Whole-of-Government Approaches to Fragile States

As recognised in the DAC Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations, interconnected challenges of governance, economic performance, insecurity and poverty are acute in fragile states, requiring close collaboration among defense, diplomacy, development and beyond. Good international engagement in fragile states requires a complex and coherent range of approaches and instruments if lasting peace is to be secured.

The study provides a synthesis of current whole-of-government approaches in seven donors’ administrations, identifying several challenges to a whole-of-government approach, including differences in mandates, approaches, resources and considerable transaction costs. Recommendations include the need for political commitment, the need to engage a wide range of actors, joint analysis, country-specific joint planning, and creating the right incentives structure and knowledge management systems for actors involved to adopt a comprehensive approach.