Asian Development Bank's Support to Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations

Since 2000, ADB has approved 74 loan and grant operations amounting to $3.9 billion and 204 technical assistance projects totaling $161.2 million in 11 current fragile and conflict affected situation countries. Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea are the two biggest recipients overall. 

The study concludes that ADB needs to take a differentiated approach to engaging current fragile and conflict affected situation countries, because concern is growing over their ability to meet most of their Millennium Development Goals. Most standard development approaches do not work in these countries due to fluid political conditions and governmental weaknesses.

The study notes that ADB has provided "substantially timely" assistance to fragile and conflict affected situation countries by "selecting and focusing on key areas needing attention, working with other partners, and providing increased presence on the ground."

But it says this assistance can be fine-tuned to be more flexible by applying a longer-term framework for capacity development in affected countries.

It recommends developing a step-by-step plan for capacity development based on country contexts, performance assessments, and country diagnostics identified through a needs assessment. The study also recommends Identifying external and internal resource gaps for working in fragile and conflict affected situation countries in consultation with donors and other development partners.