Working in fragile contexts
An increasing share of CISUs grant holders engage in fragile contexts. Fragility is posing a challenge for civil society organizations operating in these contexts, as it affects their capacity to provide support, mobilize resources, and advocate for vulnerable populations. This calls for guidance on how to address the drivers of fragility.
What is it about?
This tool paper includes the following three key foci:
- Understanding and analysing the drivers of fragility: The fragility of a particular context has high influence on how you can plan and prepare an intervention. It also influences the content and approaches you choose for your intervention. Therefore, an analysis of the context is needed to understand the drivers of fragility.
- Resilience as an approach to work in a fragile context: Interventions in a fragile context need to have a strong focus on resilience. Therefore, this tool paper provides information about how to strengthen resilience and how to work with it in practice.
- Interlinkages between humanitarian, development, and peace actions: Another aspect when working in a fragile context is synergies and coherency between actors and their respective approaches.
More inspiration
Resources on fragile contexts:
Read more about the dimensions of a fragile context on the OECD webpages on the Fragility Framework.
Resources on resilience:
UN Common Guidance on Helping Build Resilient Societies.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Oxfam Framework for Resilient Development.
Resources on coherency and nexus:
DAC Recommendation on the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus. OECD, 2024.
Issue paper: Exploring peace within the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus:.
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Glossary
This glossary explains concepts and words that you encounter when making use of CISU's services.
Civil society
Partnerships
Development projects and change processes
Organisational development
Humanitarian work and emergency aid
Climate, nature and environment
Communication, information and engagement
Knowledge sharing
Read more about Glossary
Photo: Pernille Bærendtsen
Civic Space
12 different learning cases from organisations and projects with experiences on working in contexts of shrinking civic space.
Read more about Civic Space
Case: Resilience and livelihood in mountainous Tanzania
This case report highlights the activities and results of a Climate Change adaptability intervention in West-Usambara, Tanzania, implemented by Tanzania Forest Conservation Group, Albertine Rift Conservation Society together with their Danish partner, Danish Outdoor Council (Friluftsrådet).
Read more about Case: Resilience and livelihood in mountainous Tanzania