Title: Global Fragility Act of 2019
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Global Fragility Act of 2019
This bill directs the President to devise and implement a plan to combat global fragility. The bill also establishes funds to support such endeavors.
The President shall report to Congress and implement a 10-year Global Fragility Strategy to (1) help stabilize conflict-affected areas, (2) address global fragility, and (3) increase U.S. capacity to be a leader in international efforts to prevent extremism and violent conflict. The strategy shall (1) focus on the long-term causes of fragility and violence; (2) include specific objectives and approaches to reduce such causes; and (3) contain a selection of priority countries based on various factors, including U.S. national security interest and clearly defined indicators of the countries' levels of violence or fragility. The President shall report to Congress and implement action plans for the priority countries.
The bill establishes the Prevention and Stabilization Fund to replace the Relief and Recovery Fund. The new fund shall support stabilization of conflict-affected areas and assist areas liberated from or at risk from various terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The bill also establishes (1) the Complex Crises Fund to prevent or respond to emerging and unforeseen events overseas, and (2) the Partnership Development Fund to address sources of fragility in priority countries.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 727 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 727

 To combat international extremism by addressing global fragility and 
    violence and stabilizing conflict-affected areas, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 7, 2019

  Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Graham, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. 
Young) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
                 to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To combat international extremism by addressing global fragility and 
    violence and stabilizing conflict-affected areas, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Global Fragility Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

  TITLE I--DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE, TEN-YEAR, GLOBAL FRAGILITY 
             STRATEGY, AND SELECTION OF PRIORITY COUNTRIES

SEC. 101. GLOBAL FRAGILITY STRATEGY.

    (a) Strategy.--The President, in coordination with the Secretary of 
State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID), the Secretary of Defense, and the heads of other 
relevant Federal agencies, shall establish a comprehensive, integrated, 
ten-year strategy, to be referred to as the ``Global Fragility 
Strategy'', to contribute to the stabilization of conflict-affected 
areas, address global fragility, and strengthen the capacity of the 
United States to be an effective leader of international efforts to 
prevent extremism and violent conflict. The strategy shall focus on 
addressing long-term causes of fragility and violence, and shall--
            (1) consider the causes of fragility and violence at both 
        the local and national levels, the external actors that 
        reinforce and exploit such conditions, and successful 
        prevention strategies and their key features;
            (2) include specific objectives and multisectoral 
        approaches to reduce fragility and the causes of violence, 
        including those that strengthen state-society relations, curb 
        extremist ideology, and make society less vulnerable to the 
        spread of extremism and violence;
            (3) encourage and empower local and national actors to 
        address the concerns of their citizens, including in vulnerable 
        communities, and build community resilience against violence 
        and extremism;
            (4) address the long-term underlying causes of fragility 
        and violence through participatory, locally led programs, 
        empowering marginalized groups such as youth and women, 
        inclusive dialogues and conflict resolutions processes, justice 
        sector reform, good governance across all sectors, community 
        policing and civilian security, and accountable and fair 
        service delivery;
            (5) describe approaches that ensure national leadership 
        where appropriate and participatory engagement by civil society 
        and local partners in the design implementation and monitoring 
        of programs;
            (6) assign roles for relevant Federal agencies to avoid 
        duplication of efforts, while ensuring that--
                    (A) the Department of State is responsible for 
                leading the strategy, establishing United States 
                foreign policy, advancing diplomatic and political 
                efforts, and guiding security assistance and related 
                civilian security efforts;
                    (B) USAID is responsible for overseeing prevention 
                programs, and is the lead implementing agency for 
                development, humanitarian, and related non-security 
                program policy;
                    (C) activities undertaken or supported by the 
                Department of Defense in relation to the Global 
                Fragility Strategy are established through joint 
                formulation and with the concurrence of the Secretary 
                of State; and
                    (D) other Federal agencies support the activities 
                of the Department of State and USAID as appropriate, 
                with the concurrence of the Secretary of State and the 
                Administrator of the United States Agency for 
                International Development;
            (7) describe programs that agencies will undertake to 
        achieve the stated objectives, including descriptions of 
        existing programs and funding by fiscal year and account;
            (8) identify mechanisms to improve coordination between the 
        United States, foreign governments, and international 
        organizations, including the World Bank, the United Nations, 
        regional organizations, and private sector organizations;
            (9) address efforts to expand public-private partnerships 
        and leverage private sector resources;
            (10) describe the criteria, metrics, and mechanisms for 
        monitoring and evaluation of programs and objectives in the 
        strategy;
            (11) describe how the strategy will ensure that programs 
        are country-led and context-specific; and
            (12) identify mechanisms or activities to reduce the risk 
        that the programs, policies, or resources of the United States 
        and its partners will facilitate corruption, empower or abet 
        repressive local actors, or be exploited by extremists to gain 
        support for their cause.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a report setting forth the 
        strategy described in subsection (a), which shall be submitted 
        in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex if 
        necessary.
            (2) Report contents.--The report required under paragraph 
        (1) shall include the elements described in paragraph (3), and 
        may include additional elements relevant to the strategy 
        described in subsection (a).
            (3) Report elements.--The elements referred to in paragraph 
        (2) are as follows:
                    (A) The objectives, general and specific, of the 
                strategy.
                    (B) An identification of the relevant Federal 
                agencies that will be involved and the assignment of 
                priorities to such agencies.
                    (C) A description of the compact-based partnerships 
                that will be established to ensure local leadership of 
                strategies, policy, and programs, as well as mutual 
                accountability for results and resources needed to 
                support such partnerships.
                    (D) Identification of the authorities, staffing, 
                and other requirements needed to effectively implement 
                the Global Fragility Strategy.
                    (E) A description of the ways in which United 
                States leadership will be used to enhance overall 
                international prevention efforts, including through 
                increasing the engagement of the member states of the 
                Group of Eight and Group of Twenty.
                    (F) Identification of which officials of the 
                Department of State, USAID, and the Department of 
                Defense, with a rank not lower than Assistant Secretary 
                or Assistant Administrator, will be responsible for 
                overseeing and leading the strategy.
                    (G) A list of priority countries selected pursuant 
                to section 102, including descriptions of the rationale 
                for such selections.
    (c) Stakeholder Consultation.--The Global Fragility Strategy 
required under this section shall be developed in consultation with 
representatives of civil society and national and local governance 
entities in countries described in section 103, as well as relevant 
international development organizations with experience implementing 
programs in fragile countries, multilateral organizations and donors, 
relevant private, academic, and philanthropic entities, and the 
appropriate congressional committees.

