Recently, the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) was awarded a place on the Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF) Framework by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom. The CSSF is designed to allow the development agencies in the United Kingdom to mobilize development and non-development funding quickly and effectively to countries that are at-risk for conflict and instability. With nearly 30 years of work in more than 100 transitioning countries, ABA ROLI can offer technical expertise to strengthen the FCO's mission as a framework holder. Combining long-term development with immediate interventions and access to funding, the CSSF has ensured the UK Government can move quickly to deliver on unanticipated interventions.
Like the ABA, the FCO believes that using foreign assistance to build stable and healthy systems abroad make us all “more secure from threats such as terrorism, corruption and illegal migration or trafficking.” While the methodologies of humanitarian assistance to respond to crises and development assistance to build sustainable systems are important, there remains a need to have access to expertise and programming that can be mobilized to at-risk countries without the delays of lengthy procurements. That’s why frameworks such as CSSF are so important and why it is critical that ABA ROLI be a part of them.
CSSF was created in 2016 to allow government entities in the United Kingdom to coordinate an integrated strategy in some of the most vulnerable countries in the world. In 2017/18 the total spend for the CSSF fund was £1.18bn working in more than 75 countries and territories around the world in three areas: Governance, Security and Justice; Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding, and Defence Support Services.
“We are delighted for the opportunity to partner with the FCO, DFID, and other stakeholders in the CSSF Framework,” said Paul Fisher ABA ROLI’s Director of Strategic Alliances and Institutional Advancement. “Rapidly mobilizing resources and expertise to fragile states is more important now than ever. I commend the United Kingdom’s efforts to improve development outcomes to build a safer and more stable world.”