Devex: Global fragility strategy not released in October as expected by U.S. State Department
“The U.S. State Department did not release a full global fragility strategy by the end of October as anticipated by leadership of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. CSO Assistant Secretary Denise Natali told Devex in an interview last month she expected the document to be forthcoming by Oct. 28. In a statement sent to Devex on Nov. 1, she said the department needed more time before the strategy would be released publicly. CSO is charged with producing the strategy, which is mandated by the State Department by the nascent Global Fragility Act. That legislation, passed in December 2019, outlines a new approach to U.S. conflict prevention efforts in recognition of decades of failed U.S. foreign interventions in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The legislation requires the administration to select at least five priority countries or regions in which to conduct pilot projects over the course of a decade. It also outlines a whole-of-government approach, concentrated in the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and Defense Department, encouraging better interagency coordination in fragile and conflict-affected countries…” (Welsh, 11/2).