ment shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
Fund. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 
$200,000,000 for each of the five fiscal years begin-
ning with the first fiscal year that begins after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. Amounts author-
ized to be appropriated pursuant to this paragraph 
are authorized to remain available until expended. 
(3) PURPOSES OF THE FUND.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts authorized to 
be appropriated to the Fund shall be used for 
any of the following: 
(i) To support stabilization of conflict- 
affected areas and prevent violence and 
fragility globally, including through the 
Global Fragility Initiative established pur-
suant to section 6. 
(ii) To provide assistance to areas lib-
erated or at risk from, or under the control 
of, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, 
other terrorist organizations, or violent ex-
tremist organizations, including for sta-
bilization assistance for vulnerable ethnic 
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and religious minority communities af-
fected by conflict. 
(B) ADDITION.—Amounts authorized to be 
appropriated to the Fund are in addition to any 
amounts otherwise made available for the pur-
poses described in subparagraph (A). 
(4) CONGRESSIONAL
NOTIFICATION.—Funds 
may not be obligated under this section unless the 
congressional committees specified in section 634A 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2394–1) are notified of the amount and nature of 
such proposed obligation at least 15 days in advance 
of such proposed obligation, in accordance with the 
procedures applicable to notifications regarding 
reprogrammings pursuant to such section. 
(b) COMPLEX CRISES FUND.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Treasury of the United States a fund to be 
known as the ‘‘Complex Crises Fund’’ (in this sub-
section referred to as the ‘‘Fund’’), to be adminis-
tered by USAID. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 
$30,000,000 for each of the five fiscal years begin-
ning with the first fiscal year that begins after the 
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date of the enactment of this Act. Amounts author-
ized to be appropriated pursuant to this paragraph 
are authorized to remain available until expended. 
(3) PURPOSES OF THE FUND.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, except section 620M of 
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2378d), amounts in the Fund may be used to 
carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assist-
ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) to 
support programs and activities to prevent or 
respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign chal-
lenges and complex crises overseas, including 
through the Global Fragility Initiative estab-
lished pursuant to section 6. 
(B) ADDITION.—Amounts authorized to be 
appropriated to the Fund are in addition to any 
amounts otherwise made available for the pur-
poses described in subparagraph (A). 
(4) LIMITATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts in the Fund 
may not be expended for lethal assistance or to 
respond to natural disasters. 
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(B) 
ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—Not 
more than five percent of amounts in the Fund 
may be used for administrative expenses. 
(5) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—Not later 
than five days before amounts from the Fund are 
obligated, the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development shall submit 
notification of such obligation to— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
the Senate; 
(B) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the Senate; 
(C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives; and 
(D) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives. 
(6) WAIVER.—Notification in accordance with 
paragraph (5) may be waived if— 
(A) notification by the deadline specified in 
such paragraph would pose a substantial risk to 
human health or welfare; and 
(B) the congressional committees specified 
in such paragraph— 
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(i) are notified not later than three 
days after an obligation of amounts from 
the Fund; and 
(ii) are provided with an explanation 
of the emergency circumstances that neces-
sitated such waiver. 
(c) OTHER FUNDING AND COST MATCHING.—The 
Global Fragility Initiative established pursuant to section 
6— 
(1) may be supported by funds other than 
funds authorized to be appropriated pursuant to this 
section; and 
(2) 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 practicable. 
SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ASSISTANCE FOR 
THE GLOBAL FRAGILITY INITIATIVE. 
It is the sense of Congress that the President, the 
Secretary of State, the Administrator of USAID, the Sec-
retary of Defense, and the heads of other relevant Federal 
departments and agencies should work with the appro-
priate congressional committees to provide sufficient types 
and levels of funding to— 
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(1) allow for more adaptive and responsive pol-
icy and program planning, implementation, and scal-
ing under the Global Fragility Initiative established 
pursuant to section 6, including through more flexi-
ble funding mechanisms and exemptions from spe-
cific and minimum funding levels when such exemp-
tions would make such programs better able to re-
spond to local needs, the results of monitoring and 
evaluation, or changed circumstances in relevant 
countries; 
(2) better integrate the initiative and other con-
flict and violence reduction objectives and activities 
into other policy and program areas, where appro-
priate; and 
(3) support transparent and accountable multi-
lateral funds, initiatives, and strategies to enhance 
and better coordinate both private and public efforts 
to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent vio-
lence and fragility globally. 
