Watchdog concern at anti-war fund

Aid watchdogs have raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of a major government conflict stability fund.

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) said shortcomings at the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which will have an annual budget of £1.3 billion by 2021, meant it did not know if the fund’s programming is causing harm.

The ICAI, which scrutinises taxpayer-funded UK aid, gave the CSSF an aid spending rating of “amber-red” which means it has “unsatisfactory achievement in most areas,” and “improvements are required for UK aid to make a positive contribution.”

The report stated: “As human rights risk assessments are inconsistent and programme monitoring is often weak, we do not know if CSSF programming is causing harm.”