What we do

what-we-do

What we do

The g7+ provides a platform to member countries to collectively advocate for better approaches of supporting peacebuilding and statebuilding efforts in countries affected by conflict and fragility. The overall goal of the g7+ is to help end conflict and to promote peace and stability in member states. The g7+ is founded on the premise that lasting peace and development are interconnected. The process of peacebuilding and statebuilding should be founded on national ownership and the context each country is operating within.

Peer Learning and Cooperation among members “Fragile-to-Fragile cooperation”

The g7+ coined the concept of Fragile-to-Fragile (F2F) cooperation which aims to facilitate cooperation among member countries. F2F Cooperation enables an exchange of knowledge, experience, and expertise among countries and fosters a country-led trajectory towards peace and resilience by enabling states to draw on their experience of living in conflict and fragile situations. Member states share similar experiences of exposure to fragmented and limited international support, a deep understanding of the political leadership required to stabilize the countries, and, in particular, strong sense of solidarity towards fellow members, which is not based on geopolitical interest, but on a common desire to move out of fragility.

 

A key feature of the F2F cooperation is that it provides direct technical and financial support to the government country system to address challenges. It also aims to be fast, pragmatic, and responsive to needs as they emerge.

Fragile-to-Fragile cooperation is a manifestation that every country has lessons that can inspire its peers. These lessons may not have been captured as much as they merit so, the g7+ also documents stories that can provide ample inputs to the reforms advocated for by the group at the global level. The g7+ is established with the primary goal of capturing such stories with the right narrative of fragility; one that defines the true nature of the transition fragile countries go through. This has helped in providing an alternative to the orthodox belief held about fragility, peacebuilding and statebuilding, where conflict-affected countries were seen negatively as failed states that are not capable of developing themselves and remained passively in a donor-recipient dynamic.  


Founded on principles of voluntarism, cooperation, and solidarity, Fragile-to-Fragile cooperation is the key flagship initiative of the g7+ and currently it focuses on three main pillars: supporting g7+ member countries in implementation of the New Deal; peer learning, knowledge generation and capacity building around peacebuilding and statebuilding; and supporting g7+ member countries in dealing with acute and emerging crisis.      

New Deal: Advocacy for Effective Engagement in Fragile states

Policy advocacy is a key area for the g7+. The aim of concerted advocacy is twofold. First, the group aims to create an awareness of the perspective of conflict-affected countries. This will help in providing a narrative that give a better explanation of the challenges facing conflict-affected countries.

 

Second, guided by the motto of “nothing about us, without us”, the g7+ collectively engages at      international forums with the aim of informing international policies around peacebuilding, statebuilding and development cooperation from the perspective of conflict-affected countries.      

 

The New Deal for engagement in Fragile States was a major milestone agreement between the g7+, donors from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Assistance Committee (OECD – DAC) and Civil Society. The New Deal is our call to the rest of the world for a new way of engaging in situations of fragility. The New Deal was adopted at the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2011 in Busan, Republic of Korea. 

 

The New Deal is unique as it aims to address what matters the most for the people affected by conflict and fragility using five peacebuilding and statebuilding goals (PSG) as an important foundation for sustainable development namely: Inclusive politics, security, Justice, Economic Foundations and Revenues and Services. 


The New Deal also puts g7+ Member countries in the lead to evaluate themselves through Fragility Assessment and identifies commitments to build mutual trust and accountability between g7+ government and donors, encourage donors to support the implementation of government national development plan, provide financial support directly to the country system and strengthen capacities to achieve better results in fragile states.    

National dialogue and reconciliation

The g7+ member countries have lived experiences of violence and conflict and have witnessed foreign intervention through international peacekeeping forces and humanitarian assistance that have often failed to build peace. 

 

Thus, the g7+ member countries understand the value and importance of pursuing peace through national dialogue and reconciliation to break the political deadlock and build enough consensus on national priorities and political stability, which will eventually contribute to achieving sustainable peace and development in their countries.