,i #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ebgc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #ad1 #bjah,mr4 ,engel 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,poe of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,mc,caul1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,keating1 and ,mr4 ,cook7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to reduce global fragility and violence by improving the capacity of the ,united ,states to reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in pilot countries1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,global ,fragility and ,violence ,reduction ,act of #bjah4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to the ,united ,nations1 an unprecedented #ff million people around the world are currently forcibly displaced from their homes4 ,this is the highest level of global displacement ever recorded4 7#b7 ,according to the ,world ,bank1 violence and violent conflict1 rather than natural disasters1 are now the leading causes of displacement worldwide1 driving #hj percent of humanitarian needs4 ,the ,bank also notes that the same conflicts have accounted for the majority of forcibly displaced persons every year since #aiia4 7#c7 ,according to the ,world ,health ,organization1 preventable forms of violence kill at least #a4d million people each year and cause debilitating physical and mental harm to many others4 7#d7 ,according to the ,institute for ,economics and ,peace1 violence containment costs the global economy #ad4c trillion a year1 or #ac4d percent of the world's ,,gdp4 ,if violence were to decrease uniformly across the world by just #aj percent1 the global economy would gain #a4dc trillion each year4 7#e7 ,violence and violent conflict underpin many of the ,united ,states ,government's key national security challenges4 ,notably1 violent conflicts allow for environments in which terrorist organizations recruit and thrive1 while the combination of violence1 corruption1 poverty1 poor governance1 and underdevelopment often enables transnational gangs and criminal networks to wreak havoc and commit atrocities worldwide4 7#f7 ,according to new research by the ,university of ,maryland and ,university of ,pittsburgh1 exposure to violence increases support for violence and violent extremism4 ,research increasingly finds exposure to violence as a predictor of future participation in violence1 including violent extremism4 7#g7 ,since #bjjb1 a body of research has emerged on failed or fragile states4 ,the ,world ,bank defines a fragile state as a low-income country characterized by weak state capacity1 weak state legitimacy1 or both1 leaving citizens vulnerable to a range of shocks4 7#h7 ,united ,states foreign policy and assistance efforts in highly violent and fragile states remain governed by an outdated patchwork of authorities that prioritize responding to immediate needs rather than solving the problems that cause them4 ,united ,states ,ambassadors1 ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid7 ,mission ,directors1 and commanders of combatant commands do not have the policy framework or tools they need to align ,united ,states policy or assistance with an overarching1 long-term strategy to reduce and prevent global fragility and violence4 7#i7 ,lessons learned over the past #bj years1 documented by the #bjac ,special ,inspector ,general for ,iraq ,reconstruction ,lessons ,learned ,study and the #bjaf ,fragility ,study ,group report1 show that effective1 sustained ,united ,states efforts to reduce violence and stabilize fragile and violence-affected states require clearly defined goals and strategies1 adequate long-term funding1 rigorous and iterative conflict analysis1 coordination across the ,united ,states ,government1 including strong civil-military coordination1 and integration with national and sub-national partners1 including local civil society organizations1 local justice systems1 and local governance structures4 7#aj7 ,united ,states ,national ,security ,strategies over the past #ae years have regularly affirmed that the ,united ,states has a national security interest in improving its capacity to prevent1 manage1 and mitigate violence and violent conflicts in order to mitigate the consequences of armed conflict1 including humanitarian disasters1 terrorism1 organized crime1 increased risk of mass atrocities1 and reversed development4 7#aa7 ,according to the ,small ,arms ,survey1 the extent to which the international community will be able to bring down global levels of violence will depend largely on the actions taken by states to implement more tangible multilateral commitments to improve governance1 promote inclusive development1 and protect human rights1 among other things4 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states to-- 7#a7 ensure that all relevant ,united ,states ,government departments and agencies coordinate to achieve coherent1 long-term goals for programs designed to reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in fragile and violence-affected countries1 including when implementing the ,global ,fragility and ,violence ,reduction ,initiative described in section #d2 7#b7 seek to improve the global1 regional1 and local coordination of relevant international and multilateral development and donor organizations regarding efforts to reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in fragile and violence-affected countries1 and1 where possible1 align such efforts with multilateral goals and indicators2 7#c7 expand and enhance the effectiveness of foreign assistance programs and activities that reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in fragile and violence-affected countries1 including programs intended to improve the indicators described in section #d7;g72 7#d7 support the research and development of effective approaches to reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in fragile and violence-affected countries2 and 7#e7 improve the monitoring1 evaluation1 learning1 and adaptation tools and authorities for relevant ,united ,states ,government