Mercy Corps Welcomes Submission of Global Fragility Act Country Plans

Statement from Kate Phillips-Barrasso, Vice President of Global Policy and Advocacy, Mercy Corps

WASHINGTON - Mercy Corps applauds the recent submission of the Global Fragility Act (GFA) country and regional plans to Congress. The White House developed 10-year implementation plans for Haiti, Libya, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, and Coastal West Africa which includes Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, and Togo.

Enacted in December 2019, the GFA strengthens the capacity of the U.S. government to address the root causes of fragility and violent conflict. The country and regional plans were developed among all relevant agencies and with input from local community groups to ensure a coordinated approach toward more proactive U.S. engagement in these areas.

The plan summaries underscore the importance of mitigating the drivers of violence and instability in each region, including climate change in Haiti, gender-based violence and inequality in Papua New Guinea, and the breakdown of social cohesion across the selected countries, which Mercy Corps has raised as critical to implementing the vision behind the GFA. 

For GFA plans to be successful, local communities must be openly engaged at every step of implementation. By prioritizing analysis and adaptive learning, the plans provide a unique opportunity to develop shared learning agendas and incorporate lessons learned.

The next decade of implementation will be critical to building resilience and preventing conflict in the selected countries. According to the World Bank, conflicts drive 80% of all humanitarian needs. Rising trends of violent conflict and climate change were already a dangerous combination before COVID-19, and they have been compounded by the economic shock of the pandemic and the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine. 

The success of these plans will rely on meaningful partnerships, including among the U.S. government interagency, and between the U.S.government and host communities. Mercy Corps is proud to co-lead the Global Fragility Coalition of over 100 peacebuilding, humanitarian, faith-based, and development organizations, and looks forward to continuing to work with the U.S. government on implementing the GFA.