USAID Fragile States Strategy - The Air University

Annex 1. USAID Experiencein Fragile StatesSince its inception, USAID hasworked in fragile states. TheAgency has been a leader in humanitarianand postconflict response,and has drawn from the lessons ofthis work to innovate programmaticallyand, in particular, fill the breachbetween relief and development. Theoverall level of assistance to fragilestates has increased since the end ofthe Cold War so that in 2003, excludingIraq, almost one-fifth of USAID’sThe Agency has been a leader in humanitarian andpostconflict response, and has drawn from the lessons ofthis work to innovate programmatically and, in particular,fill the breach between relief and development.overall resources were spent in suchsettings. Recent examples of USAIDprograms include support to Indonesiaand Peru, as they moved through vulnerablepolitical transitions; to Sudan,with ongoing crisis; and to Afghanistanand Iraq, as they embark on highlyfragile recoveries. While these arepromising examples, significant challengesremain.Illustrative CasesCrisis States• Sudan. Sudan has been torn byconflict for all but 10 of its years as anindependent nation. The longest-running civil war has been thenorth-south divide, but this conflicthas, over time, fueled a series ofethnic and racial conflicts. USAIDcontinues to be at the forefrontof sustained international engagementto end Sudan’s long civilwar. Notably, USAID has workedintensively with the Department ofState, other donors, and the UnitedNations to bring an immediatehumanitarian ceasefire and politicalsolution to the new conflict inwestern Sudan. With a north-southpeace agreement concluded, USAIDand other donors are poised to helpsouthern Sudan begin the recoveryprocess with programs that build onmany years of USAID humanitarianassistance and capacity buildinginitiatives in conflict resolution, governance,and social service delivery.• Afghanistan. Approximately 35 percentof Afghanistan’s population—much of it agrarian and rural—liveswithin 50 km of the Kabul to Kandaharhighway. USAID’s signal achievementin 2003 was the rebuildingof the 389 km road. Plans are nowbeing implemented to extend thehighway to Herat, where it will thenarc back and reconnect with Kabulin one complete circuit. Restorationof the road has been one of PresidentHarmid Karzai’s overriding priorities.Without it, Afghanistan’s civilsociety and economy would remainFRAGILE STATES STRATEGY 13