Approximately two billion people live in countries
affected by fragility and conflict.[1]
Poverty rates in fragile states average 54 percent compared with 22 percent for
low-income countries as a whole.[2]
These “fragile states” represent a major challenge for
global poverty reduction, achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, for
peace and stability and for global issues such as the war on terror.[3] The African continent contains the majority
of fragile states with most Africans living on less than two dollars a day. The
average lifespan in these countries is under 50. Drought and famine persist.[4]
Fragile
states are characterized by violence, a legacy of conflict, weak governance and
limited administrative capacity.
Underlying fragility is a history of divided identity, political
fragmentation, and weak institutions.
Transitioning out of fragility is a complex and arduous task. The effort
requires a multipronged approach to secure peace, rebuild institutions, and
accelerate growth and poverty reduction.[5]
The
focus of the international community has been on providing financial and
technical assistance and on external intervention, especially since problems of
fragility can, in some instances, be transnational. Nonetheless insufficient emphasis has been
placed on understanding the role that domestic leadership processes play in lifting
countries out of fragility or causing or keeping countries in fragility.
[1] Ashraf Ghani & Clare Lockhart, Fixing Failing States: A Framework for
Rebuilding a Fractured World, (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2008),
6-9.