departments and agencies working to reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in fragile and violence-affected countries4 #d4 ,global ,initiative to ,reduce ,fragility and ,violence 7a7 ,initiative ,the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid71 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 and the heads of other relevant ,federal agencies and departments1 shall establish an interagency initiative to be referred to as the ,global ,initiative to ,reduce ,fragility and ,violence relating to reducing and addressing the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility1 with a focus on ten pilot countries4 7b7 ,implementation strategy ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 and the heads of other relevant ,federal agencies and departments1 shall develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees an initial interagency strategy for implementing the ,global ,initiative to ,reduce ,fragility and ,violence required under subsection 7a71 including the following3 7#a7 ,descriptions of the organizational steps each relevant ,federal agency or department will take to improve strategic planning1 implementation1 monitoring1 evaluation1 and coordination among and within such agencies and departments under such initiative4 7#b7 ,descriptions of the initial goals1 objectives1 and role of each relevant ,federal agency or department under such initiative4 7#c7 ,descriptions of the steps each relevant ,federal agency or department will take to improve coordination and collaboration with international development organizations1 international donors1 multilateral organizations1 and the private sector under such initiative4 7#d7 ,descriptions of potential areas of improved public and private sector research and development1 including from academic1 philanthropic1 and civil society organizations1 on more effective approaches to reducing and preventing the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in fragile and violence-affected countries4 7#e7 ,plans for regularly evaluating and updating on an iterative basis the information described in this subsection4 7c7 ,individual pilot country plans ,the strategy required under subsection 7b7 shall contain an annex identifying the ten pilot countries designated pursuant to subsection 7d71 and for each such pilot country contain a mission-led1 #aj-year pilot country plan establishing initial goals1 objectives1 and plans of action for ,united ,states ,government activities1 including development1 security1 and other assistance activities that are relevant to reducing and addressing the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility1 including the following3 7#a7 ,interagency plans for coordination and implementation that define the appropriate role of each relevant ,federal agency or department and processes for coordinating among and within such agencies and departments when carrying out each such pilot country plan4 7#b7 ,interagency plans to ensure appropriate local actors1 including governance and civil society entities1 and organizations led by women1 youth1 and under-represented communities have roles in developing1 implementing1 monitoring1 evaluating1 and updating relevant aspects of each such pilot country plan4 7#c7 ,clear1 transparent1 and measurable initial political1 diplomatic1 security1 and developmental benchmarks1 timetables1 and performance metrics for each such pilot country1 with a focus on outcome metrics1 including such metrics that capture grievances and patterns that cause violence and1 where applicable1 align with best practice indicators determined by ,sustainable ,development ,goal #af and the ,,oecd ,development ,assistance ,committee's ,fragility ,framework4 7#d7 ,interagency plans for monitoring and evaluation1 adaptive management1 and iterative learning that provide for regular and iterative policy and program adaptations based on monitoring and evaluation findings and other evidence generated in each such pilot country and across such pilot countries4 7#e7 ,descriptions of the available policy tools to reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in each such pilot country4 7#f7 ,descriptions of the resources and authorities that would be required for each relevant ,federal agency or department to best implement each such pilot country plan1 as well as evidence-based iterative updates to such plans4 7#g7 ,descriptions of potential areas of improved partnership between the ,united ,states ,government and international development organizations1 relevant international donors1 multilateral organizations1 and the private sector regarding efforts to reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in each such pilot country4 7#h7 ,plans for regularly evaluating and updating on an iterative basis the plans described in this subsection4 7d7 ,pilot country designation ,the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state and the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall carry out the following actions3 7#a7 ,develop the list of candidate countries under consideration for the initiative required under this section on the basis of the following3 7,a7 ,current levels of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility1 as determined by empirical data1 such as the following1 to the extent such data are available3 7i7 ,total levels of deaths due to violence and violence-related deaths per #ajj1jjj population in the candidate country under consideration4 7ii7 ,total levels of violent injuries and violence exposure levels in such country4 7iii7 ,violent injuries and violence exposure levels per #ajj1jjj population in such country4 7iv7 ,levels of persons forcibly displaced1 whether internally or internationally1 due to violence or violent conflict in such country4 7v7 ,total levels of gender-based violence and violence against children and youth in such country4 7vi7 ,prevalence of physical or sexual violence in the last #ab months in such country4 7vii7 ,levels of mortality due to armed group violence in such country4 7viii7 ,levels of citizen support