At a glance · More than 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by violent conflict. · An estimated 40 percent of fragile and post-conflict countries relapse into conflict within 10 years. · Fragile and conflict-affected situations account for o a third of the deaths from HIV/AIDS in poor countries; o a third of the people who lack access to clean water; o a third of children who do not complete primary school; and o half of all child deaths. · As of April 2011, none of the low- income fragile or conflict- affected countries had achieved a single Millennium Development Goal. The World Bank has scaled up to respond more effectively to the particular challenges of fragile and conflict situations through policy and institutional reforms, more human and financial resources, stronger partnerships, and a focused program of research and learning to catalyze innovation and sharpen the effectiveness of our operations. · Since 2000, the International Development Association (IDA)―the World Bank’s fund for the poorest―has provided over $11.2 billion in post-conflict reconstruction assistance to fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS), which include countries, and regions within countries, affected by conflict. Putting WDR 2011 into practice: The World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security and Development called for a paradigm shift in the development community’s approach to fragile and conflict-affected situations, based on the premise that violence and other challenges cannot be resolved by short-term or partial solutions in the absence of institutions that provide people with security, justice, and jobs. In April 2011, the Bank placed support to fragile and conflict-affected situations at the forefront of our development agenda with the paper “Operationalizing the 2011 World Development Report,” which outlines six themes for Bank reforms: 1. focusing country strategies on fragility; 2. strengthening partnerships on development, security and justice; 3. increasing attention to jobs and private sector development; 4. realigning results and risk management frameworks; 5. reducing volatility in financing; and 6. striving for global excellence in our work in fragile and conflict-affected situations . World Bank teams have been mobilized to work on each of these themes. A hub for expertise on conflict and violence: In July 2011, as a central part of putting the WDR 2011 into practice, the World Bank launched its Global Center for Conflict, Security and Development (CCSD) in Nairobi, Kenya. The center aims to serve as a global hub to connect those working in fragile and conflict affected situations across the globe, provide access to the latest research and knowledge on what works in volatile environments, and will help the institution strengthen its leadership on the global FCS agenda and support World Bank teams. The center is staffed by a team of Bank experts who are working closely with the U.N. and other partners. The Bank selected Nairobi as the center’s base due to its proximity to many of the world’s fragile and conflict affected situations and in recognition of its emerging status as an important center for development expertise and practice across Africa. Recovery, prevention and institution building: To help countries develop strategies to recover from, prevent and manage violence, conflict, and fragility, the World Bank manages a multi-donor trust fund, the State and Peace Building Trust Fund. The SPF project portfolio consists of 53 grants in 26 countries, with a total value of about $118.8 million. Nearly half of the projects in the portfolio are in the Africa region, and 21 percent are in the Middle East and North Africa. The New Deal: a new framework for engaging in FCS: The New Deal, a framework that responds to the limited results achieved in fragile states, was endorsed in December 2011 in Busan, Korea, by 37 countries and international organizations, including the World Bank. The New Deal is being championed by the g7+, a group with an original membership of 7 – now expanded to 19 – of the world’s most fragile states and as a platform for fragile states to voice their demands and perspectives. The New Deal starts from the understanding that country leadership and ownership in their transition out of fragility is central to improving current ways of working in fragile situations. Results: After 20 years of systematic engagement in fragile and conflict-affected situations, the Bank has contributed to successful recovery in several countries. For example, Vietnam cut the number of poor people, the depth of their poverty, undernourishment, and infant and under-five mortality by more than 50 percent between 1990 and 2007. Ethiopia more than tripled access to improved water, from 13 percent of the population in 1990 to 42 percent in 2006; and, between 1995 and 2007, Bosnia and Herzegovina increased measles immunizations from 53 percent to 96 percent for children aged 12-23 months. Contacts: Cosma Gatere – CCSD, Nairobi, Kenya, +254-20-272 1374 / 67, cgatere@worldbank.org Melissa Fossberg – Washington DC, +1 202-458-4145, mfossberg@worldbank.org Updated March 2012 | 
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