Many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries are classified as fragile states. In these states more than 350 million people live in extreme poverty and more than four million children die each year before reaching the age of five. Such outcomes will persist unless the vulnerability of fragile states to adverse shocks is reduced, and their capacity to absorb external funds and to mobilize internal resources for sustained poverty reduction and improved economic security is increased.

Conference topics will include:

· fragility concepts and measures
· trade and financial shocks
· weather and other environmental shocks
· state failure and governance in fragile states
· household vulnerability and fragile groups
· poverty dynamics and economic insecurity
· strategies for dealing with economic and social vulnerability
· linking aid, debt relief and fragility
· fragility and MDG implementation