SEC. 102. SELECTION OF PRIORITY COUNTRIES.

    The President, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, and the Secretary of Defense, and in consultation with the 
appropriate congressional committees, shall select certain countries as 
``priority countries'' for the purpose of implementing the strategy 
required under section 101(a)--
            (1) on the basis of--
                    (A) the national security interest of the United 
                States;
                    (B) clearly defined indicators of the levels of 
                violence or fragility in such, such as the country's--
                            (i) ranking on recognized global fragility 
                        lists;
                            (ii) ranking on select United States 
                        Government conflict and atrocity early warning 
                        watch lists; and
                            (iii) levels of violence, including 
                        violence committed by armed groups, state 
                        actors, and violent extremist organizations, 
                        gender-based violence, and violence against 
                        children and youth; and
                    (C) an assessment of the commitment and capacity of 
                national and sub-national government entities and civil 
                society partners in such country to work with Federal 
                departments and agencies on the Global Fragility 
                Strategy, including by demonstrating commitment to--
                            (i) improving inclusive, transparent, and 
                        accountable power structures, including 
                        effective, legitimate, and resilient national 
                        and sub-national institutions; and
                            (ii) ensuring strong foundations for human 
                        rights, rule of law, and equal access to 
                        justice; and
            (2) in a manner that ensures that not fewer than five 
        countries are selected, and such countries are in the areas of 
        responsibility of at least three geographic bureaus of the 
        Department of State.

SEC. 103. PRIORITY COUNTRY PLANS.

    Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the President, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, the Secretary of Defense, 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 Fragility Strategy established pursuant to section 101 all 
diplomatic, development, security assistance and cooperation, and other 
relevant activities of the United States Government with respect to 
each of the countries selected pursuant to section 102. Each such 
country plan shall include the following elements:
            (1) Specific multi-year interagency plans for coordination 
        and implementation under each such plan.
            (2) An up-to-date baseline analysis for each such country, 
        including an analysis of power dynamics, impacts of violence, 
        and conditions that contribute to violence and fragility.
            (3) Prioritized descriptions of the goals and objectives 
        for stabilizing conflict-affected areas, reducing fragility, 
        and preventing the spread of extremism and violence in each 
        such country.
            (4) Descriptions of how and when the relevant goals, 
        objectives, plans, and benchmarks for each such country will be 
        incorporated into relevant United States country plans and 
        strategies.
            (5) Interagency plans to ensure that appropriate local 
        actors, including government and civil society entities, have 
        an appropriate ownership stake in relevant activities under 
        each such plan.
            (6) Interagency plans to integrate existing and planned 
        security assistance and cooperation programs in each such 
        country with the strategy, and to mitigate risks associated 
        with such programs, including risks related to corruption, 
        governance, and human rights.
            (7) Assessment, monitoring, and evaluation frameworks for 
        diplomatic, development, and security activities, which shall 
        be informed by consultations with the stakeholders specified in 
        section 101(c), with clear, date-certain metrics for each such 
        country.
            (8) Descriptions of available policy tools and how such 
        tools will be used to reduce fragility, prevent the spread of 
        extremism and violence, and stabilize conflict-affected areas 
        in each such country.
            (9) A description of how planning and implementation for 
        each such country will be coordinated to ensure such planning 
        and implementation are conducted in partnership between the 
        United States Government and--
                    (A) governments of such countries;
                    (B) international development organizations;
                    (C) relevant international donors;
                    (D) multilateral organizations; and
                    (E) the private sector.
            (10) A regional component outlining plans to address 
        relevant transnational issues and how such country is affected 
        by or at risk of regional fragility or violence.

