Situational Quadruple Nexus

Mostly stakeholders in the field of development and humanitarian assistance use the concept of Situational Quadruple Nexus, or four pillar interlinkages. It is the analytical framework for explaining the interlocking relationship of the four pillars: development, peace and security, human rights and humanitarian all situated within the foundationally important situation of governance, institutions, resources and external dynamics as overarching issues^[1][2]

Quadruple is the coming together of the four pillars, while nexus connotes interlinkages. Situational Foundation is the ecosystem for the operationalization of the four critical pillars.

The concept of Situational Quadruple Nexus is growing in usage, following significant findings that followed the 2020 UN ECA studies on the operationalization of the four pillars in the west, central, north, east and southern Africa^[3] The study on west and central African sub regions^[4] builds on the analysis of quadruple nexus as used in the Presentation at the 2020 International Peace Day organized by the United Nations Information Centre in Nigeria and the UNESCO^[5]

The Situational Quadruple Nexus approach strengthens collaboration, coherence and complementarity among the four pillars of development; peace and security; human rights as well as humanitarianism. This is to improve actions for national, sub-regional, regional and international delivery of assistance^[5] It seeks to maximize the advantages of each pillar in order to reduce overall vulnerabilities and the number of unmet needs. When applied to the conflict prone context of Africa, the quadruple nexus helps in making easier the analysis and understanding of the root causes of conflicts with a view to proffering effective and lasting solutions^[6] The progress of the four pillars is largely affected by the four situational foundation issues (governance, institutions, resources and external dynamics). They are very critical factors that could make or mar effort at progress on the individual pillars and the opportunity for success in driving the quadruple nexus approach.

The four-pillar interlinkages approach is a consolidation on the popular “triple nexus” concept.  In fact, we can simply say it is the triple nexus concept added with an extra fourth pillar. However, the application of the triple nexus is characterized by some conceptual inconsistencies. It is used with different focus^[2] This explains why it is less useful an endeavor to focus on knowing which of the four pillars is the fourth or latest addition to the triple nexus.  Some triple nexus analysis focus on Human Rights-Development-Peace/security^[7] others emphasize the Humanitarian-Development-Peace/Security. For example, the study commissioned by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) for the Expert Group Meeting on December 9 and 10, 2019, and other similar documents focused on peace, development and humanitarian nexus^[8][9][10]

The dual resolutions passed by the General Assembly and the Security Council in April 2016, (Resolutions 70/262 and 2282) recognized the imperatives of coherence and complementarity between the UN’s peace and security efforts and its development, human rights, and humanitarian work^[11]. This is in furtherance of the New Ways of Working (NWoW) linking humanitarian, development and peace actors, following the recommendations from the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit^[8]

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