State-building and Institutional Development in Post-Conflict Settings: Opportunities and Challenges

Protracted conflict in Libya and Yemen is seriously undermining the State’s capacity to pursue development. It has resulted in catastrophic loss of life and severely disrupted livelihoods, fragmented societies and eroded their social fabrics. When political settlements are eventually reached, Libya and Yemen will fall short of the ideal embodied in the SDGs framework. Following the collapse of centralised power and legitimate authority, the reconstruction of the “State” will prove arduous.

This Expert Group Meeting (EGM) will reflect on the development of peaceful and inclusive societies during the countries’ post-conflict reconstruction phase within the strategic framework of Goal 16 of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Discussions during the EGM will focus on the following:

• strategies to prepare for post-conflict phase by focusing on institutional development priorities;
• steps to strengthen effective and accountable institutions after the conflict ends to achieve sustainable development;
• the need for a cohesive State based on the principles of good governance;
• necessary post-conflict mechanisms to develop inclusive social systems;
• priorities of reforms to guarantee access to justice.