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Western donors recognize that the challenge of achieving adequate water service delivery at worldwide scale is closely linked to the problem of state fragility and seek guidance on how to deliver services more effectively. This study takes the example of German donor support to the water sector of Yemen and identifies lessons for good international engagement in fragile states. While Yemen has recently made important progress in the institutional and organizational consolidation of the water sector, its performance in terms of water policy development and implementation is still weak and the overall structures remain largely unsustainable. German development cooperation has taken up this challenge by devising a “multi-level strategy” that combines support to sectoral reform at the macro and meso level with the creation of decentralized and commercialized service utilities at the micro level. Specific “lessons learned” from German donor involvement in the Yemenite water sector include the need for (1) context sensitivity, (2) state building through intervention at different levels, (3) dialogue and participation, (4) conflict prevention, (5) alignment with local priorities, and (6) donor coordination.