Stabilisation Unit
Encyclopedia
The Stabilisation Unit is an interdepartmental agency of the UK government
; it is jointly owned by the FCO
, the DFID
, and the MOD
. It aims to support fragile states and countries emerging from conflict, where close cooperation between international agencies, the military, and civilian personnel is essential.
The Stabilisation Unit, formed in 2007 from the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit, serves a similar function to and works closely with institutions such as the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (Canada) and the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization
(United States).
The SU also recruits civilians; the UK Civilian Stabilisation Group (CSG) was launched in February 2010. The SU maintains a pool of approximately 1000 civilian experts who can be deployed to assist other countries to help build peace & security.
Government of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
; it is jointly owned by the FCO
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
, the DFID
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
, and the MOD
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. It aims to support fragile states and countries emerging from conflict, where close cooperation between international agencies, the military, and civilian personnel is essential.
The Stabilisation Unit, formed in 2007 from the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit, serves a similar function to and works closely with institutions such as the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (Canada) and the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization
Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization
The Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations is a United States Department of State Office that coordinates United States' governmental reconstruction and stabilization efforts in developing countries before, during, and after armed conflict....
(United States).
Activities
The Stabilisation Unit's objectives are:- To prevent or contain violent conflict;
- To protect people, key assets and institutions
- To promote political processes which lead to greater stability.
- Prepare for longer term development and address the causes of conflict.
Locations
The Stabilisation has provided advice, or assistance, for various places in crisis, including:- AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
: The SU has helped with a variety of problems in Helmand provinceHelmand ProvinceHelmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
. - Democratic Republic of Congo: A stabilisation advisor has been with MONUC since 2008.
- HaitiHaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
: Assisting prisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s in Haiti after the earthquake2010 Haiti earthquakeThe 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks... - IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
: The SU assisted the Provincial Reconstruction Team in BasraBasraBasra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, and helped rebuild police capabilities. - SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
: Helping with civil society engagement. Four consultants are in DarfurDarfurDarfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
. - KosovoKosovoKosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, MoldovaMoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, and PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
: The SU helped build strategies for assisting these countries.
People
The SU recruits civil servants into the Civil Service Stabilisation Cadre (CSSC)The SU also recruits civilians; the UK Civilian Stabilisation Group (CSG) was launched in February 2010. The SU maintains a pool of approximately 1000 civilian experts who can be deployed to assist other countries to help build peace & security.