Disasters, conflict and fragility: A joint Agenda

This paper provides an analysis on current thinking about the intersections between natural disasters, conflict, fragility, forced displacement and other crises. A core finding emerging from the past decade of research on the interface is that there is a need to reduce disaster risk including in fragile and conflict-affected states. There is growing evidence from the field that people and institutions in fragile and conflict-affected states are much more vulnerable to natural hazards. Thus, for the international community to most effectively address vulnerability to disasters, it must consider fragility and conflict as core drivers of vulnerability for many millions of the world’s poorest people. 

The analysis of this publication holds important implications that cut across all thematic areas:

• The need to work in a way that harnesses the comparative advantages of a range of partners across peace and security, humanitarian and development communities.
• The need for leadership and incentives to encourage institutional changes towards a multi-dimensional risk approach.
• The need for both development and humanitarian actors to learn new skills.
• The need to develop a lingua franca across the multitude of actors, sectors and disciplines.
• The need to recognize tensions.
• The need for multiple risk-sensitive project management, covering assessments, planning, implementation and monitoring.
• The need for flexibility of funding time-frames.