SEC. 104. IMPLEMENTATION.

    The President, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, the Secretary of Defense, the heads of other relevant 
Federal agencies, relevant United States ambassadors, USAID mission 
directors, geographic combatant commanders, and other relevant 
individuals with responsibility over activities in each priority 
country selected pursuant to section 102, shall ensure that--
            (1) the Global Fragility Strategy required under section 
        101, including each of the country plans developed under 
        section 103, is implemented, updated, and coordinated on a 
        regular and iterative basis; and
            (2) the strategy is used to guide United States Government 
        policy and incorporated into relevant strategies and plans 
        across the United States Government such that the activities of 
        all Federal agencies are consistent with the strategy.

SEC. 105. BIENNIAL REPORTS AND CONGRESSIONAL CONSULTATION.

    (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 President, the 
Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development, the Secretary of Defense, and the heads of 
other relevant Federal departments and agencies shall jointly submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees an unclassified report, which 
may include a classified annex, on progress made and lessons learned 
with respect to the implementation of the Global Fragility Strategy 
established pursuant to section 101. The report shall include the 
following elements:
            (1) Descriptions of steps taken to incorporate the strategy 
        into any relevant, existing country and regional plans or 
        strategies.
            (2) Accountings of all funding received and obligated to 
        implement each such country and regional plan during the 
        previous two years, as well as funding requested, planned, and 
        projected for the following two years.
            (3) Descriptions of progress made towards achieving 
        specific targets, metrics, and indicators for each priority 
        country.
            (4) Descriptions of any changes made to programs based on 
        the results of assessment, monitoring, and evaluation for each 
        priority country.

SEC. 106. GAO REVIEW.

    (a) In General.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall consult with the appropriate congressional committees regarding 
opportunities for independent review of the activities implemented 
under the Global Fragility Strategy established pursuant to section 
101.
    (b) Availability of Information.--The heads of 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.

               TITLE II--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 201. STABILIZATION AND PREVENTION FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--There is authorized a fund to be known as the 
``Prevention and Stabilization Fund'' (in this section referred to as 
``The Fund''), which shall replace the Relief and Recovery Fund.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the Prevention and 
Stabilization Fund to support stabilization of conflict-affected areas 
and mitigate fragility, including through the Global Fragility 
Strategy.
    (c) Purposes of the Fund.--
            (1) In general.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Fund shall be used--
                    (A) to support stabilization of conflict-affected 
                areas and prevent global fragility, including through 
                the Global Fragility Strategy established pursuant to 
                section 101; and
                    (B) to provide assistance to areas liberated or at 
                risk from, or under the control of, the Islamic State 
                of Iraq and Syria, other terrorist organizations, or 
                violent extremist organizations, including for 
                stabilization assistance for vulnerable ethnic and 
                religious minority communities affected by conflict.
            (2) Amounts in addition.--Amounts authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Fund under this section are in addition to 
        any funds otherwise made available for the purposes described 
        in paragraph (1).

SEC. 202. COMPLEX CRISES FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--There is authorized a fund, which shall be 
known as the ``Complex Crises Fund'' (in this subsection referred to as 
the ``Fund''), to be administered by the United States Agency for 
International Development, to support programs and activities to 
prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen events overseas.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the Fund, including to 
support the Global Fragility Strategy, which shall remain available 
remain available until expended.
    (c) Purposes of Assistance.--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 Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et 
seq.) to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to 
emerging or unforeseen events overseas, including through support to 
the Global Fragility Strategy.
    (d) Limitations.--
            (1) In general.--Amounts in the Fund may not be expended 
        for lethal assistance or to respond to natural disasters.
            (2) Administrative expenses.--Not more than five percent of 
        the amounts in the Fund may be used for administrative 
        expenses.
    (e) 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 the appropriate congressional committees.
    (f) Waiver.--The notification requirement under subsection (e) be 
may be waived if--
            (1) notification by the deadline specified in such 
        paragraph would pose a substantial risk to human health or 
        welfare; and
            (2) the appropriate congressional committees--
                    (A) are notified not later than three days after an 
                obligation of amounts from the Fund; and
                    (B) are provided with an explanation of the 
                emergency circumstances that necessitated such waiver.

