Unequal access to jobs and finance. Limited access to education and healthcare. Exclusion 
from decision-making. Risks of gender-based violence.
Women all over the world face these challenges, but even more so in countries facing fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) where restrictive gender norms are often amplified and entrenched.
It is hard to imagine that a year has passed since Russia invaded Ukraine causing
widespread devastation and suffering in the country and rattling the world economy. As a result of the invasion, With rising numbers of housing units severely damaged, hospitals and schools destroyed, thousands of Ukrainians are spending these tough winter months amid frequent electricity and heating disruptions. I saw this first hand when I visited Ukraine back in November.
When I first visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2007 as a public health 
researcher, I was trying to understand the complex issue of how young men get recruited into rebel groups in war-torn regions of central Africa. What I learned was both surprising and heartbreaking: a person who experienced war violence as a child could be more likely to engage in conflict as a young adult. Young men who had experienced extreme war violence in their past would often state this as a reason to take up arms. Even more tragically, these same young men would often struggle to reintegrate peacefully into their communities when hostilities ended. The violence they had experienced their whole lives through war persisted within their homes and communities even when formal peace was declared.
In just under two weeks, about 1,000 people will gather in Washington D.C. for the 2018 Fragility Forum
. Policy makers from developed and developing countries, practitioners from humanitarian agencies, development institutions and the peace and security communities, academics and representatives of the private sector will come together with the goal of increasing our collective impact in countries affected by fragility, conflict and violence (FCV).
WBG Blog: Franck Bousquet
I had the opportunity recently to participate in the Third Edition of the World Reconstruction Conference, where I was reminded once again of a sobering reality – that we live in an increasingly interconnected world where multiple cr
ises overlap in complex ways, from the impacts of climate change to a spike in violent conflict, historically high levels of forced displacement, and the worst famine in 70 years.
At the same time, I was encouraged by how the international community is coming together, breaking silos to forge a comprehensive response. While the Conference focused on the role of post-crisis recovery and reconstruction for resilience building and disaster risk reduction, partners recognized the complexity of this effort. The joint communique noted that conflict and fragility require special attention as it can aggravate the impact of natural disasters and make the recovery process more challenging.
Netherlands for the World Bank 
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