SEC. 6. GLOBAL FRAGILITY INITIATIVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State, 
in coordination with the Administrator of the United 
States 
Agency 
for 
International 
Development 
(USAID), the Secretary of Defense, the Atrocities 
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Prevention Board (or any successor entity), and the 
heads of other relevant Federal departments and 
agencies, shall, in accordance with subsection (b), es-
tablish an interagency initiative, to be referred to as 
the ‘‘Global Fragility Initiative’’, to stabilize conflict- 
affected areas and prevent violence and fragility 
globally. 
(2) STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION.—The Glob-
al Fragility Initiative required under this subsection 
shall be developed in consultation with representa-
tives of local civil society and national and local gov-
ernance entities, as well as relevant international de-
velopment organizations with experience imple-
menting programs in fragile and violence-affected 
communities, multilateral organizations and donors, 
and relevant private, academic, and philanthropic 
entities, as appropriate. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT PLAN.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of 
USAID, the Secretary of Defense, the Atrocities Preven-
tion Board (or any successor entity), and the heads of 
other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees an 
interagency plan regarding the establishment of the Global 
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Fragility Initiative pursuant to subsection (a) that in-
cludes the following: 
(1) Identification of the roles and responsibil-
ities of each participating Federal department or 
agency, while ensuring that— 
(A) the Department of State is the overall 
lead department for establishing United States 
foreign policy and advancing diplomatic and po-
litical efforts; 
(B) USAID is the lead implementing agen-
cy for development, humanitarian, and related 
non-security program policy; 
(C) where appropriate, the Department of 
Defense may support the activities of the De-
partment of State and USAID by providing 
requisite security and support to civilian efforts 
with the joint-formulation, coordination, and 
concurrence of the Secretary of State and Ad-
ministrator of USAID; and 
(D) other Federal departments and agen-
cies support the activities of the Department of 
State and USAID as appropriate, with the con-
currence of the Secretary of State and Adminis-
trator of USAID. 
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(2) Identification of which officials of the De-
partment of State, USAID, and the Department of 
Defense, with a rank not lower than Assistant Sec-
retary or Assistant Administrator, as the case may 
be, will be responsible for overseeing and leading the 
initiative. 
(3) Identification of the authorities, staffing, 
and other resource requirements needed to effec-
tively implement the initiative. 
(4) Descriptions of the organizational steps the 
Secretary of State, the Administrator, the Secretary 
of Defense, and the head of each other relevant Fed-
eral department or agency will take to improve plan-
ning, 
coordination, 
implementation, 
assessment, 
monitoring, evaluation, adaptive management, and 
iterative learning with respect to the programs car-
ried out under the initiative. 
(5) Descriptions of the steps the Secretary of 
State, the Administrator, the Secretary of Defense, 
and the head of each other relevant Federal depart-
ment or agency will take to ensure appropriate host- 
country ownership and to improve coordination and 
collaboration under the initiative with international 
development organizations, international donors, 
multilateral organizations, and the private sector. 
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(6) Descriptions of potential areas of improved 
public and private sector research and development, 
including with academic, philanthropic, and civil so-
ciety organizations, on data collection efforts and 
more effective approaches to stabilize conflict-af-
fected areas and prevent violence and fragility glob-
ally. 
(7) Descriptions of the processes for regularly 
evaluating and updating the initiative on an iterative 
basis, including regarding priority country and re-
gional plans described in subsection (d). 
(8) A list of priority countries and regions se-
lected pursuant to subsection (c), including descrip-
tions of the rationale for such selections. 
