Fragile States Task Team
 

In 2005, the FTI Partnership commissioned a Background paper for "Exploring the desirability and feasibility of expanding the EFA FTI to Fragile States” which was prepared by an inter-agency Task Team and presented to the FTI Partnership during the Partnership meeting in Beijing, November 2005.

The paper was structured around three main objectives: defining fragility and the dimensions of educational needs in selected fragile states; exploring opportunities and constraints to scaling up FTI support for the education sector in fragile states; and presenting options for how the FTI could add value in fragile states and to recommend preferred options.

The countries analyzed were the nine DAC fragile states pilots (Solomon Islands, Sudan, DRC, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Haiti, Yemen, Guinea Bissau) and five mini case studies (CAR, Burundi, DRC, Somalia, Sudan). This paper emphasized that education should be a focus for investment in fragile states and recommended that the FTI Partnership emphasize the Education Program Development Fund (EPDF) as the key tool for fragile states, and to strengthen analytical work and to accelerate sector planning.

The recommendation of the study was that the EPDF should be emphasized as the key tool for fragile states. The EPDF should therefore increase its focus on fragile states, providing a platform for harmonization, and making available funding for goods and services for capacity building (consultants, capital items, funds for workshops, study tour, etc.).

The FTI Partnership in Beijing decided that the partnership should develop its capacity to support fragile states. There was a general consensus that the EPDF may provide a mechanism to support fragile states to develop education sector programs. The task team on fragile states was given the mandate by the partnership to explore: (a) the modalities by which the EPDF can assist in this regard, (b) the possible roles of UNICEF and UNESCO, as well as (c) changes that may be needed in the FTI framework to facilitate service delivery through other channels, for example, through non-state actors.

In the Task Team's email exchanges post-Beijing, the team concluded that they will focus on a few countries to generate answers to these questions. Ideally this would also build towards specific proposals from these countries in the medium-term future, for EPDF funding and possible FTI endorsement. The task team sought to identify countries where there is a clear demand from donor groups and partner governments (where appropriate) to access the potential benefits of the FTI. The lead donors in fragile states analyzed within the study were contacted to test willingness and ability to take forward the next step of this analysis in their countries.

General documents:

·        Exploring the desirability and feasibility of expanding the EFA FTI to Fragile States (Report from Beijing)

·         Co-Chairs Conclusions (Task Team Mandate from Beijing)

·         Background Note on Fragile States Task Team

·         Fragile States Task Team List of Participants

Somalia documents:

·        Minutes of  audio conference (May 25, 2006)

DRC documents:

·        Minutes of audio conference (2006) (French)

·        Informational Note on DRC (French)

Haiti documents:

·        Minutes of audio conference (2006) (French)

Burundi documents:

·        Minutes of audio conference (11 October 2006)

For more information about the Task Team please contact Adaeze Igboemeka (A-Igboemeka@dfid.gov.uk), or Anna Triponel at the FTI Secretariat (atriponel@worldbank.org).