The CSSF, which was launched in April 2015 and is led by the Cabinet Office, is a pool of money for tackling conflict and instability overseas.

According to the recently published 2022 to 2023 CSSF Annual Report, CSSF spending on cybersecurity programmes more than doubled last year, with projects being delivered in locations such as Ukraine, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific.

Around £25.5 million was spent on the Global Cyber Programme, which aids the cybercrime fighting capabilities of Commonwealth countries, as well as the Africa Joint Operations Against Cyber Crime, which helps to protect African countries from cyber-attacks and crime, among other cyber defence schemes.

In total, Ukraine was the biggest single-state recipient of CSSF-funded Official Development Assistance, receiving £41 million — an increase from approximately £23.5 million in the 2021-22 financial year.

Through the CSSF, the UK established its Ukraine Cyber Programme, providing £7.3 million from the beginning of the invasion to March 2022. Following the Integrated Review Refresh in 2023, where the prime minister announced that the CSSF would turn into the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) from April this year, the programme’s funding is to increase by up to £25 million, and with £16 million in investment from the UK.

“Ukraine has been, and remains, a key priority for the government and the Fund,” wrote Baroness Neville-Rolfe in the ministerial foreword of the Annual Report. “It has bolstered Ukraine’s resilience to Russia’s cyber-attacks at the start of Russia’s illegal invasion.”

“It has also improved cybersecurity capability in Georgia, Iraq, the Indo-Pacific, the Commonwealth and Africa, and worked with India to strengthen partners’ ability to counter ransomware,” she continued.

“The CSSF has played a key role in strengthening international partners’ cybersecurity against increasingly complex threats.”

Recommended reading

• NCSC Warns Organisations to Prepare for Long Ukraine Conflict
• UK Gov at Risk of “Catastrophic” Ransomware Attack
• 82% of Firms Say the Exposure Management Gap is Widening

Cybersecurity aside, the Annual Report also revealed that significant spending went into projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which accounted for around 14% (around £120 million) of CSSF funding, while projects in Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for almost 12% (roughly £100m) of investment. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the CSSF’s investment has “tackled the threat of violent extremists by working counter-terror organisations.”

The CSSF also manages peacekeeping operations and deployments, managing the Rapid Response Mechanism — a lever to provide emergency resources in crisis situations. Peacekeeping efforts accounted for more than a third (36%) of CSSF spending (around £300m).

The Cabinet Office-led CSSF brings together several UK Government departments, including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Home Office and Ministry of Defence. The FCDO was the single biggest spender of CSSF funding in the 2022 to 2023 financial year, accounting for 81.7% of total spend (£678m).