,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #baaf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #h1 #bjai ,mr4 ,engel 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,mc,caul1 ,mrs4 ,wagner1 ,mr4 ,rooney of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,keating1 ,mr4 ,ted ,lieu of ,california1 ,mr4 ,wright1 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 and ,mr4 ,malinowski7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to enhance stabilization of conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,global ,fragility ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to the ,united ,nations1 an unprecedented #fh4e million people around the world1 the highest level ever recorded1 are currently forcibly displaced from their homes4 7#b7 ,according to the ,world ,bank1 violence and violent conflict are now the leading causes of displacement and food insecurity worldwide1 driving #hj percent of humanitarian needs1 with the same conflicts accounting for the majority of forcibly displaced persons every year since #aiia4 7#c7 ,according to the ,institute for ,economics and ,peace1 violence containment costs the global economy #ad4gf trillion a year1 or #ab4d percent of the world's ,,gdp4 7#d7 ,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#e7 ,according to 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#f7 ,united ,states foreign policy and assistance efforts in highly violent and fragile states remain governed by an outdated patchwork of authorities that prioritize responding to immediate needs rather than solving the problems that cause them4 7#g7 ,lessons learned over the past #bj years1 documented by the #bjac ,special ,inspector ,general for ,iraq ,reconstruction ,lessons ,learned ,study1 the #bjaf ,fragility ,study ,group report1 and the #bjah ,special ,inspector ,general for ,afghanistan ,lessons ,learned ,study on ,stabilization1 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 attention to the problem of corruption1 and integration with and leadership from national and sub-national partners1 including local civil society organizations1 traditional justice systems1 and local governance structures4 7#h7 ,the ,stabilization ,assistance ,review released in #bjah by the ,departments of ,state and ,defense and the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development states1 ,the ,united ,states has strong national security and economic interests in reducing levels of violence and promoting stability in areas affected by armed conflict44 ,the ,review further states1 ,stabilization is an inherently political endeavor that requires aligning ,u4,s4 ,government efforts--diplomatic engagement1 foreign assistance1 and defense--toward supporting locally legitimate authorities and systems to peaceably manage conflict and prevent violence44 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states to-- 7#a7 ensure that all relevant ,federal departments and agencies coordinate to achieve coherent1 long-term goals for programs designed to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally1 including when implementing the ,global ,fragility ,initiative established pursuant to section #f2 7#b7 seek to improve global1 regional1 and local coordination of relevant international and multilateral development and donor organizations regarding efforts to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally1 and1 where practicable and appropriate1 align such efforts with multilateral goals and indicators2 7#c7 expand and enhance the effectiveness of ,united ,states foreign assistance programs and activities to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally2 7#d7 support the research and development of effective approaches to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally1 and data collection efforts relevant to such approaches2 and 7#e7 improve the tools and authorities for assessment1 monitoring1 and evaluation needed to enable learning and adaptation by such relevant ,federal departments and agencies working to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally4 #d4 ,authorization of appropriations 7a7 ,stabilization and ,prevention ,fund 7#a7 ,establishment ,there is established in the ,treasury of the ,united ,states a fund to be known as the ,stabilization and ,prevention ,fund 7in this subsection referred to as the ,fund71 to be administered by the ,department of ,state and the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid71 and consisting of amounts authorized to be appropriated pursuant to paragraph 7#b74 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,fund #bjj1jjj1jjj for each of the five fiscal years beginning with the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 ,amounts authorized to be appropriated pursuant to this paragraph are authorized to remain available until expended4 7#c7 ,purposes of the ,fund 7,a7 ,in general ,amounts authorized to be appropriated to the ,fund shall be used for economic and development assistance for any of the following3 7i7 ,to support stabilization of conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally1 including through the ,global ,fragility ,initiative established pursuant to section #f4 7ii7 ,to provide assistance to areas liberated or at risk from1 or under the control of1 the ,islamic ,state of ,iraq and ,syria1 other terrorist organizations1 or violent extremist organizations1 including for stabilization assistance for vulnerable ethnic and religious minority communities affected by conflict4 7,b7 ,addition ,amounts authorized to be appropriated to the ,fund are in addition to any amounts otherwise made available for the purposes described in subparagraph 7,a74 7#d7 ,congressional notification ,not later than #ae days before amounts from the ,fund are obligated1 the ,secretary of ,state or ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development shall submit notification of such obligation to-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,c7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 and 7,d7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate4 7b7 ,complex ,crises ,fund 7#a7 ,establishment ,there is established in the ,treasury of the ,united ,states a fund to be known as the ,complex ,crises ,fund 7in this subsection referred to as the ,fund71 to be administered by ,,usaid4 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,fund #cj1jjj1jjj for each of the five fiscal years beginning with the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 ,amounts authorized to be appropriated pursuant to this paragraph are authorized to remain available until expended4 7#c7 ,purposes of the ,fund 7,a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 except section #fbj,m of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bcgh;d71 amounts in the ,fund may be used to carry out the provisions of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #baea et seq47 to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign challenges and complex crises overseas1 including through the ,global ,fragility ,initiative established pursuant to section #f4 7,b7 ,addition ,amounts authorized to be appropriated to the ,fund are in addition to any amounts otherwise made available for the purposes described in subparagraph 7,a74 7#d7 ,limitations 7,a7 ,in general ,amounts in the ,fund may not be expended for lethal assistance or to respond to natural disasters4 7,b7 ,administrative expenses ,not more than five percent of amounts in the ,fund may be used for administrative expenses4 7#e7 ,congressional notification ,not later than five days before amounts from the ,fund are obligated1 the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development shall submit notification of such obligation to-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7,b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 7,c7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,d7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#f7 ,waiver ,notification in accordance with paragraph 7#e7 may be waived if-- 7,a7 notification by the deadline specified in such paragraph would pose a substantial risk to human health or welfare2 and 7,b7 the congressional committees specified in such paragraph-- 7i7 are notified not later than three days after an obligation of amounts from the ,fund2 and 7ii7 are provided with an explanation of the emergency circumstances that necessitated such waiver4 7c7 ,other funding and cost matching ,the ,global ,fragility ,initiative established pursuant to section #f-- 7#a7 may be supported by funds other than funds authorized to be appropriated pursuant to this section2 and 7#b7 shall seek to leverage funds from sources other than the ,united ,states ,government in order to promote coordination and cost-matching to the maximum extent practicable4 #e4 ,sense of ,congress regarding assistance for the ,global ,fragility ,initiative ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,president1 the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 and the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies should work with the appropriate congressional committees to provide sufficient types and levels of funding to-- 7#a7 allow for more adaptive and responsive policy and program planning1 implementation1 and scaling under the ,global ,fragility ,initiative established pursuant to section #f1 including through more flexible funding mechanisms and exemptions from specific and minimum funding levels when such exemptions would make such programs better able to respond to local needs1 the results of monitoring and evaluation1 or changed circumstances in relevant countries2 7#b7 better integrate the initiative and other conflict and violence reduction objectives and activities into other policy and program areas1 where appropriate2 and 7#c7 support transparent and accountable multilateral funds1 initiatives1 and strategies to enhance and better coordinate both private and public efforts to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally4 #f4 ,global ,fragility ,initiative 7a7 ,in general 7#a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid71 the ,secretary of ,defense1 the ,atrocities ,prevention ,board 7or any successor entity71 and the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 shall1 in accordance with subsection 7b71 establish an interagency initiative1 to be referred to as the ,global ,fragility ,initiative1 to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally4 7#b7 ,stakeholder consultation ,the ,global ,fragility ,initiative required under this subsection shall be developed in consultation with representatives of local civil society and national and local governance entities1 as well as relevant international development organizations with experience implementing programs in fragile and violence-affected communities1 multilateral organizations and donors1 and relevant private1 academic1 and philanthropic entities1 as appropriate4 7b7 ,establishment plan ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 the ,atrocities ,prevention ,board 7or any successor entity71 and the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an interagency plan regarding the establishment of the ,global ,fragility ,initiative pursuant to subsection 7a7 that includes the following3 7#a7 ,identification of the roles and responsibilities of each participating ,federal department or agency1 while ensuring that-- 7,a7 the ,department of ,state is the overall lead department for establishing ,united ,states foreign policy and advancing diplomatic and political efforts2 7,b7 ,,usaid is the lead implementing agency for development1 humanitarian1 and related non-security program policy2 7,c7 where appropriate1 the ,department of ,defense may support the activities of the ,department of ,state and ,,usaid by providing requisite security and support to civilian efforts with the joint-formulation1 coordination1 and concurrence of the ,secretary of ,state and ,administrator of ,,usaid2 and 7,d7 other ,federal departments and agencies support the activities of the ,department of ,state and ,,usaid as appropriate1 with the concurrence of the ,secretary of ,state and ,administrator of ,,usaid4 7#b7 ,identification of which officials of the ,department of ,state1 ,,usaid1 and the ,department of ,defense1 with a rank not lower than ,assistant ,secretary or ,assistant ,administrator1 as the case may be1 will be responsible for overseeing and leading the initiative4 7#c7 ,identification of the authorities1 staffing1 and other resource requirements needed to effectively