Evidence for human development, food security, and peace in poly-crises
Fragile Lives 2024 is an international expert conference on the use of rigorous, scientific evidence for the development of knowledge-based policy interventions in fragile, conflict-affected and under-developed settings. It will focus specifically on how poly-crises shape individuals, institutions, and interventions at the micro-level and the policies that can boost resilience and coping capacities in the context of these shocks.
Across three themes, we will examine the drivers, dynamics, and impacts of poly-crises, spanning violent conflict, humanitarian emergencies, and the climate crisis:
- Lives and Livelihoods – How do people respond to and cope with poly-crises around the world?
- Achieving Zero Hunger – How do we best increase food security in poly-crises?
- Peace and Prosperity – How can rigorous evidence inform the design of effective peacebuilding measures?
Across two days, Fragile Lives 2024 will:
- Present rigorous analyses of questions of significant policy interest in the compounding challenges poly-crises;
- Discuss how causal evidence can be used to develop new policy to improve the lives and livelihoods of people affected by such shocks and poly-crises;
- Offer novel policy recommendations for how to protect and support vulnerable households and institutions; and
- Connect academia and practice across disciplines, institutions, sectors, and countries to facilitate learning on how to deal with our increasingly uncertain and challenging world.
Fragile Lives 2024 will take place on 1 & 2 October 2024 at Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin in Germany. It is organized jointly by the Zero Hunger Lab of Humboldt-University of Berlin with IRI THESys and Leibniz Institute of Vegetables and Ornamental Crops (IGZ).
In addition to its panel sessions and keynote speeches, Fragile Lives 2024 will also host the annual workshops of the Households in Conflict Network (HiCN), the Leibniz Environment And Development Symposium (LEADS), and the Methods Working Group of German Association for Peace and Conflict Studies (AFK Methods), enabling a unique level of interaction between experts from international donor organizations, practitioners, and cutting-edge academic research.
Fragile Lives Opening Speeches: Julia von Blumenthal (President of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Martina Brockmeier (President of the Leibniz Gemeinschaft), Deike Potzel (Director General for Crisis Prevention, Stabilisation, Peace Building, and Humanitarian Assistance of the German Federal Foreign Office), and Christine Toetzke (Director General Asia, Latin America, Middle East, Eastern/South Eastern Europe of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development).
Keynote Speakers: Agnes Quisumbing (Senior Researcher, IFPRI) and Ibrahim Elbadawi (Managing Director, ERF)
Local Organizers of Fragile Lives 2024: Tilman Brück (IGZ, HU Berlin and ISDC), Jonathan Garcia (IGZ and HU Berlin) and Dorian Lötzer (ISDC)
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You can find out more information on the conference website, and can register to attend via the registration site. The registration fee is €150 and covers full access to all conference programming, lunch on both conference days, and dinner on 1 October.
We thank the German Foundation for Peace Research (Deutsche Stiftung Friedensforschung) for their funding support of the 20th Households in Conflict Network Annual Workshop.
