Ready to engage?

An introduction for civil society organisations and other stakeholders on the role of business in fragile and conflict-affected settings This paper is an introduction to the role of the private sector in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS), as well as practical guidance on what civil society’s engagement with the private sector might look like. This knowledge can provide an entry point of engagement and can facilitate constructive private sector engagement.

Commissioned by Oxfam Novib and the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), the paper is written specifically for members of the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS) and other interested stakeholders. The goal is to enter the debate on the role that the private sector can play within the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (IDPS).

Civil society’s local knowledge, the interlocutor role they can potentially play between communities and companies, as well as their watchdog role, makes civil society a critical actor in ensuring businesses are conflict-sensitive and promoting a more pro-peace role for private sector actors in FCAS.