Financial Sustainability and SSG/R

Lessons from Somalia, Mali, Liberia and other contexts have shown that assessing the financial cost of the security and justice sector, as well as the financial repercussions it has on the overall public expenditure scheme of any country, has a significant impact on the effectiveness and impact of the security and justice sector, as well as on overall oversight and accountability reforms. This Thematic in Practice Page explores the linkages between SSG/R, Public Finance Management (PFM), Public Expenditure Reviews (PER) and Human Resource Management (HRM), which accounts for some of the major recurrent budget obligations for the security sector.

Photo: UN Photo/Mark Garten

Financial Sustainability

Financial considerations are one of the key areas for SSG/R planning. Lessons from several reforming States, where the financial sustainability of the security and justice sector is at risk, have scaled up the importance of Public Finance management (PFM) and Human Resources Management (HRM) for security sector governance and reform (SSG/R). Overseas reform programs need to establish whether the introduced changes will be sustained by the country. From a people centered perspective, performance measurements need to monitor how existing resources are being used. In many contexts, the lack of security provision is a question of corrupt practices, ineffective management and gaps in the oversight and accountability mechanisms.

Selected Resoruces

Consolidating Good Practice on Financing Security Sector Governance and Reform in Fragile Contexts - ISSAT, 2023

Linking PFM/HRM for Sustainable Security Sector Reform - ISSAT, 2021

Money Matters: Addressing the Financial Sustainability of Security Sector Reform - DCAF, 2015

Securing Development - World Bank Group, 2017