for armed groups in such country4 7ix7 ,such country's ranking on select global fragility lists and select good governance indexes4 7x7 ,such country's ranking on select ,united ,states ,government conflict and atrocity early warning watch lists4 7xi7 ,such country's vulnerability to current or future transnational threats4 7,b7 ,an assessment of the potential for ,united ,states ,government activities to reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility in each candidate country under consideration1 including the capacity and commitment of relevant entities within each such country to participate in the ,global ,initiative to ,reduce ,fragility and ,violence under this section4 7#b7 ,organize such candidate countries under consideration into the categories of ,core ,country and ,prevention ,country such that-- 7,a7 a candidate country shall be a ,core ,country for purposes of pilot country selection where current levels of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility are highest in the world1 as determined by the data specified in paragraph 7#a72 and 7,b7 a candidate country shall be a ,prevention ,country for purposes of pilot country selection where current levels of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility are lower than such levels in a ,core ,country1 as determined by the data specified in paragraph 7#a71 but warning signs for future violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility are significant and strategic prevention efforts are likely to make a meaningful difference in mitigating or preventing future violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility4 7#c7 ,designate1 on the basis of the criteria specified in paragraph 7#a71 #aj pilot countries1 organized with not fewer than three countries in each of the ,core and ,prevention categories described in paragraph 7#b7 and not more than four countries in each geographic region1 as determined by the ,department of ,state4 7#d7 ,consider when making designations pursuant to paragraph 7#c7 designating multiple countries in the same region if the drivers of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility are transnational in such region4 7e7 ,stakeholder consultation ,in addition to the individuals specified in subsection 7a71 the initiative required under this section shall be developed in coordination with-- 7#a7 the ,united ,states ,ambassador1 ,,usaid ,mission ,director1 geographic ,combatant ,commands1 and relevant inter-agency country teams in each applicable country2 and 7#b7 representatives of local civil society and national and local governance entities1 as well as relevant international development organizations1 multilateral organizations1 donors1 and relevant private1 academic1 and philanthropic entities1 as appropriate4 7f7 ,congressional consultation ,the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state and ,secretary of ,defense 7or their respective designees71 shall provide briefings to the appropriate congressional committees not later than-- 7#a7 #de days after the date of the enactment of this ,act regarding the countries selected as pilot countries for the initiative required under this section2 7#b7 #ij days after such date of enactment regarding progress on the individual pilot country plans under subsection 7c72 and 7#c7 #cj days after submission of such initiative regarding plans for implementing such initiative and such individual pilot country plans4 7g7 ,measuring violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility ,for the purposes of implementing1 monitoring1 and evaluating the effectiveness of the individual pilot country plans required under subsection 7c71 progress towards reducing and addressing the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility shall be measured by indicators established for each such pilot country by relevant inter-agency country teams in each such pilot country1 informed by consultations with the stakeholders specified in subsection 7e77#b74 ,such indicators shall be based on the data described in subsection 7d77#a77;,a71 as appropriate1 and updated regularly to account for any improvements in the available indicators and to include indicators for additional priority areas1 such as3 7#a7 ,improving inclusive1 transparent1 and accountable power structures1 including effective1 legitimate1 and resilient national and sub-national institutions4 7#b7 ,improving effective and respected conflict prevention1 mitigation1 management1 and resolution mechanisms4 7#c7 ,reducing levels of citizen support for violence1 violent extremism1 and adversarial armed groups4 7#d7 ,ensuring strong foundations for plurality1 non-discrimination1 human rights1 rule of law1 and equal access to justice4 7#e7 ,addressing political1 social1 economic1 and environmental vulnerabilities1 grievances1 and conflicts4 7#f7 ,ensuring inclusive economic development and enabling business environments4 7#g7 ,improving resilience to transnational stresses and shocks1 including from organized crime and violent extremist organizations4 #e4 ,implementation and updates of pilot country plans ,the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid71 the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 the heads of other relevant ,federal agencies and departments1 relevant ,united ,states ,ambassadors1 ,,usaid ,mission ,directors1 and other relevant individuals with responsibility over activities in each pilot country designated pursuant to section #d shall ensure that-- 7#a7 the ,global ,initiative to ,reduce ,fragility and ,violence and each individual pilot country plan required under such section are implemented and updated on a regular and iterative basis2 7#b7 such initiative and individual pilot country plans are used to guide ,united ,states ,government policy at a senior level and are incorporated into relevant strategies and plans across the ,united ,states ,government and in each such pilot country2 7#c7 detailed and iterative goals1 objectives1 and plans of action are developed1 implemented1 updated1 and coordinated among and within each