, members of the International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF) members and members of the Civil Society Platform CSPPS and emerging donors. You can find an overview of all participating countries and organisations here. 

The International Dialogue meets at the ministerial or senior level once per year. Those meetings are the principal forum for political dialogue and decision-making by the International Dialogue members as a group. A Steering Group provides guidance, co-ordination, and oversight to deliver the Dialogue work programme. The mandate and progress in implementing the agreed work programme are reviewed at the meetings of those two groups. One New Deal Implementation Working Groups currently operates under the Dialogue umbrella.

The International Dialogue Secretariat, hosted by the OECD, works in close collaboration with the g7+, the International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF), and civil society secretariats. Two co-chairs, representing fragile states and development partners, provide strategic direction and leadership for the International Dialogue. The International Dialogue is presently co-chaired by Sierra Leone's Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr. Kaifala Marah, and Sweeden's Minister for International Development Cooperation, Isabella Lövin. 

The forum aims to drive political momentum for change through strong partnership, innovation and mutual accountability for results. It provides support to the global voice of fragile states – such as the g7+ group of fragile states ­– and promotes solutions based on country-ownership and a comprehensive approach to development and security issues. It also brings partners together to share peacebuilding and statebuilding experiences, good practices and constraints to delivering effective assistance in support of peacebuilding and statebuilding. A major outcome of this forum is the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States – a key agreement between fragile states and partners to change the policy and practice of engagement.

The New Deal for engagement in fragile states is a key framework agreed upon by g7+ governments, development partners and civil society to change policy and practice in fragile and conflict affected countries to transition successfully out of fragility. It establishes five Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Goals (PSGs) that include legitimate and inclusive politics, security, justice, economic foundations, and services and revenues, as an important foundation to enable progress toward the MDGs, and to guide (inter)national efforts and resources. It further sets out new terms of engagement to support country-owned and -led transitions out of fragility (FOCUS) and outlines a series of commitments to achieve better results (TRUST). 

1. 5 Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Goals (PSGs) as the foundation for building peaceful states and societies.

   The PSGs should shape dialogue on global policies and practices, including the post-2015 development agenda. They help identify country level priorities to transition from conflict and fragility and inspire peace agreements, transition strategies, national development plans, and guide in the allocation of domestic and international resources.  The PSGs and related country specific indicators help monitor progress towards priorities, both while a country is in transition and within a more long-term development context.

2. Principles to support country owned and country led transitions

   The FOCUS principles place primary focus on inclusive political dialogue as a crucial element of sustainable settlements. A self-assessment based on the PSGs of a country’s situation in terms of conflict and fragility is a key country owned mechanism for identifying priorities when creating national transition strategies, visions and plans. An effective partnership between national and international actors is established through a compact (or mutual accountability framework). This compact aligns partners behind national priorities, defines the funding and methods best suited for that particular transition context, promotes co-ordination, and establishes a mechanism for mutual accountability. 

3. Commitments to guide national and international partners’ behaviour and deliver results

   The TRUST commitments include increasing transparency in the allocation, use, and reporting on domestic and international resources; taking risks to support nationally owned/led transitions; investing in building and using national institutions, systems and capacities; and – for international partners – providing timely and predictable support throughout a transition period and with a more long term development perspective. 

The New Deal, which was produced through the International Dialogue, has been endorsed by over 44 countries and multilateral partners. The main stakeholders are the countries of the g7+ group, and their development partners. Eight g7+ countries (Afghanistan, CAR, DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, and Timor Leste) and eight partners (Australia, Denmark, EU, Netherlands, UK, France, US, and Sweden) have committed to pilot the New Deal in the timeframe of 2011 to 2015. Civil society organisations are also key actors and the main link to an approach to statebuilding that is based on state-society relations. All countries and organisations involved in situations of conflict and fragility, and other actors, including the private sector, are key partners in the New Deal. 

Today, about 1.4 billion people live in fragile states. Fragile and transitional situations comprise a broad spectrum of contexts – from middle income countries with strong institutions, such as in the Middle East and North Africa – to low-income aid-dependent countries like Haiti and the Solomon Islands. Many fragile states are lagging behind in making progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). They also risk missing the opportunity to tap into the wider trends of economic growth and the overall “rise of the south”. Peace, security and development are heavily interlinked. Societies need a resilient and responsive state with the legitimacy and capacities to deliver basic services, security and justice to the population, and to create an enabling environment for equitable growth. The New Deal, under the leadership of a group of fragile states, and with strong political backing from development partners and the engagement of civil society, provides a jointly agreed framework to guide more effective action, globally and at the country level. 

The principles underpinning the New Deal – in particular the Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Goals (PSGs) – matter to all countries and partners working with conflict and fragility. The New Deal can make a difference by establishing a mutual agreement on key priorities for building peaceful states and societies within individual country contexts. It helps define clear steps for country owned and led transitions from conflict and fragility, and commits national and international actors to work in partnership and implement best practices for supporting such efforts. 

Please visit this website’s New Deal Implementation Country-Level Progress page where you will also be able to click on the respective country to get more detailed information. You can also take a look at this New Deal Implementation Progress Overview, produced by the New Deal Helpdesk. If you are looking for specific documents (e.g. Fragility Assessment of a certain country), please visit our Documents Library. 

There is a common set of 34 indicators, produced by the IDPS Working Group on Indicators, which are meant to serve as a global reference tool for g7+ countries to develop country-specific indicators.  The extent to which this common set of indicators has been actually used by the g7+ governments varies. 

For example in Sierra Leone and DRC, the PSG indicators developed in draft form were formulated by the Sierra Leonean and Congolese governments in consultation with local partners. They are currently under review by the national statistical offices.