(c) SELECTION OF PRIORITY COUNTRIES AND RE-
GIONS.—The Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Administrator of USAID and the Secretary of Defense, 
and in consultation with the appropriate congressional 
committees, shall select certain countries as ‘‘priority 
countries’’ and certain regions as ‘‘priority regions’’ for 
the Global Fragility Initiative— 
(1) on the basis of— 
(A) clearly defined indicators of the levels 
of violence or fragility in such country or re-
gion, such as the country or region’s— 
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(i) ranking on recognized global fra-
gility lists, such as the Organization for 
Economic Co-operation and Development 
States of Fragility report, the Fund for 
Peace Fragile States Index, the World 
Bank Harmonized List of Fragile Situa-
tions, the Institute for Economics and 
Peace Global Peace Index, and Holocaust 
Museum Early Warning Project Risk As-
sessment; 
(ii) ranking on select United States 
Government conflict and atrocity early 
warning watch lists; and 
(iii) levels of violence, such as violence 
committed by armed groups, violent ex-
tremist organizations, gender-based vio-
lence, and violence against children and 
youth; and 
(B) an assessment of— 
(i) the capacity and commitment of 
national and sub-national government enti-
ties and civil society partners in such coun-
try or region to work with Federal depart-
ments and agencies on the initiative; and 
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(ii) 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 region; and 
(2) in a manner that ensures that— 
(A) not fewer than three countries or re-
gions are designated as ‘‘Stabilization Coun-
tries’’ or ‘‘Stabilization Regions’’, as the case 
may be, in which current levels of violence are 
among the highest in the world; 
(B) not fewer than three countries or re-
gions are designated as ‘‘Prevention Countries’’ 
or ‘‘Prevention Regions’’, as the case may be, 
in which current levels of violence are lower 
than such levels in Stabilization Countries or 
Stabilization Regions but risk factors for vio-
lence or fragility are significant; 
(C) countries and regions selected are in 
the areas of responsibility of at least three geo-
graphic bureaus of the Department of State; 
and 
(D) regions, rather than individual coun-
tries, are selected where the threat or spillover 
of violence, conflict, or fragility threatens mul-
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tiple countries within a single geographic re-
gion. 
(d) COUNTRY
AND REGIONAL PLANS.—Not later 
than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Adminis-
trator of USAID, the Secretary of Defense, the Atrocities 
Prevention Board (or any successor entity), and the heads 
of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees ten- 
year plans to align and integrate under the Global Fra-
gility Initiative required under subsection (a) all relevant 
diplomatic, development, security assistance and coopera-
tion, and other relevant activities of the United States 
Government with respect to each of the countries and re-
gions selected pursuant to subsection (c). Each such coun-
try and regional plan shall include the following: 
(1) Specific multi-year interagency plans for co-
ordination and implementation under each such 
plan. 
(2) An up-to-date baseline analysis for each 
such country or region, including an analysis of 
power dynamics, impacts of violence, and conditions 
that contribute to violence and fragility. 
(3) Prioritized descriptions of the goals and ob-
jectives for stabilizing conflict-affected areas and 
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preventing violence and fragility in each such coun-
try or region. 
(4) Descriptions of how and when the relevant 
goals, objectives, plans, and benchmarks for each 
such country or region will be incorporated into rel-
evant United States country plans and strategies, in-
cluding Department of State Integrated Country 
Strategies, USAID Country Development Coopera-
tion Strategies, and Department of Defense Cam-
paign Plans, Operational Plans, and Regional Strat-
egies, as well as any equivalent or successor plans or 
strategies. 
(5) Interagency plans to ensure that appro-
priate local actors, including government and civil 
society entities and organizations led by women, 
youth, or under-represented communities, have an 
appropriate ownership stake in developing, imple-
menting, assessing, monitoring, evaluating, and up-
dating relevant activities under each such plan. 
(6) Interagency plans to integrate existing and 
planned security assistance and cooperation pro-
grams in each such country or region with the initia-
tive and to maximize positive outcomes and mitigate 
risks associated with such programs, including risks 
related to corruption, governance, and human rights. 
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(7) Assessment, monitoring, and evaluation 
frameworks for diplomatic, development, and secu-
rity activities, which shall be informed by consulta-
tions with the stakeholders specified in subsection 
(a)(2), with clear, date-certain metrics for each such 
country or region, as well as interagency plans for 
using such frameworks to adapt such activities on a 
regular and iterative basis. 
(8) Descriptions of available policy tools and 
how such tools will be used to stabilize conflict-af-
fected areas or prevent violence and fragility in each 
such country or region. 
(9) A description of how planning and imple-
mentation for each such country or region will be co-
ordinated to ensure such planning and implementa-
tion are conducted in partnership between the 
United States Government and— 
(A) governments of such countries; 
(B) international development organiza-
tions; 
(C) relevant international donors; 
(D) multilateral organizations; and 
(E) the private sector. 
