for monitoring and evaluation, adaptive management, and iterative learning that provide for regular and iterative policy and program adaptations based on monitoring and evaluation findings and other evidence generated in each priority country and across priority countries. (6) Descriptions of the available policy tools to reduce and address the causes of violence, instability, and fragility in each priority country. (7) Descriptions of the resources and authorities that would be required for each relevant Federal department and agency to best implement each priority country plan, as well as evidence-based iterative updates to the plans. (8) Descriptions of potential areas of improved partnership between the United States Government and recipient countries, international development organizations, relevant international donors, multilateral organizations, and the private sector on efforts to reduce and address the causes of violence, instability, and fragility in each priority country. (9) Descriptions of potential areas of improved public and private sector research and development, including from academic, philanthropic, and civil society organizations, on more effective approaches to reducing and addressing the causes of violence, instability, and fragility in fragile and violence-affected states. (d) Priority country designation The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall carry out the following actions: (1) Develop the list of candidate countries under consideration for the initiative required under this section on the basis of specified criteria, including the following: (A) Current levels of violence, instability, and fragility, as determined by empirical data, such as the following, to the extent such data are available: (i) Total levels of deaths due to violence and violence-related deaths per 100,000 population in the candidate country under consideration. (ii) Total levels of violent