CHALLENGES FOR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
Population in fragile states
As of 2024, nearly 1 billion people (12% of the global population) live in fragile and conflict - affected states (FCS), facing significant challenges in development and stability.
A rising crisis
Fragility and conflict are linked to issues like climate change, food insecurity, and gender inequality. If these persist, 60% of the global poor could live in FCS by 2030, up from 50% today.
Climate-driven instability
Climate change worsens risks of conflict by causing water scarcity, crop failure, and displacement. If unchecked, these impacts could push 132 million more people into poverty by 2030.
Internal displacement surge
A record 68.3 million people were displaced by conflict as of 2023. Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Palestine accounted for nearly two-thirds of the 20.5 million new displacements that year.
Conflict, fragility and vulnerability are major issues in our world. Many governments, international organizations and NGOs work to address this by implementing peacebuilding and development initiatives and investing or financing local projects.
The peacebuilding projects and development programmes implemented by public and international actors often fail to achieve their economic, social, and institutional results and create the desired impact.
Although there have been areas of progress — such as acknowledging the relevance of local capacities for peace and the HDP (humanitarian-development-peace) nexus — peacebuilding and development initiatives are still not effective.
THE REASONS SPAN FROM
Rigid
Agendas
Implementation of a pre-defined agenda, that lacks flexibility.
No Community
Involvement
Interventions implemented without community involvement in decision-making.
Contextual
Misalignment
No adaptation of policies or interventions to local context or agendas.
Weak Evaluation
Frameworks
Lack of rigorous theoretical frameworks and evaluation processes.
VOI ADDRESSES THESE CHALLENGES
A strong involvement of local communities in decision-making processes and implementation (e.g. community-sourced indicators of success and locally-led choice of socioeconomic interventions, with the communities spearheading their implementation).
A rigorous theoretical framework that builds on decades of research in peacebuilding, emotions, social justice, identity and intergroup conflict theories. It culminates in the award-winning and innovative VOI methodology, a systematic sequence of activities with embedded impact measurement strategies throughout implementation to adequately track progress.
Increases the effectiveness of peacebuilding initiatives and programmes.
Ensures that institutions are able to achieve their results in a cost-effective manner.
Tracks and measures progress and impact, making progress intelligible to all stakeholders.