{"id":7118,"date":"2020-04-22T15:51:28","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T19:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charityandsecurity.org\/?p=7118"},"modified":"2020-04-22T16:11:31","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T20:11:31","slug":"abstract-implementing-the-global-fragility-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charityandsecurity.org\/abstracts\/abstract-implementing-the-global-fragility-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Abstract: Implementing the Global Fragility Act"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new policy brief from Mercy Corps, Implementing the Global Fragility Act<\/a><\/em>, outlines a plan and vision for the new law, which passed in December 2019 with strong bipartisan support.<\/p>\n

The Global Fragility Act<\/a> (Act) is intended to change the way U.S. foreign policy treats fragile and conflict-affected states and increases investment in preventing global violence. It charges the U.S. government with creating a Global Fragility Strategy (Strategy) by September 2020. As the brief notes, the Strategy \u201crepresents an unprecedented opportunity to change how the U.S. government operates in fragile and conflict-affected states.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the core of the Act\u2019s interventions is the notion of inclusion. The brief explains, \u201cTo create inclusive institutions, the Global Fragility Act argues that U.S. government agencies and departments should implement interventions that foster rule of law, representative political institutions, security sector institutions that protect human rights, and economic development for all, in addition to supporting shorter-term reconciliation and dialogue efforts.\u201d The Act also identifies three cross-cutting themes that should be integrated across interventions supported by the Global Fragility Strategy: strengthening state-society relations, curbing extremist ideology, and making society less vulnerable to the spread of extremism and violence.<\/p>\n

The Act directs the government on how to implement these policies, but \u201cthe incentive structure surrounding foreign aid makes it difficult to coordinate effectively, be conflict sensitive, and create true local ownership,\u201d the brief states. Creating metrics and goals for the Strategy could be problematic if they are not detailed enough or if they are too prescriptive. With this in mind, the brief offers guidance for the Strategy drafters:<\/p>\n