RESILIENCE AS AN END: A SPECTRUM APPROACH TO FRAGILITY AND COUNTRY OWNERSHIP
In Brief
Where perspectives on fragility align
- Fragility is dynamic, evolving across historical, political, economic and social dimensions (the spectrum of fragility). Resilience is the target. Achieving resilience requires consistency and reforms, as well as commitment from both local and external actors.
Reforms that work are locally led, country-owned and empowered by tailored and adaptable finance are delivering positive outcomes. - With careful management of peace and integrated thinking on development, progress is possible, including in contexts with high levels of security fragility.
- Development co-operation actors must adapt to appreciate the shifting and evolving needs of youth in increasingly digital societies, especially for young women and girls.
- Fragmented international interventions that fail to address the systemic issues perpetuate fragility but initiatives to address climate and environmental fragility point to potential for building resilience at scale.
- Conflicts and violence distort economies, drive competing incentives, and create new economic centres. Innovative responses in several contexts are findings ways to build resilience under pressure.
- Private sector development does not happen in isolation. With tailored reforms come increased economic opportunities, better understanding of and adaptation to risk, and a clearer case for investment.
- Local fragility unaddressed can quickly become a regional and international challenge through violence, forced displacement, poverty and gender inequality, as different sources of risk and resilience combine to impact stability and development.
- Reforms (such as building fiscal space) require time to produce results. Consistency, commitment and patience are critical features for international co-operation actors to support resilience building.
- Pragmatic approaches are necessary but values are an essential part of the offer by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), especially for women and girls, and should not be compromised
RESILIENCE AS AN END: A SPECTRUM APPROACH TO FRAGILITY AND COUNTRY OWNERSHIP
The increasing prevalence of polycrises – a confluence of global challenges – disproportionately impacts conflict-
affected countries already grappling with significant vulnerabilities. These states, often exposed to extreme fragility, bear the brunt of cascading crises including extreme poverty, hunger and displacement. Ad hoc,
fragmented and reactionary interventions in these contexts have done little to foster the resilience needed to withstand and recover from such shocks. The g7+ (Group of Seven
Plus), an intergovernmental group of conflict-affected nations, has long championed resilience and stability as the
ultimate goals of humanitarian, peacebuilding and development interventions.
Its vision calls for a paradigm shift, one that perceives fragility not as a fixed condition but as a dynamic spectrum. The fragility spectrum provides a nuanced lens, acknowledging the interconnected and evolving challenges that countries face. At its core, this understanding of fragility empowers the principle of country ownership, emphasising that sustainable solutions must originate from within the affected nations themselves.
THE FRAGILITY SPECTRUM : MOVING BEYOND LABELS
By viewing fragility as a continuum, this approach also enables the realisation of the humanitarian development- peace (HDP) nexus, which is expected to bridge the often siloed domains of immediate humanitarian response, long-term development and peacebuilding. The spectrum approach provides a framework to integrate these efforts, enabling context-specific, multi-sectoral strategies that concentrate on the root causes of fragility while building systems for resilience and self-reliance. This perspective shifts the focus from externally imposed solutions to empowering countries to address their unique challenges. By recognising fragility as a dynamic continuum, interventions can evolve alongside shifting realities, fostering resilience from within.
RESILIENCE AS THE ULTIMATE GOAL
- Social cohesion and reconciliation. States with high fragility often inherit deep societal divides resulting from wars. These unresolved grievances frequently fuel further conflicts, including proxy wars. Promoting reconciliation, fostering dialogue and addressing historical injustices are essential for building durable peace and social capital, which are prerequisites for sustainable development.
- Inclusive and effective state institutions. Citizens’ trust in state institutions is fundamental to resilience. Decades of conflict erode this trust, which can only be restored through capable and inclusive governance. Strengthening legitimate institutions that deliver essential services ensures citizen participation in statebuilding processes and fosters stability.
- Economic self-sufficiency. Economic fragility exacerbates vulnerability, and reliance on external aid often subjects fragile states to undue geopolitical influence. Resilience pathways must prioritise poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods and economic diversification to break cycles of dependency. Investments in foundational economic infrastructure are critical to achieving self-sufficiency.
- Climate and environmental adaptation. Many conflict-affected countries are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Climate-induced shocks exacerbate existing fragility, creating vicious cycles of vulnerability. Despite this, these countries receive disproportionately low levels of climate finance compared to contexts with medium to low fragility (Gulati et al., 2024[3]). Recognising this gap, the g7+ has issued a joint call for increased climate financing and the mainstreaming of equitable processes. Integrating climate resilience into national strategies is essential to enable fragile states to withstand environmental shocks (Dickie and Jessop, 2024[4]).
COUNTRY OWNERSHIP : THE CORNERSTONE OF RESILIENCE.
CONCLUSION: A NEW PARADIGM FOR RESILIENCE