Summary
The Millennium Development Goals were criticized for failing to deliver results in the most fragile countries. The New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States, agreed in 2011 by the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, sought to address this failure with a new model that prioritized peace, justice and governance, and the ownership of sustainable development by fragile and con icta ected states. These principles, advocated by the g7+, later served as the basis for Sustainable Development Goal 16 and were widely integrated throughout the 2030 Agenda.1
Together, the New Deal, SDG 16+ and the Sustaining Peace resolutions, which were adopted by the UN Security Council and General Assembly in 2016, provide a comprehensive policy platform for supporting inclusive, nationally led e orts to build resilience, promote sustainable development and prevent con ict. Mainstreamed across the development architecture, peace and justice provisions such as governance and the rule of law are now recognized as essential for sustainable economic growth, development and stability. However, translating the frameworks’ policy commitments into concrete achievements on the ground remains a challenge, especially in fragile and con icta ected settings.
This session examined how the peace, governance and justicerelated goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda and the New Deal have been operationalized. It drew on lessons learned in fragile and con icta ected states such as South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria and Tunisia. The discussion was structured around the themes of implemen tation, impact and inclusivity.
Conclusions and Recommendations
To seek new synergies, bridge gaps in current knowledge and identify areas for further research, the following ideas were drawn from the discussion:
- The need to act: the New Deal, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustaining Peace resolutions constitute a com prehensive policy platform for action.
- The need to be politically smart: consensus must be actively built around development, peacebuilding and state building goals.
- The need to build trust between state and civil society through national systems.
- The need for an inclusive approach to development, including conducting joint analyses to determine prior ities and build trust between state and civil society through support to national systems.
- The need to ensure that the global development agenda is implemented and measured in a manner that is adapted to local contexts and priorities.