The COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis has caused thousands of deaths and shaken the 
world’s richest countries to their core. What happens when it makes its way to low-and middle-income countries, which could face destabilizing and lasting shocks from its health and economic impacts? This is especially true for countries impacted by fragility, conflict and violence (FCV), where cases of COVID-19 infection are increasing. Nearly one-third of our total project investments in 100 countries so far have focused on countries impacted by fragility and conflict —from Afghanistan and Iraq to Somalia and Haiti — to help them face a multi-layered crisis of a magnitude no one has faced before.
Tag Archives: Conflict
COVID-19 in fragile settings: Ensuring a conflict-sensitive response
, as seen in the recent resurgence of polio in Syria, cholera outbreaks in the conflict zones in Yemen, and the persistence of Ebola in insecure eastern regions of the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC). Between 2009 and 2017, in fact, there were 364 disease outbreaks in 108 refugee camps. Fragility and conflict reverse hard-won development gains and stunt opportunities for children, youth, and the poorest people. In the process, they deeply weaken health systems, leaving societies more vulnerable to disease outbreaks.
Fragility and Conflict: On the Front Lines of the Fight against Poverty
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A new report estimates that by 2030 up to two-thirds of the global extreme poor will
be living in FCS, making it evident that without intensified action, the global poverty goals will not be met.
- The new report, “Fragility and Conflict: On the Front Lines of the Fight against Poverty” notes that the 43 countries in the world with the highest poverty rates are in FCS and/or Sub-Saharan Africa.
- The number of people living in proximity to conflict — defined as within 60 kilometers of at least 25 conflict-related deaths — has nearly doubled since 2007.
Globally, the prevalence of fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS) continues to rise. The number of forcibly displaced people worldwide has more than doubled since 2012, exceeding 74 million in 2018. A new report estimates that by 2030 up to two-thirds of the global extreme poor may be living in FCS, making it evident that without intensified action, the global poverty goals will not be met.
The new report, “Fragility and Conflict: On the Front Lines of the Fight against Poverty,” notes that the 43 countries in the world with the highest poverty rates are in FCS and/or Sub-Saharan Africa. Economies facing chronic fragility and conflict have had poverty rates stuck at over 40 percent in the past decade, while countries that have escaped FCS have cut their poverty rates by more than half. Today, a person living in an economy facing chronic fragility and conflict is 10 times more likely to be poor than a person living in a country that hasn’t been in conflict or fragility in the past 20 years.
World Bank Job Fair
Join us on Monday, February 3, 2020 for this special job fair to learn about over 100 
exciting positions that the World Bank is looking to fill by June this year.
As part of a recruitment drive to increase its support for countries dealing with fragility, conflict and violence (FCV), the World Bank Group invites applications from qualified candidates interested in international development. The majority of positions will be located in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and East Asia.
World Bank Group Strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence
Update: Phase 2 consultations are open until January 16, 2020. 
The World Bank Group has released its draft strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV). The objective of the strategy is to address the drivers of FCV in affected countries and their impact on vulnerable populations, with the ultimate goal of contributing to peace and prosperity. To ensure the strategy benefits from a wide range of inputs, the World Bank Group is undertaking global consultations to inform the strategy’s development.
Timeframe: April 2019 – January 2020
Strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV)
The World Bank Group is developing its first strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence 
(FCV). The overarching objective of the strategy is to address the drivers of FCV in affected countries and their impact on vulnerable populations, with the ultimate goal of contributing to peace and prosperity. The final strategy will seek to guide and systematize the World Bank Group’s work in FCV contexts over the next five years.
Launching global consultations on the World Bank Group’s upcoming Strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence
April marked the official launch of global consultations to inform the World Bank 
Group’s first-ever Strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV). , building on the comparative advantage of the Bank Group in fragile settings. As we embark on this process, the most relevant question for us is how to build on progress made and optimize our interventions to be our most effective on the ground, with special focus on making a lasting difference for the most vulnerable populations. Furthermore, in FCV settings, we know that no single organization can act alone – as the World Bank Group, this strategy is about positioning our analytical, operational, and convening power to contribute to broader international efforts in support of peace and prosperity.
Entrepreneurs in fragile, conflict and violence-affected countries face unique mental health challenges
Fragility, conflict and violence (FCV) have become some of the most pressing threats to 
economic development. Over 2 billion people live in FCV countries, and it is expected that by 2030 nearly 50 to 60 percent of the world’s poorest people will live in areas affected by conflict. This can pose major socioeconomic challenges, including a reduction of gross domestic product growth by 2 percentage points per year and driving youth to join rebellions due to conflict-driven unemployment.
Culture – the “X Factor” for Building Back Better after Conflict and Disasters
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- As the world continues to urbanize rapidly, cities are increasingly bearing the brunt of conflicts, crises, and disasters, which have a devastating effect on culture.
- A new World Bank-UNESCO Position Paper, Culture in City Reconstruction and Recovery (CURE), proposes an enhanced culture-based framework for city reconstruction and recovery.
- The CURE Framework marks an important milestone in the partnership between the World Bank and UNESCO on culture, urban development, and resilience.
“Real governance” in Fragile, Conflict-affected and Violent States – What is that?
The Fragility Forum was held in Washington D.C. from March 5 to 7. More than 1,000 people from over 90 different countries attended. At one of the events, ‘Real Governance in FCV settings: Engaging State and Non-State Actors in Development’ practitioners and policy-makers discussed which actors to work with in complex FCV situations, and what the choice of actors would mean from a human rights and social accountability perspective.
