A Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies Initiative
Fragile and conflict-affected states (FCAS) face profound challenges in maintaining service delivery through resilient health systems. At the same time, they are home to innovative solutions that have delivered essential health services amid multiple crises and stressors. According to the State of Fragility Report 2025, there are currently 61 contexts, home to approximately 2.1 billion people, with more than 70% of the world’s extreme poor living in these regions. The intersection of conflict, displacement, and weakened governance structures exacerbates health inequities and disrupts essential services.
This initiative, spearheaded by the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, builds on the existing knowledge, best practices, and lived experiences while fostering South-South exchange. By mobilising resources to leverage expertise, we accelerate resilience-building efforts. Through targeted support, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing, we aim to facilitate needed transformative health systems changes that enhance the systems’ resilience. Our approach prioritises locally driven solutions, strategic partnerships, and the application of innovative methodologies to strengthen healthcare delivery in crisis-affected settings. By learning from and scaling successful interventions, we contribute to a more effective and equitable response to health challenges in fragile contexts.
- Advance Research: Employ systems thinking approaches to enhance evidence-based policymaking by conducting interdisciplinary research on health system resilience in FCAS.
- Drive Policy Action and Strengthen Multi-Level Collaboration: Engage policymakers, civil society, academia, and frontline implementers at the local, regional, and global levels to collaborate on context-specific solutions. Facilitate cross-sector collaboration to accelerate resilience-building.
- Facilitate South-South, Regional and Global Collaboration: Establish strong networks for knowledge-sharing, leveraging South-South, regional, and global collaboration to support sustainable and adaptive health system solutions in FCAS.
- Accelerate Innovation and Scalable Implementation: Drive the adoption of technology, data analytics, and evidence-based health interventions to enhance service delivery.
- Health Systems Resilience Measurement: Applying and adapting the resilience measurement framework and methodology to assess and track health system resilience in FCAS, ensuring that policies and interventions are data-driven, responsive, and continuously improving to withstand shocks and crises.
- Health System Operational Planning: Applying a whole-system approach to support operational planning, integrating diverse health system components to enhance coordination, efficiency, and sustainability. Solutions are co-created and tailored to the specific needs of FCAS.
- Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing: Establishing training programmes, regional hubs, and collaborative networks to strengthen local expertise, enhance institutional capabilities, and facilitate the exchange of best practices for sustainable health system resilience.
This initiative is built on the principles of partnership and sustainability, fostering collaboration between actors in FCAS and those in non-FCAS regions. By joining forces, we combine local expertise, lived experience, and global resources to co-create contextually relevant, scalable, and sustainable solutions for resilient health systems. Multi-sectoral collaboration ensures that interventions are driven by those closest to the challenges while benefiting from shared knowledge, innovation, and investment.
- Locally Led Research and Innovation
- People-Centered and Community-Driven Solutions
- Leveraging Global and Regional Resources
- Expanding Knowledge and Exposure
We invite researchers, practitioners, policymakers, students, and civil society organisations to join this initiative. Engage with us through:
- Collaborative research projects
- Regional workshops and policy dialogues
- Knowledge-sharing forums and Capacity-building programmes
