Security and development: can we still innovate in crisis and conflict situations?

A look back at the Rendez-vous de l'Expertise on January 21, 2020

Security and development: can we still innovate in crisis and conflict situations?

Increasing intra-state and cross-border conflicts, changes in the terrorist threat, population displacements and climate risks are all security and development challenges facing states and citizens in the Sahel and Middle East.

To guarantee peace and stability, a global approach known as the security-development contiguum can be a means of improving the way in which partner states and development agencies operate. It proposes to create a lasting and significant impact in the most vulnerable countries and regions by adopting practical solutions on the ground that are multi-faceted: conflict prevention, stabilization and rehabilitation of societies, the fight against global and cross-border threats, or support for state security systems.

The effectiveness of this approach hinges on the ability to coordinate different types of players, and to bring together diverse practices and visions of development aid: from public authorities to NGOs, development agencies and operators.

Faced with these challenges, how can we better understand security needs from the Sahel to the Middle East and the expectations of the population? How can we better reconcile diplomacy, defense, security and development? What innovative solutions can be developed in the field?