ISSUE 45: MARCH-MAY 2007
network of research and training centres/programmes
FRONT PAGE | ARCHIVE |
Tackling vulnerability of the "fragile states"
In the world's most vulnerable countries – the "fragile states" – more than 350 million people live in extreme poverty and four million children die before reaching the age of five.
But it is not only countries that are vulnerable. Within countries there are often large groups of people who lack the assets or other means to cope with the impact of adverse shocks.
The upcoming UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) conference, Fragile States - Fragile Groups: Tackling Economic and Social Vulnerability, will bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss how fragile states can reduce their vulnerability to shocks by increasing their capacity to absorb external funds and mobilize internal resources for sustained poverty reduction and improved economic security.
Conference topics will include:
- Fragility concepts and measures
- Trade and financial shocks
- Weather and other environmental shocks
- State failure and governance in fragile states
- Household vulnerability and fragile groups
- Poverty dynamics and economic insecurity
- Strategies for dealing with economic and social vulnerability
- Linking aid, debt relief and fragility
- Fragility and MDG implementation
The conference, jointly organized by UNU-WIDER and the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), will be held in Helsinki June 15-16.
© 2007 United Nations University