ICAI, in its 2015 report ‘Assessing Impact of the Scale-up of DFID’s support to Fragile States’, included a recommendation for DFID to provide guidance on targeted infrastructure components to ensure sustainable impacts in fragile states programming.

DFID commissioned the ICED facility to conduct a piece of research in response to this recommendation. This page contains the outputs from this research.

The research terms of reference framed two key high level questions:

  1. What interventions (including types of infrastructure), approaches, investments and levers of influence are most effective in promoting sustainable infrastructure development in fragile and conflict affected states?
  2. How can infrastructure development be promoted in a way that:
    • Minimises the risk of doing harm?
    • Proactively supports efforts to build long-term stability?

These outputs are publicly distributable, comprising:

  • A synthesis report, drawing together cross-cutting observations from all the work conducted. The version available here includes all of the research outputs appended, for one complete distributable document.
  • An annotated bibliography, summarising findings from recent research relevant to the questions in the research ToR.
  • Case study report: examining what can be learned from developing Afghanistan’s roads and power sectors since 2001.
  • Case study report: examining the experience of infrastructure development in Somalia, including what can be achieved in a chronically unstable context.
  • Case study report: findings from three case studies on urban WASH programming in fragile contexts: DRC, Sierra Leone and Somaliland. With additional material from Syria and Yemen.