In February 2016, Oxfam hosted its first learning event on working in fragile and conflict-affected contexts in order to bring together a range of Oxfam and partner staff to exchange programmatic and operational learning. This report documents the outcomes and discussions.
A third of the world’s poorest, most vulnerable and marginalised people are estimated to live in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Our work in FCACs aims to address their needs, but we recognise the importance of finding different ways to do this in these challenging contexts. In these environments, conflict is often violent, protracted and mirrored across society. These contexts are also among the most challenging for development agencies to work in. There is limited civil society space and capacity, direct threats to staff and partners and in many cases few opportunities to engage or work with the state.
Progress is often followed by setbacks, making it difficult to plan and operate. Transformative change is unlikely within our usual three to fiveyear strategic planning timeframes and restricted funding cycles. Yet if we are to reach the world’s most vulnerable people, we need to address the drivers of fragility and conflict and find ways of working most suitable to navigating these difficult contexts.
The importance of taking time to reflect and learn on our approach to working in Fragile and Conflict Affected Contexts is a priority for Oxfam as a whole.