(10) A regional component outlining plans to 
address relevant transnational issues in cases in 
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which an individual country is selected and such 
country is affected by or at risk of regional fragility 
or violence. 
(11) A component outlining plans to address 
national-level factors at the individual country level 
in cases in which a region is selected and such re-
gion is affected by or at risk of fragility or violence 
as a result of such national-level factors. 
(e) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of State, in 
coordination with the Administrator of USAID, the Sec-
retary of Defense, and the heads of other relevant Federal 
departments and agencies, and in consultation with the 
Atrocities Prevention Board (or any successor entity), rel-
evant United States ambassadors, USAID mission direc-
tors, geographic combatant commanders, and other rel-
evant individuals with responsibility over activities in each 
priority country or region selected pursuant to subsection 
(c), shall ensure that— 
(1) the Global Fragility Initiative required 
under subsection (a), including each of the country 
and regional plans under subsection (d), is imple-
mented, updated, and coordinated on a regular and 
iterative basis; and 
(2) such initiative is used to guide United 
States Government policy at a senior level and incor-
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porated into relevant strategies and plans across the 
United States Government such that the activities of 
all Federal departments and agencies are consistent 
with such initiative. 
SEC. 7. BIENNIAL REPORTS AND CONGRESSIONAL CON-
SULTATION. 
(a) 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 enactment, the Secretary of State, in coordination 
with the Administrator of USAID, the Secretary of De-
fense, the Atrocities Prevention Board (or any successor 
entity), and the heads of other relevant Federal depart-
ments and agencies, shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees an unclassified report, which may 
include a classified annex, on progress made and lessons 
learned with respect to the Global Fragility Initiative es-
tablished pursuant to section 6, including each country 
and regional plan required as part of such initiative, in-
cluding the following: 
(1) Descriptions of steps taken to incorporate 
the initiative and such country and regional plans 
into relevant strategies and plans that affect such 
countries and regions. 
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(2) Accountings of all funding received and ob-
ligated to implement each such country and regional 
plan during the previous two years, as well as fund-
ing requested, planned, and projected for the fol-
lowing two years. 
(3) Descriptions of progress made towards the 
goals and objectives established for each such coun-
try and region, including progress made towards 
achieving specific targets, metrics, and indicators. 
(4) Descriptions of updates made during the 
previous two years to the goals, objectives, plans of 
action, and other elements described in each such 
country and regional plan, as well as any changes 
made to programs based on the results of assess-
ment, monitoring, and evaluation. 
(b) CONGRESSIONAL
CONSULTATION.—The Sec-
retary of State, the Administrator of USAID, and the Sec-
retary of Defense shall provide to any appropriate congres-
sional committee upon the request of any such committee 
regular briefings on the implementation of this Act. 
SEC. 8. GAO REVIEW. 
(a) 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 enactment, the Comptroller General of the United 
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States shall consult with the Chairman and Ranking Mem-
ber 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 Initia-
tive established pursuant to section 6, including opportuni-
ties to— 
(1) assess the extent to which United States 
Government activities in each country and region se-
lected as part of the initiative are being implemented 
in accordance with the initiative and the relevant 
country or regional plan under the initiative; 
(2) assess the processes and procedures for co-
ordinating among and within each relevant Federal 
department or agency when implementing the initia-
tive and each such country and regional plan; 
(3) assess the monitoring and evaluation efforts 
under the initiative and each such country and re-
gional plan, including assessments of the progress 
made and lessons learned with respect to each such 
plan, as well as any changes made to activities based 
on the results of such monitoring and evaluation; 
(4) recommend changes necessary to better im-
plement United States Government activities in ac-
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cordance with the initiative, as well as recommenda-
tions for any changes to the initiative; and 
(5) assess such other matters as the Comp-
troller General determines appropriate. 
(b) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—The heads of 
all relevant Federal departments and agencies shall ensure 
that all relevant data, documents, and other information 
is made available to the Comptroller General of the United 
States for purposes of conducting independent reviews 
pursuant to this section. 
SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committees on Foreign Relations, 
Armed Services, and Appropriations of the Sen-
ate; and 
(B) the Committees on Foreign Affairs, 
Armed Services, and Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives. 
(2) 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 
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President determines is relevant to carry out the 
purposes of this Act. 
Æ 
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