Capitalisation of the ‘Bêkou’ Fund, a trust fund supporting reconstruction and stabilisation in the Central African Republic, 2021

03/06/2021

The Bêkou Fund was established in 2014 to strengthen the links between emergency response and development. Its aim was to contribute to socio-economic stabilisation, the restoration of basic public services, rebuilding a sense of community and restoring trust between Central Africans and their administration. Seven years after this innovative tool was created in the CAR, and as the country is once again shaken by crisis, it is important to learn from it, analysing the strengths and limitations of such mechanisms and their comparative advantages and weaknesses. It is also important to better understand how these 'trust funds' can constitute a comprehensive 'toolbox' for responding to the needs of countries in crisis, in accordance with the OECD's Guidelines for Fragile States: 'Responding to the needs of populations and supporting the establishment of inclusive and accountable governance'.