TNRC Partner Resource USAID Organized crime, conflict, and fragility paper

Organized Crime, Conflict, and Fragility:
Assessing Relationships Through a Review of USAID Programs

By USAID | September 2015 | Partner Resource

This 2015 white paper from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a useful reference for natural resource management practitioners seeking to address corruption’s impact on conservation outcomes in conflict-affected environments where organized crime is prevalent. The report takes a case study approach to examine how organized crime is both facilitated by and contributes to state fragility—specifically looking at how criminality affects USAID’s implementation and results, and how assistance affects criminality. It looks at USAID efforts in three countries—Guatemala, Nigeria, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)—and presents recommendations for working with a crime-sensitive lens and descriptions of the expertise needed to address these issues. These recommendations suggest ways that conservation practitioners can combine efforts with others for a more comprehensive approach to organized crime, related corruption, and its impact on fragile and conflict-affected environments.

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