The Challenge. Many of the world's poorest countries have faced a vicious cycle of conflict and poverty. Some 80 percent of the 20 poorest countries have suffered a major war in the past 15 years, bringing extraordinary suffering to their people and often affecting the larger region. Peace can also be fragile: countries emerging from war face a 44 percent chance of relapsing within five years. Even with rapid progress on economic recovery, it can take a generation or more just to return to prewar living standards.

What We're Doing. Helping prevent conflict and support reconstruction remains a critical part of the World Bank's global mission of poverty reduction; in fact, we were first founded to support reconstruction after World War II. The World Bank Group is working with many partners, including donor trust funds and the United Nations, to offer more responsive, flexible, and comprehensive solutions in difficult environments.