More about the UK CSG
A commitment was made in March 2008 to create a 1000 strong civilian capacity so that the UK was better able to meet the demands of the future. Following a Cabinet Office review the Stabilisation Unit began an extensive period of recruitment to bring these individuals on board.
As of December 2009, the Stabilisation Unit has surpassed the target of having a 1000-strong Civilian Stabilisation Group (CSG), with over 800 Deployable Civilian Experts (DCEs) and over 200 members of the Civil Service Stabilisation Cadre (Cadre).
What the CSG offers…
…. The UK Government: the right people at the right time in the right place. Described as ‘an essential part of our national security apparatus’, the CSG is a tool with many uses – as well as deploying experienced civilians alongside the British military to actively hostile environments we also deploy experienced civilians to less actively hostile environments to work with our multilateral and international partners.
…. CSG Members: the CSG offers unique opportunities for deployments to geographically diverse environments, working with the UK Government, the military and multilateral partners. In order to facilitate these deployments, there are many learning and development opportunities for members of the CSG to ensure they are prepared for deployment. Members also get to interact with others to share best practice and ideas, becoming a part of a distinct community of experts.
…. Partner organisations: the CSG incorporates the UK’s Stabilisation Volunteer Network (SVN), a network of organisations from non-Government, commercial and public sectors who are committed to developing relationships in order to support the UK Government’s stabilisation efforts.
What does the CSG do?
These trained and experienced individuals are making a valuable contribution to improving governance and promoting peace in countries affected by violent conflict. Members of the CSG work in areas such as project management, communications, infrastructure, justice, stabilisation, disarmament, economics, policing, institutional reform, agriculture, health and public finance.
The CSG supports UK bilateral missions where the UK military is significantly involved (e.g. Afghanistan), multilateral missions such as supporting international missions in Kosovo and Iraq, and countries such as Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Nepal, Haiti and Pakistan which have a minimal or no military presence.
Where are the experts recruited from?
Why the CSG is needed?
The 1000 strong capability is drawn from public and private sectors as well as civilian and military spheres. It includes Civil Servants as well as commercial and non-Government consultants and specialists from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds. You can apply online to be part of the CSG. Please visit the Cadre and DCE pages for more information.
What will the 1000 CSG members do?
The tasks vary depending on the location, in some cases an individual may be sent to support a UN mission, as they do in the Democratic Republic Congo. In other cases, such as Afghanistan, they could be working alongside the military to plan reconstruction and stabilisation work. In Afghanistan some CSG members are located in Forward Operating Bases either working along side the military in liaising with the local community to help set up local community councils, or advising local police, planning road building, or even advising on providing electricity to homes.
There are many causes of instability where timely intervention can often prove critical to the success of a stabilisation operation. Getting civilians on the ground early and with the right skills, can make a significant difference to the length of recovery and the outcome. Delivering this requires a reserve civilian capability, who are prepared and ready to go rapidly and who can work on a variety of issues. To do this we need to ensure we prepare in advance to meet future challenges and have an understanding of what skills and experiences we have available at any moment. The CSG gives the UK Government the ability to respond quickly and effectively to future challenges. This is also very cost effective as members of the CSG, whether they are consultants or civil servants, are paid only when they are actively working for the Stabilisation Unit. This approach combines speed of response with a “pay only for use” principle.