implement the initiative4 7#d7 ,descriptions of the organizational steps the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,administrator1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 and the head of each other relevant ,federal department or agency will take to improve planning1 coordination1 implementation1 assessment1 monitoring1 evaluation1 adaptive management1 and iterative learning with respect to the programs carried out under the initiative4 7#e7 ,descriptions of the steps the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,administrator1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 and the head of each other relevant ,federal department or agency will take to ensure appropriate host-country ownership and to improve coordination and collaboration under the initiative with international development organizations1 international donors1 multilateral organizations1 and the private sector4 7#f7 ,descriptions of potential areas of improved public and private sector research and development1 including with academic1 philanthropic1 and civil society organizations1 on data collection efforts and more effective approaches to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally4 7#g7 ,descriptions of the processes for regularly evaluating and updating the initiative on an iterative basis1 including regarding priority country and regional plans described in subsection 7d74 7#h7 ,a list of priority countries and regions selected pursuant to subsection 7c71 including descriptions of the rationale for such selections4 7c7 ,selection of priority countries and regions ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of ,,usaid and the ,secretary of ,defense1 and in consultation with the appropriate congressional committees1 shall select certain countries as priority countries and certain regions as priority regions for the ,global ,fragility ,initiative-- 7#a7 on the basis of-- 7,a7 clearly defined indicators of the levels of violence or fragility in such country or region1 such as the country or region's-- 7i7 ranking on recognized global fragility lists1 such as the ,organization for ,economic ,co-operation and ,development ,states of ,fragility report1 the ,fund for ,peace ,fragile ,states ,index1 the ,world ,bank ,harmonized ,list of ,fragile ,situations1 the ,institute for ,economics and ,peace ,global ,peace ,index1 and ,holocaust ,museum ,early ,warning ,project ,risk ,assessment2 7ii7 ranking on select ,united ,states ,government conflict and atrocity early warning watch lists2 and 7iii7 levels of violence1 such as violence committed by armed groups1 violent extremist organizations1 gender-based violence1 and violence against children and youth2 and 7,b7 an assessment of-- 7i7 the capacity and commitment of national and sub-national government entities and civil society partners in such country or region to work with ,federal departments and agencies on the initiative1 including by demonstrating the willingness and making demonstrable efforts to improve governance1 enhance rule of law1 and protect human rights2 and 7ii7 the likelihood that selection as a priority country or priority region would allow the initiative to measurably stabilize conflict-affected areas or prevent violence and fragility in such country or region2 and 7#b7 in a manner that ensures that-- 7,a7 not fewer than three countries or regions are designated as ,stabilization ,countries or ,stabilization ,regions1 as the case may be1 in which current levels of violence are among the highest in the world2 7,b7 not fewer than three countries or regions are designated as ,prevention ,countries or ,prevention ,regions1 as the case may be1 in which current levels of violence are lower than such levels in ,stabilization ,countries or ,stabilization ,regions but risk factors for violence or fragility are significant2 7,c7 countries and regions selected are in the areas of responsibility of at least three geographic bureaus of the ,department of ,state2 and 7,d7 regions1 rather than individual countries1 are selected where the threat or spillover of violence1 conflict1 or fragility threatens multiple countries within a single geographic region4 7d7 ,country and regional plans ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 the ,atrocities ,prevention ,board 7or any successor entity71 and the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees ten-year plans to align and integrate under the ,global ,fragility ,initiative required under subsection 7a7 all relevant diplomatic1 development1 security assistance and cooperation1 and other relevant activities of the ,united ,states ,government with respect to each of the countries and regions selected pursuant to subsection 7c74 ,each such country and regional plan shall include the following3 7#a7 ,specific multi-year interagency plans for coordination and implementation under each such plan4 7#b7 ,an up-to-date baseline analysis for each such country or region1 including an analysis of political dynamics1 impacts of violence1 and conditions that contribute to violence and fragility4 7#c7 ,prioritized descriptions of the goals and objectives for stabilizing conflict-affected areas and preventing violence and fragility in each such country or region4 7#d7 ,descriptions of how and when the relevant goals1 objectives1 plans1 and benchmarks for each such country or region will be incorporated into relevant ,united ,states country plans and strategies1 including ,department of ,state ,integrated ,country ,strategies1 ,,usaid ,country ,development ,cooperation ,strategies1 and ,department of ,defense ,campaign ,plans1 ,operational ,plans1 and ,regional ,strategies1 as well as any equivalent or successor plans or strategies4 7#e7 ,interagency plans to ensure that appropriate local actors1 including government and civil society entities and organizations led by women1 youth1 or under-represented communities1 have an appropriate ownership stake in developing1 implementing1 assessing1 monitoring1 evaluating1 and updating relevant activities under each such plan4 7#f7 ,interagency plans to integrate existing and planned security assistance and cooperation programs in each such country or region with the initiative and to maximize positive outcomes and mitigate risks associated with such programs1 