Integrating Climate Change into the US Global Fragility Strategy: A New “Prologue”

Apr 19, 2022 | Francesco Femia, Caitlin Werrell
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In early April, the Biden Administration released a “prologue” to the US Global Fragility Strategy, also known as the Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability. The initial document was developed under the Trump Administration in response to requirements in the Global Fragility Act (GFA). 

This type of coordinated, multi-sectoral process is exactly what is needed to ensure climate considerations are well integrated into US foreign policy, and the prologue takes two important steps forward in this direction. 

Second, the prologue’s identification of four focus countries (Haiti, Mozambique, Libya, Papua New Guinea) and one focus region (Coastal West Africa) provides concrete opportunities to develop best practices for integrating climate change into US foreign policy. As policymakers draft each country or regional strategy, they should identify and leverage key climate-related data streams, predictive tools, and climate research that will contribute to a fuller understanding of fragility risks and opportunities for prevention in each locale.

Also, policymakers should look for synergies with US climate finance strategies, particularly around financing adaptation. For example, the Global Fragility Act process should intersect with the implementation of the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE), an initiative announced at COP26.