Verification-First Gates

Verification-first gates are the control mechanism of Freeze–Vote–Rebuild. They define measurable criteria that must be met to:

Advance from one phase to the next.
Unlock conditional incentives (aid, sanctions adjustments, funding tranches).
Trigger pauses or rollbacks when compliance fails.

This chapter provides a template for gate design.

Design Principles for Gates

A good gate is:

Measurable: Or at least independently attestable.
Time-bounded: Measured over a defined window.
Multi-indicator: Harder to game.
Linked to consequences: Advance/pause/rollback.
Auditable: Evidence can be reviewed independently.

Avoid gates based on intent, rhetoric, or vague “good faith” language.

Gate Taxonomy

Phase Gates (Macro)

Determine progression:

Pre-Freeze $\rightarrow$ Freeze
Freeze $\rightarrow$ Vote
Vote $\rightarrow$ Rebuild (Scale)

Benefit Gates (Micro)

Determine incremental unlocks within phases:

Corridor expansion.
Licensing/waivers.
Reconstruction tranche releases.
Expanded access arrangements.

Template: Define Each Gate in a Standard Format

For each gate, specify:

Name and Purpose
Indicators (what is measured)
Thresholds (numeric or categorical)
Measurement Window (e.g., rolling 14 days)
Data Sources (monitors, sensors, audits, observers)
Decision Authority (who certifies)
Consequences (advance/pause/rollback; what exactly changes)
Appeal/Dispute Process (how contested determinations are handled)
Publication Policy (what is reported publicly)

Example Gates (Illustrative)

Gate A: Freeze Stability Gate

Purpose: Verify the ceasefire is holding well enough to begin Vote preparation.

Indicators:

Count of high-severity incidents (S3/S4) per week.
Civilian harm incidents and protected infrastructure strikes.
Monitor access denials/obstruction events.
Corridor uptime.

Thresholds:

S3/S4 incidents below agreed threshold for 14 days.
Zero (or near-zero) protected infrastructure strikes at S4/C3.
No unresolved monitor obstruction events.
Corridor uptime above agreed minimum.

Consequences:

Authorize Vote operational rollout (registration, observer deployment).
Unlock defined incentive tier (if ladder is used).

Gate B: Vote Readiness Gate

Purpose: Confirm the Vote can occur safely and credibly.

Indicators:

Observer mission deployed to target coverage.
Voter roll publication complete + appeal window processed.
Anti-coercion hotline functioning and staffed.
Cybersecurity readiness checks complete.

Consequences:

Authorize opening of voting window.

Gate C: Vote Integrity Gate (Certification Gate)

Purpose: Determine whether results can be certified.

Indicators:

Observer integrity assessment meets agreed standard.
Audit results within tolerance thresholds.
Dispute caseload resolved within timelines.
No unresolved systemic coercion findings.

Consequences:

Certify results and unlock Rebuild scaling tier.
If failed: Reruns/recounts in defined areas or fallback mechanism.

Gate D: Reconstruction Integrity Gate (Tranche Gate)

Purpose: Release reconstruction funds only when governance and delivery remain clean.

Indicators:

Audit findings below threshold.
% of payments tied to verified milestones.
Procurement compliance rate.
Debarment enforcement functioning.
KPI performance within expected bands.

Consequences:

Release tranche / expand project pipeline.
If failed: Suspend disbursement, initiate remediation, replace operators if necessary.

Gaming Resistance: Multi-Indicator Design

To reduce gaming:

Use multiple indicators across security, access, and integrity.
Track recurrence and patterns, not just single counts.
Include “obstruction” as a high-severity indicator.
Require independent corroboration for major events.
Audit the monitors (meta-verification).

Governance Integration

Gates rely on governance bodies to:

Certify compliance based on evidence.
Adjudicate contested findings.
Enforce consequences.

See:

Drafting Note

When the book is populated with full content, this page should include a single table listing all gates, indicators, thresholds, windows, and consequences. This should map directly to the Sanctions/Aid Linkage and the Metrics & KPIs Toolkit.