relevant ,federal agency or department for the duration of each such individual pilot country plan2 7#d7 resources for all relevant activities in each such pilot country are requested and utilized consistent with such initiative and individual pilot country plans2 and 7#e7 the results of program monitoring and evaluation under such initiative and individual pilot country plans are regularly reviewed and utilized to determine continuation1 modification1 or termination of future year programming and that regular and iterative policy and program adaptations are made to each such plan4 #f4 ,biennial reports and congressional consultation 7a7 ,biennial reports ,not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this ,act and every two years thereafter until full implementation of the #aj-year individual pilot country plans required under section #d1 the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid71 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 and the heads of other relevant ,federal agencies and departments1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on progress made and lessons learned with respect to the ,global ,initiative to ,reduce ,fragility and ,violence and each individual pilot country plan required under section #d1 including-- 7#a7 descriptions of steps taken to incorporate such initiative and such individual pilot country plans into relevant strategies and plans that affect such pilot countries2 7#b7 accountings of all funding received and obligated to implement each such individual pilot country plan during the past two years1 as well as funding requested1 planned1 and projected for the following two years2 7#c7 descriptions of progress made towards the goals and objectives established for each such individual pilot country1 including progress made towards achieving the specific targets1 metrics1 and indicators described in section #d2 and 7#d7 descriptions of updates made during the past two years to the goals1 objectives1 plans of action1 and other elements described in section #d7;c7 for each such individual pilot country plan1 as well as any changes made to programs based on the results of monitoring and evaluation in accordance with sections #d and #e4 7b7 ,congressional consultation ,the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 and the heads of other relevant ,federal agencies and departments shall jointly consult with the appropriate congressional committees not less often than annually regarding progress made on the initiative and individual pilot country plans required under section #d4 ,the consultation requirement under this subsection shall terminate upon full implementation of the #aj-year individual pilot country plans required under such section4 #g4 ,sense of ,congress regarding assistance for the ,global ,fragility and ,violence ,reduction ,initiative ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,president1 together with the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid71 the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 and the heads of other relevant ,federal agencies and departments1 should-- 7#a7 support the creation of a ,global ,fragility and ,violence ,reduction ,fund to help support ,,usaid and ,department of ,state activities under the ,global ,fragility and ,violence ,reduction ,initiative and individual pilot country plans required under section #d2 7#b7 work with ,congress to provide funding that allows for more adaptive program planning and implementation under such initiative and individual pilot country plans1 including through exemptions from specific and minimum funding levels when such exemptions would make programs better able to respond to monitoring and evaluation or changed circumstances in relevant countries2 7#c7 work with ,congress to provide funding that better integrates conflict and violence reduction activities into other program areas where appropriate2 and 7#d7 support the creation of a multilateral fund and other international initiatives to improve global public and private support for coordinating and funding efforts to reduce and address the causes of violence1 violent conflict1 and fragility4 #h4 ,,gao review 7a7 ,in general ,not later than five years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall conduct an independent review of all ,united ,states ,government activities in each pilot country designated pursuant to section #d4 7b7 ,matters ,to be included ,the review required under subsection 7a7 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,an assessment of the extent to which ,united ,states ,government activities in each pilot country designated pursuant to section #d are being implemented in accordance with the relevant individual pilot country plan required under such section4 7#b7 ,descriptions of all activities that are being implemented in accordance with each such individual pilot country plan1 including1 with respect to each such activity1 the role of each relevant ,federal agency or department1 the entities responsible for implementation1 and the funding level4 7#c7 ,assessments of the processes and procedures for coordinating among and within each relevant ,federal agency or department when implementing each such individual pilot country plan4 7#d7 ,assessments of the monitoring and evaluation efforts under each such individual pilot country plan1 including assessments of the progress made and lessons learned with respect to each such plan1 as well as any changes made to activities based on the results of such monitoring and evaluation4 7#e7 ,recommendations for changes necessary to better implement ,united ,states ,government activities in accordance with such individual pilot country plans1 as well as recommendations for any changes to such plans4 #i4 ,appropriate congressional committees defined ,the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committees on ,foreign ,relations1 ,armed ,services1 and ,appropriations of the ,senate2 and 7#b7 the ,committees on ,foreign ,affairs1 ,armed ,services1 and ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4