including risks related to corruption1 governance1 and human rights4 7#g7 ,assessment1 monitoring1 and evaluation frameworks for diplomatic1 development1 and security activities1 which shall be informed by consultations with the stakeholders specified in subsection 7a77#b71 with clear1 date-certain metrics for each such country or region1 as well as interagency plans for using such frameworks to adapt such activities on a regular and iterative basis4 7#h7 ,descriptions of available policy tools and how such tools will be used to stabilize conflict-affected areas or prevent violence and fragility in each such country or region4 7#i7 ,a description of how planning and implementation for each such country or region will be coordinated to ensure such planning and implementation are conducted in partnership between the ,united ,states ,government and-- 7,a7 governments of such countries2 7,b7 international development organizations2 7,c7 relevant international donors2 7,d7 multilateral organizations2 and 7,e7 the private sector4 7#aj7 ,a regional component outlining plans to address relevant transnational issues in cases in which an individual country is selected and such country is affected by or at risk of regional fragility or violence4 7#aa7 ,a component outlining plans to address national-level factors at the individual country level in cases in which a region is selected and such region is affected by or at risk of fragility or violence as a result of such national-level factors4 7e7 ,implementation ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 and the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 and in consultation with the ,atrocities ,prevention ,board 7or any successor entity71 relevant ,united ,states ambassadors1 ,,usaid mission directors1 geographic combatant commanders1 and other relevant individuals with responsibility over activities in each priority country or region selected pursuant to subsection 7c71 shall ensure that-- 7#a7 the ,global ,fragility ,initiative required under subsection 7a71 including each of the country and regional plans under subsection 7d71 is implemented1 updated1 and coordinated on a regular and iterative basis2 and 7#b7 such initiative is used to guide ,united ,states ,government policy at a senior level and incorporated into relevant strategies and plans across the ,united ,states ,government such that the activities of all ,federal departments and agencies are consistent with such initiative4 #g4 ,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 the date that is ten years after such date of enactment1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 the ,atrocities ,prevention ,board 7or any successor entity71 and the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an unclassified report1 which may include a classified annex1 on progress made and lessons learned with respect to the ,global ,fragility ,initiative established pursuant to section #f1 including each country and regional plan required as part of such initiative1 including the following3 7#a7 ,descriptions of steps taken to incorporate the initiative and such country and regional plans into relevant strategies and plans that affect such countries and regions4 7#b7 ,accountings of all funding received and obligated to implement each such country and regional plan during the previous two years1 as well as funding requested1 planned1 and projected for the following two years4 7#c7 ,descriptions of progress made towards the goals and objectives established for each such country and region1 including progress made towards achieving specific targets1 metrics1 and indicators4 7#d7 ,descriptions of updates made during the previous two years to the goals1 objectives1 plans of action1 and other elements described in each such country and regional plan1 as well as any changes made to programs based on the results of assessment1 monitoring1 and evaluation4 7b7 ,congressional consultation ,the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,administrator of ,,usaid1 and the ,secretary of ,defense shall provide to any appropriate congressional committee upon the request of any such committee regular briefings on the implementation of this ,act4 #h4 ,,gao review 7a7 ,in general ,not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this ,act and every two years thereafter until the date that is ten years after such date of enactment1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall consult with the ,chairman and ,ranking ,member of the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives regarding opportunities for independent review of the activities under the ,global ,fragility ,initiative established pursuant to section #f1 including opportunities to-- 7#a7 assess the extent to which ,united ,states ,government activities in each country and region selected as part of the initiative are being implemented in accordance with the initiative and the relevant country or regional plan under the initiative2 7#b7 assess the processes and procedures for coordinating among and within each relevant ,federal department or agency when implementing the initiative and each such country and regional plan2 7#c7 assess the monitoring and evaluation efforts under the initiative and each such country and regional 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 evaluation2 7#d7 recommend changes necessary to better implement ,united ,states ,government activities in accordance with the initiative1 as well as recommendations for any changes to the initiative2 and 7#e7 assess such other matters as the ,comptroller ,general determines appropriate4 7b7 ,availability of information ,the heads of all relevant ,federal departments and agencies shall ensure that all relevant data1 documents1 and other information is made available to the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states for purposes of conducting independent reviews pursuant to this section4 #i4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,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 7#b7 ,relevant ,federal department or agency ,the term relevant ,federal department or agency means the ,department of the ,treasury and any other ,federal department or agency the ,president determines is relevant to carry out the purposes of this ,act4