Crises and conflicts

Association féminine — © Mamoudou Kane /AFD

AFD acts before, during, and after crises to strengthen the resilience and peacebuilding capacities of institutions and to support vulnerable populations.

Our commitment

The growing number of crises and conflicts around the world threatens peace and security for all. The human, security, political and economic consequences of these crises transcend borders and give rise to new challenges that hinder development. Investing in peace and resilience is therefore a local and global imperative, in the interest of France, its partners, and vulnerable populations.

In full alignment with France’s international solidarity policy, AFD Group invests in crisis prevention and response by mobilizing its three entities (AFD, Expertise France and Proparco), along with a wide range of financial instruments (including grants, loans and delegated funds).

Our approach

The growing number of crises and conflicts is making AFD Group’s areas of intervention increasingly volatile and complex. These realities require AFD to adapt its strategy and operations in order to better meet the needs of its partners and the vulnerable populations affected by these crises.

AFD’s operational strategy aims to strengthen institutions’ resilience to crises, improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations, and foster social cohesion.

AFD adopts a conflict-sensitive approach, tailored to local contexts. This means developing a better understanding of each context and the crisis dynamics in which it operates, in order to design strategies that reinforce peace and resilience, and to develop more rapid, flexible and targeted operating methods.

In 2017, AFD created a dedicated financing instrument for crisis prevention and response: the Minka Peace and Resilience instrument.

Coordinating a development mandate, humanitarian action and peacebuilding

Launched in 2017 as part of France’s strategy for Prevention, Resilience and Sustainable Peace, the Minka Peace and Resilience instrument is AFD’s grant facility for preventing and responding to crises and violent conflicts.

Minka aims to finance projects before, during, and after crises, in priority zones identified by France’s foreign policy (Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa).

Typically lasting three to five years, these projects are designed to meet the needs of local partners. The operating methods deployed are more rapid, targeted and flexible. Minka is aligned with the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus | INEE.

Find out more

Since 2017, 172 projects have been financed in 22 countries for a total of over €1.3 billion.

Download the report to find out more about our actions in 2024.

AFD has forged partnerships with the stakeholders best positioned to support its efforts before, during, and after crises.
To gain a better understanding of its areas of operation and identify risks, AFD works with think tanks that have in-depth knowledge of these zones, including the French Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), the International Crisis Group (ICG), Groupe URD and the French Institute for the Near East (IFPO).

With a view to capitalizing on French expertise and coordinating crisis intervention, AFD Group works with all French crisis prevention and response actors, particularly the Crisis and Support Center (CDCS) of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

AFD supports public institutions (such as ministries, local authorities and operators) in the countries where it operates to improve crisis prevention, preparation, and response.

To address needs on the ground, AFD also works closely with civil society organizations (CSOs). AFD offers a broad range of tools tailored to the needs and added value of these organizations. An infographic is available online outlining the full range of financing options for CSOs.

Reinforcing its action at the nexus of humanitarian assistance and development, AFD has built partnerships with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to address chronic crises.

Nearly 73% of the world’s refugees

Nearly 73% of the world’s refugees live in low- or middle-income countries. At the end of 2024, the number of forcibly displaced persons had reached 123 million (UNHCR).

These populations face violence, the loss of livelihoods, and limited access to basic services. These dynamics also affect host communities, increasing pressure on essential resources and fueling social tensions.

To address the vulnerabilities caused by forced displacement, AFD Group adopted a Migration and Development Action Plan in 2024 for supporting refugees, internally displaced persons, and host communities.

In line with France’s commitments at the most recent Global Refugee Forum (December 2023), AFD has financed more than 40 projects through Minka to strengthen the resilience of refugee-hosting areas, for a total of €405 million.

70% of civilian victims in today’s armed conflicts are women and children (UN).

In times of crisis, women face multiple challenges. They work to provide for their families, protect themselves from violence (especially sexual violence) and ensure their voices are heard in conflict prevention, management and resolution processes.

As part of its feminist foreign policy, France is strongly committed to the “Women, Peace and Security” agenda, which seeks to protect women from conflict-related violence and promote their active participation in peacebuilding efforts.

AFD contributes actively to this agenda. Between 2017 and 2025, it financed more than 160 projects supporting the rights of women and girls in crisis and conflict settings, with over €1.4 billion committed. These efforts focus on regions identified as priorities in France’s foreign policy:

the Middle East
Central Sahel (until 2023)
Central Africa
Ukraine, since the start of Russia’s war of aggression in 2022

Learn more about the “Women Lead in Emergency” program – Care France

Discover CARE's "Women's leadership in emergencies" program

46% of deaths caused by climate-related disasters occur in fragile countries (OECD).

In fragile and conflict-hit countries, climate change acts as a risk multiplier.

By worsening resource scarcity, undermining livelihoods, and driving forced displacement, it heightens the vulnerability of populations and exacerbates existing tensions. Despite this, these fragile and conflict-afflicted regions – often the most at risk – receive less climate financing than more stable countries. Populations in countries affected by both conflict and climate change receive three times less adaptation financing per capita than those in countries affected by climate change alone (International Crisis Group - ICG).

In light of this paradox, how can more climate finance be directed to fragile and conflict-hit countries while also supporting stability and crisis prevention?

To address overlapping vulnerabilities, AFD finances projects that adopt an integrated climate-conflict approach in countries such as Chad, Mauritania, Lebanon, Haiti, Mozambique, Colombia, and Ethiopia. These projects support a wide range of actions for climate adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity, while also contributing to conflict prevention and response.