About the project

Why health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected states?

Fragile and conflict-affected states (FCAS) face profound challenges in sustaining essential health services amid conflict, displacement, economic shocks, and political instability. Yet these contexts also generate innovation and locally driven solutions that maintain service delivery under extreme pressure.

61 contexts—home to approximately 2·1 billion people—are currently classified as fragile, with more than 70% of the world's extreme poor residing in these settings[1] . In such contexts, health systems function not only as service delivery platforms but as pillars of social stability, trust, and state legitimacy.

From Concept to Action

Turning resilience into action means embedding it in the health system operations and daily decisions.

Why It Matters?

• Defines measurable capacities: Clarifies the concrete functions systems must build to absorb, adapt, and transform under stress.
• Guides smarter investment: Anchors reform and resource allocation in structured, evidence-based assessment.
• Strengthens institutions : Connects resilience to accountability, governance performance, and rule of law.
• Protects equity : Keeps vulnerable populations central when crises disrupt access to care.
• Enables continuous adaptation : Supports data-informed decision-making and faster response cycles.