Arab Watch Coalition Engages World Bank’s FCV Strategy Review
The World Bank Group (WBG) is currently conducting a comprehensive review of its Strategy for Fragility, Conflict, and Violence (FCV) — the framework that guides how the world’s largest development institution engages in some of the most complex and crisis-affected environments globally. The review is paving the way for a new strategic framework covering 2026–2030, built around three interconnected pillars: Jobs, Justice, and Security.
As part of this process, the WBG opened a public consultation period inviting civil society organizations to share their feedback on the proposed refreshed approach.
Arab Watch Coalition (AWC), alongside partner organizations from across the MENA region, submitted formal comments and recommendations during the consultation period. Our submission highlights critical gaps in the proposed strategy — including its over-reliance on private-sector-led job creation, the absence of a foundational floor for service delivery and institutional capacity, and the need for genuine civil society partnership as a strategic necessity: local organizations are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between centrally designed programs and ground-level realities — carrying knowledge of local dynamics, reaching populations that large institutions struggle to access, and holding projects accountable. We also raise concerns about the transparency of the proposed predictive fragility classification system and the risks of tying resource allocation to government reform commitments in already fragile contexts.
Read the full submission: English | العربية
Ahead of the consultation, AWC also published a blog exploring the gap between what the current FCV Strategy promises on paper and what it delivers on the ground — and making the case for why meaningfully integrating local and civil society voices into the next framework is not optional, but essential.