Integrating Conflict Sensitivity into Project Design in Fragile and Conflict-affected Situations

Conflict and fragility significantly impact environmental and climate change programing, including Global Environment Facility-funded initiatives. In November 2024, The GEF Secretariat developed a Guidance Note on Fragile and Conflict-affected Situations (FCS). The Guidance Note aims to assist GEF agencies and partners in efficiently planning and executing projects in FCS. It provides actionable recommendations to enhance the likelihood of achieving durable global environmental benefits and climate change adaptation through established practices and tools.

This GEF webinar aimed to strengthen the GEF’s approach to risk management in FCS contexts by sharing best practices and challenges encountered throughout the project cycle. The session introduced practical experiences, tools, and methodologies for designing, implementing, and monitoring projects to achieve global environmental benefits and climate change adaptation in FCS. The first sessions highlighted concrete examples of how conflict and fragility analysis are integrated into project design in FCS settings. Three speakers from the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees introduced concrete examples of how conflict and fragility analysis were integrated in project design in Madagascar’s climate resilient landscape management project, project of improving the climate resilience of agro-sylvo-pastoral production systems in Burkina Faso, and project assessing risks and opportunities related to internally displaced peoples and hosting communities.

Opening Remarks

Chizuru Aoki, Manager, Conventions and Funds Division, GEF Secretariat

Moderator

Tracy Hart, Global Lead, Environmental Risk Management and Global Lead, Fragile and Conflict States (FCS), World Bank

Speakers

Joanna de Berry, Senior Social Development Specialist, Eastern and Southern Africa Region, World Bank

Pierre Bégat, GEF Technical Officer, FAO

Houssam Chahin, Chief of Climate Financing, UNHCR

Blake Ratner, Strategic Advisor, Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel to the Global Environment Facility (STAP).

Resources

• Conflicts over natural resources in Burkina Faso (FAO 2021)
• Defueling Conflict: Environment and Natural Resource Management as a Pathway to Peace (World Bank 2022)
• Thematic Review on Climate-Security and Peacebuilding (UNU 2023)
• No Escape Report (UNHCR 2024)
• New STRATA tool to help identify hotspots where environmental, climate, and security stresses converge with socio-economic vulnerabilities and instability (FAO and UNEP)
• Podcast about a Ugandan warrior in Karamoja who turned to farming with support from GEF-FAO investmentEnvironmental security: dimensions and priorities (STAP 2018)
• Environmental security: achieving durable outcomes in fragile and conflict-affected situations (STAP 2024)