Where next for the UK Integrated Security Fund?

With a new Labour government in power after the UK’s 2024 General Election, what does the future hold for the UK’s Integrated Security Fund (UK ISF)?   The UK ISF is a cross-government fund designed to address UK national security challenges, with a budget of approx. £1 billion. The idea of such a fund began in 2001 when a previous Labour government introduced the Conflict Pool, which evolved in 2015 to become the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF), and evolved again in 2023 to become the UK Integrated Security Fund. It supports a wide range of projects around the world, from training overseas security forces to high-level dialogue between geopolitical rivals; and from supporting women’s rights organisations to tackle gender-based violence, to involvement in de-mining initiatives.   In this episode, we speak to Dr Gaurav Saini, co-founder of the Council for Strategic and Defense Research (CSDR), a think tank based in New Delhi, India. We also hear from Lewis Brooks, Saferworld’s UK Policy and Advocacy Advisor. We discuss their respective experiences of engaging with the UK ISF (and its previous iterations), including any gaps or challenges that stem from the national security approach it takes, and hear what they hope to see from the UK ISF moving forwards under a new government.  As Lewis Brooks says in the episode, “If you want to understand UK security and conflict policy around the world, then you need to understand this fund”.  Please note – the views, perspectives and opinions expressed in this podcast episode are those of the guests and do not necessarily represent the views of Saferworld as an organisation.