Fuente : World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org

World Forum Focuses on Plight of Fragile States

/noticias.info/ Leading representatives of the international community will gather in London on 13-14 January to re-examine how to provide effective development assistance to "weak and fragile states,” reports The Panafrican News Agency.

Nations in turmoil and those on the brink of collapse will also come under focus. A statement by the UN Development Program said that while world attention was focused on the tragedy of the Tsunami, which hit some of the most fragile regions in Asia, it was important to deal with problems of other nations. "It is critical that we do not forget the millions of citizens in other countries around the world, who are struggling against problems of poverty, poor governance, insecurity and conflict," the UNDP pointed out. The conference, the result of months of preparation, will examine lessons from experience in helping some of the most vulnerable areas of the world.

The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) will host the two-day Senior Level Forum on Development Effectiveness in Fragile States that is being convened by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the European Commission, the UNDP and the World Bank. It is aimed at shaping a consensus on the emerging elements of best practice in dealing with fragile states.

"Fragile states -- those crippled by weak institutions and governance that fail to meet the basic needs of their populations -- are home to about 500 million of the world's most disadvantaged citizens and provide fertile ground for many emerging global and regional security threats," says Paul Collier, professor at the University of Oxford. "Weak institutions and governance can condemn these countries to a vicious circle of diminishing international engagement, economic decline, poverty, and dependence on primary commodities -- all major risk factors for state breakdown," he points.

Organizers argued that it has been increasingly recognized that there can be no sustainable development without peace and security, and that sustainable development was a precondition for long-term peace and security. "To prevent human disasters such as that unfolding in Darfur in Sudan, and to move towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and guard against rising insecurity and global imbalance, it is imperative that countries do not become marginalized from the benefits of global development and poverty reduction," they said in a statement.

The forum would seek a more balanced and inclusive development, the international community will need to find ways to remain engaged in the struggle against poverty in countries with the weakest of institutions and policies, where partnerships can be difficult to establish, and people in need are not heard.

Senior officials, leading development practitioners and academics, will examine aid allocation to fragile states, donor coordination, and donor policy coherence, as well as effective service delivery and improved aid instruments. Speakers will include former Afghan Finance Minister and Special Adviser to the UN during the Bonn Agreement, Ashraf Ghani; Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Momodu Koroma, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Sierra Leone; and other top officials.

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