                TITLE III--PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FUND

SEC. 301. ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.

    (a) Negotiations for Establishment of Fund.--The Secretary of 
State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development and the heads of other relevant 
Federal agencies, shall seek to enter into negotiations with key 
bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank, and with 
developing countries where fragility threatens to exacerbate violent 
extremism and undermine development, including members of the g7+, 
toward the establishment, in accordance with the provisions of this 
title, of the Partnership Development Fund.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Partnership Development Fund 
shall be to use contributed funds--
            (1) to assist in addressing the sources of fragility in 
        priority countries selected pursuant to section 102 of this Act 
        or otherwise determined by the Partnership Development Fund; 
        and
            (2) to strengthen national and local good governance and 
        conflict resolution capacity over the long-term, moving beyond 
        uncoordinated, short-term investments by improving 
        international coordination and enabling support for 
        comprehensive, compact-based agreements that support country-
        led strategies.

SEC. 302. CONSULTATIONS AND PROGRAMS.

    (a) Establishment of Partnership Development Fund.--Not later than 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
State shall consult with the appropriate congressional committees on 
plans for the establishment of the Partnership Development Fund, 
including the mechanism though which donor funds will be received and 
distributed, the makeup and composition of a Board of Directors, 
qualifications of such Board members, composition of a secretariat, and 
mechanisms for oversight and accountability. The Board shall consist of 
representatives of participating donor countries, fragility- and 
conflict-affected countries, civil society, and multilateral and 
nongovernmental organizations. The President shall, with the advice and 
consent of the Senate, appoint a United States Board member and an 
alternate member for a four-year term.
    (b) Partnership Development Fund Grants.--The Partnership 
Development Fund shall provide grants to support policies and programs 
that assist recipient countries in achieving lasting stability, 
resilience to violent extremism, and development, including by building 
capacity in national and local government, civil society, and the 
private sector. The Fund shall include criteria for candidate 
governments and nongovernmental entities to receive grants through 
multi-year, compact-based agreements, established through inclusive and 
open processes and that are linked to a national development plan and 
based on joint analysis and strategic planning.

SEC. 303. CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS AND DISCLOSURE ON THE PARTNERSHIP 
              DEVELOPMENT FUND.

    (a) Reports to Congress.--
            (1) Annual reports by the fund.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than one year after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 
                thereafter for the duration of the Fund, the United 
                States representative to the Fund shall provide to the 
                appropriate congressional committees a report on the 
                Fund.
                    (B) Report elements.--The report required under 
                subparagraph (A) shall include a description of--
                            (i) the goals of the Fund;
                            (ii) the programs, projects, and 
                        activities, including approaches to scaling 
                        programs, supported by the Fund;
                            (iii) private and governmental 
                        contributions to the Fund;
                            (iv) the criteria for determining the 
                        programs and activities that should be assisted 
                        by the Fund, and the metrics for the monitoring 
                        and evaluation of such programs and activities; 
                        and
                            (v) the country-level processes established 
                        to support compact-based agreements and promote 
                        international coordination.
            (2) GAO report on fund effectiveness.--Not later than three 
        years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
        Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a report evaluating the 
        effectiveness of the Fund, including--
                    (A) the effectiveness of the programs, projects, 
                and activities described in paragraph (1)(B)(ii) in 
                violence reduction and mitigating fragility as a root 
                cause; and
                    (B) an assessment of the merits of continued United 
                States financial contributions to the Fund.
    (b) Public Disclosure of Activities.--Not later than 90 days after 
the end of each fiscal quarter, the Fund should make available to the 
public the following information with respect to awarded grants:
            (1) The name of each entity to which assistance is 
        provided.
            (2) The amount of assistance provided to the entity.
            (3) A description of the compact-based agreement, including 
        a detailed description of the objectives and measures for 
        results of the program or project, which should continue to be 
        monitored in the years following the end of the grant period to 
        determine the enduring impact of the grant.

SEC. 304. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    In addition to any other funds authorized to be appropriated for 
multilateral or bilateral programs related to conflict prevention, 
countering violent extremism, stabilization, or economic development, 
there is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of State such 
sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2022 for 
contributions to the Partnership.
                                 <all>