Service Delivery in Fragile Situations: Key concepts, findings and lesssons

The international community is increasingly engaging in fragile situations and conflict-affected states and recognises that these situations require sustained attention and tailored approaches.This has led to the adoption of the OECD DAC Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations (April 2007) which provide guidance for decision making and practice.

The Principles see state building as the central objective of international partnerships in fragile situations.The priority is to support the legitimacy and accountability of states and strengthen their capability to fulfil core functions.Today it is widely accepted that the state has an irreducible role in the delivery of both basic social services and also justice and security.

In fragile situations, however, the state often fails to provide core services such as health, education and water to the poor and, at times, may not be seen by parts of the population as a legitimate provider of security and justice. Violence, endemic corruption, skewed budget allocations for particular ethnic or religious groups, and the exclusion of women andminorities can further increase social insecurity and undermine the foundations of just and equitable service delivery systems. Yet,while fragility has a negative impact on public services, there is also evidence that improvements in service delivery can contribute to strengthening governance and reducing fragility. This hasmajor implications for how donors choose to engage in different fragile contexts. Not only does it require well-designed and contextually adapted approaches, but also careful attention to ensure that enhancing service delivery in the short term can make a contribution to state building in the long term. Given the complexities of service delivery in fragile settings, this is not an easy task.

This publication, based on the work of the DAC Fragile States Group, identifies the challenges and dilemmas the international community and its partners face in delivering services in fragile situations and offers practical guidance on how to overcome such challenges.