The African Development Bank's new High Level Panel on Fragile States, chaired by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, met in Monrovia, Liberia, on Friday, June 14 to make decisions on the panel's immediate priorities for critical analysis and consultations.

President Sirleaf encouraged panel members to think outside the box. Noting the importance of the exercise, she said, "this is an opportunity for us to think about critical state-building elements, such as institutional capacity building, as a long term process."

The members agreed on the task's urgency and the need to build on the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States and support the Post 2015 Agenda. In the discussion, they highlighted the key role the AfDB can play in leading the increasingly responsive approach to sustainable peace-building in post-conflict situations.

Panel members also agreed to commission key analytical papers on priority issues, including institutional development, peace-building, and the role of the media as partners. These papers, in addition to others on managing risks, social exclusion, and the private sector, will form the building blocks of the panel's final report. In addition, the panel will contribute some preliminary recommendations to the final ADF 13 discussions later in the year.

In the coming weeks, panel members will carry out country missions to consult with their counterparts in fragile states. Additional consultations with heads of state, civil society, donors, and other stakeholders will follow at the panel's launch event in early September.

The President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, established the panel to advise the Bank on expanding its engagement with fragile states.

The African Development Bank's new High Level Panel on Fragile States, chaired by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, met in Monrovia, Liberia, on Friday, June 14 to make decisions on the panel's immediate priorities for critical analysis and consultations.

President Sirleaf encouraged panel members to think outside the box. Noting the importance of the exercise, she said, "this is an opportunity for us to think about critical state-building elements, such as institutional capacity building, as a long term process." The members agreed on the task's urgency and the need to build on the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States and support the Post 2015 Agenda. In the discussion, they highlighted the key role the AfDB can play in leading the increasingly responsive approach to sustainable peace-building in post-conflict situations.

Panel members also agreed to commission key analytical papers on priority issues, including institutional development, peace-building, and the role of the media as partners. These papers, in addition to others on managing risks, social exclusion, and the private sector, will form the building blocks of the panel's final report. In addition, the panel will contribute some preliminary recommendations to the final ADF 13 discussions later in the year.

In the coming weeks, panel members will carry out country missions to consult with their counterparts in fragile states. Additional consultations with heads of state, civil society, donors, and other stakeholders will follow at the panel's launch event in early September.

The President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, established the panel to advise the Bank on expanding its engagement with fragile states.