g7+ Working Group

The g7+ Working Group is a group of scholars and researchers within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). This group follows the work of the g7+, an intergovernmental organisation comprised solely of fragile states. It is a country-owned and -led mechanism to monitor, report, and draw attention to the unique challenges faced by fragile states. The g7+ is the first organisation of its kind and its emergence provides a unique opportunity for scholars and researchers to examine and analyse its effects on ‘aid’.

The g7+ Working Group at UNSW is working to support the far-reaching international reform efforts being led by the g7+ group of countries, whose conditions of fragility, conflict and post-conflict recovery present special challenges for development.

The g7+ Working Group aims to:
ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE by conducting research about development processes in fragile and conflict-affected countries, and the international institutions, market forces and policy debates that shape them
SUPPORT INNOVATION by identifying good practices, documenting experiences and fostering the exchange of views, lessons and advice among g7+ countries
PROMOTE DEBATE by building bridges between the academic and policy worlds, and developing a global network of researchers, policymakers, journalists, advisors and others working on these issues
INFLUENCE POLICY at global, national and local levels by brining the best knowledge, analysis and evaluation to bear on the urgent development challenges posed by fragility and conflict

Areas of research focus include:
The New Deal: monitoring pilots, implementation and global adoption
Peacebuilding: the g7+ and the New Deal at the United Nations
Public health systems in fragile and conflict-affected states
Maternal, neonatal and child health
Monitoring and evaluating impact
Global collective action
South-South cooperation: historical lessons, future opportunities

Key UNSW contacts
Prof. Anthony Zwi: a.zwi@unsw.edu.au
Dr Jeni Whalan: jeni.whalan@unsw.edu.au
Caitlyn Steiner (research officer): c.steiner@unsw.edu.au