A new deal for engagement in fragile states

Abstract

Well-established but, in fragile and conflict-affected state contexts, routinely overlooked aid effectiveness principles underlie the ‘New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States’ endorsed at the Busan High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. In this sense, the New Deal is not new per se. What is novel is that the New Deal provides entry points to tackle the root causes of the lack of consistent application of aid principles and related practices. The New Deal brings together—arguably for the first time and on a more equal footing—recipient governments grouped under the g7+, OECD donors and other development partners including civil society organisations, for a frank discussion on the challenges of engaging in these difficult contexts. This article traces the genesis of the New Deal, describes its component parts and identifies four key implementation challenges. These are: achieving coherence across OECD countries’ various sectoral policies (trade, agriculture, international development, etc.), working with actors such as Brazil and China, improving donors’ risk management in an era of deficit reduction across many OECD economies, and attaining high-level political commitment for the New Deal and its five Peace-building and State-building Goals, including at the UN.