Devex: Opinion: What the Global Fragility Act could mean for development investments
Elisabeth Dallas, director, and Brittany Patterson, senior manager, both with the Chemonics Peace, Stability, and Transition practice

“The Global Fragility Act requires the U.S. government, in collaboration with civil society, to develop a 10-year strategy to enhance stability and to reduce violence and fragility globally. The GFA — recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and up for a full vote by the Senate — provides a unique opportunity to shift the way the international development community views and implements conflict prevention programming. … Implementing partners, in conjunction with the local networks they have established, can identify windows of opportunity to interrupt cycles of violence and recognize early warning signs of potential conflict. As such, we argue that there are five best practices that will help guide effective conflict prevention efforts: 1. Move away from making decisions in a vacuum … 2. Treat implementing partners as equal partners by establishing a forum for government-civil society collaboration … 3. Leverage other sector-based programs for prevention … 4. Recognize that humanitarian actors can play an instrumental role … 5. Assess conflict dynamics early and often to inform stabilization programming … The GFA provides an opportunity now to act on a concept that has eluded development practitioners for far too long — convincing donors that funding conflict prevention is worth the investment. We encourage senators to follow the lead of their colleagues in the House of Representatives and pass this innovative legislation…” (7/25).