Global

This study outlines the particular development challenges confronting international actors in fragile and conflict-affected countries, and gives a summary of the World Bank’s evolving approach to those challenges. The study then sets out certain key problems which, despite recent improvements, continue to reduce the quality of the Bank’s impacts. Noting the inconsistencies in the Bank’s approaches, it assesses the factors that determine the Bank’s ability to deal with, and help address, the immense complexity of its operating environments.

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Executive summary

This briefing outlines the key findings of the recent study on Enhancing the EU Response to Women and Armed Conflict commissioned by the Slovenian Presidency of the EU, and discusses the recommendations in relation to the European Commission. Although the EU has repeatedly committed itself to the need for the full implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, current EU interventions in conflict-affected contexts lack a clear gender and conflict analysis and women continue to be marginalised from peacebuilding initiatives.

Briefing paper

This report was produced as a background paper for CHD’s Oslo Forum, an annual gathering of senior international conflict mediators. This paper will discuss the diverse roles played by the private sector during Track 1 peace processes in particular, drawing on a variety of examples from different contexts.

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Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights provide a broad framework that can help companies operate in ways that provide security to their facilities while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. Several companies have developed their own guidelines to implement the principles. In this paper, International Alert, a founding member of the VP process, has developed performance indicators for companies, to help establish benchmarks in the longer term.

Paper

This guidance note explains why market development in countries affected by conflict is important and relevant for economic development planners and practitioners. It presents some of the main issues, risks and opportunities that economic development professionals may typically face. It also introduces the key stakeholders and processes, questions to be considered and main lessons learned. The final section points the reader to additional resources on the topic.

Practice note

If all goes well, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) contributes to peacebuilding. In the worst case, it may itself be a source of conflict. This practice note explains why and how the operations of foreign investors are relevant for economic development planners and practitioners in conflict-affected contexts. It presents some of the main issues, risks and opportunities that economic development professionals need to bear in mind when designing programmes and initiatives that seek to attract foreign investors to unstable contexts.

Practice note

A major challenge to improving human security and establishing sustainable peace in countries emerging from violent conflict is how to reintegrate ex-combatants into a peacetime society and economy. This is the first of two briefing papers produced as part of a year-long initiative aimed at reinvigorating the debate on reintegration. It was used in draft form to inform discussions at an Alert Roundtable held in Brussels in September 2009.

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This resource pack contains five sections which lead the reader through a three-step cycle of understanding and analysing, planning and doing, and checking and improving Corporate Responsibility (CR) activities.
 It primarily addresses Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and is based on experience from Sri Lanka. The purpose of this resource pack is to introduce Sri Lankan SMEs to the concepts and approaches of CR. It presents a coherent framework that will help SMEs identify ways of adapting CR to their own context and purposes.
 Chapters:

Resource pack

In this challenge paper the members of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council propose a new vulnerability and protection business model for humanitarian assistance. This new model should have six requirements: A comprehensive risk framework; A reworked balance of spending between response, prevention and recovery; A big investment in national and local capacity; Fuller engagement of the private sector; Linking of the humanitarian to broader social and economic development issues; and Regional and international readiness to address cross-border humanitarian issues.

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This report explores the complexities of responding to climate change in fragile and conflict affected contexts. It highlights the interaction between the impact of climate change and the social and political realities in which people live and stresses that it is this that will determine their capacity to adapt. To be effective, the goal of policy responses must be to address the political dimension of adapting to climate change, and the underlying causes of vulnerability where the state is unable to carry out its core functions.

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