In 2007, as part of the broader efforts to foster system-wide coherence, the Secretary-General established the Inter-Agency Security Sector Reform Task Force (IASSRTF) to develop and promote an integrated, holistic and coherent United Nations approach to SSR. When it was first established, the Task Force consisted of seven United Nations entities: The Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Peacebuilding Support Office, the United Nations Development Programme, the Development Fund for Women (now part of UN Women) and theUnited Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Today, the membership of the IASSRTF has increased to 14, including seven new members: the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs; the United Nations Office for Project Services, the Office of the Special Advisor on Africa, the Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the United Nations Children's Fund, theUnited Nations Institute for Training and Research; and the United Nations Population Fund. The IASSRTF is co chaired by DPKO and UNDP, while the SSR Unit, located within the DPKO Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions, provides its secretariat.
UN-AU Review Meeting on the African Union draft SSR Policy
The African Union finalised a draft SSR policy framework. The aim of this framework is to provide a continental vision that empowers Member States to implement relevant national security sector reforms in a coherent and well coordinated manner.
Within the framework of the AU-UN strategic partnership on SSR, the UN SSR Unit supported the AU with a technical review meeting, in Addis Ababa, to review the zero draft, AU SSR Policy Paper.
Building on ISSAT’s earlier support to the AU-UN strategic partnership, the UN SSR Unit requested ISSAT to participate in and contribute its experience to the event. ISSAT participated in a three-day consultative meeting to discuss the draft SSR Policy Paper. The meeting took place at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Sensitisation Workshop on Security Sector Reform for UN staff (Vienna)
Following a request from DPKO’s SSR Unit on behalf of the UN SSR Inter-Agency Task Force, ISSAT has been requested to support the design and roll-out of a one-day course for UN personnel from different departments and agencies based in Vienna.
This request follows up on the support provided by ISSAT to the Senior SSR Practitioners Workshop (July 2009), where a sensitisation course was offered to all UN missions and country teams.
The sensitisation workshop aims to further develop the UN’s capacity on SSR by targeting middle and senior level personnel working on SSR or related activities within the various agencies of the UN. Key objectives of the training include:
- Increase participants’ awareness and understanding of Security Sector Reform (SSR), and the United Nations’ emerging approach to SSR.
- To enhance system-wide capacity to “deliver as one” as an effective and holistic support to national SSR efforts.
- To foster and develop the United Nations inter-agency SSR Community of Practice (COP) by promoting active membership across the United Nations system.
Sensitisation Workshop on Security Sector Reform for UN staff (Kosovo)
Following a request from DPKO’s SSR Unit on behalf of the UN SSR Inter-Agency Task Force, ISSAT has been requested to support the design and roll-out of a one-day course for UN personnel from different departments and agencies based in Vienna.
This request follows up on the support provided by ISSAT to the Senior SSR Practitioners Workshop (July 2009), where a sensitisation course was offered to all UN missions and country teams.
The sensitisation workshop aims to further develop the UN’s capacity on SSR by targeting middle and senior level personnel working on SSR or related activities within the various agencies of the UN. Key objectives of the training include:
- Increase participants’ awareness and understanding of Security Sector Reform (SSR), and the United Nations’ emerging approach to SSR.
- To enhance system-wide capacity to “deliver as one” as an effective and holistic support to national SSR efforts.
- To foster and develop the United Nations inter-agency SSR Community of Practice (COP) by promoting active membership across the United Nations system.
Sensitisation Workshop on Security Sector Reform for UN staff (Geneva)
Following a request from DPKO’s SSR Unit on behalf of the UN SSR Inter-Agency Task Force, ISSAT has been requested to support the design and roll-out of a one-day course for UN personnel from different departments and agencies based in Vienna.
This request follows up on the support provided by ISSAT to the Senior SSR Practitioners Workshop (July 2009), where a sensitisation course was offered to all UN missions and country teams.
The sensitisation workshop aims to further develop the UN’s capacity on SSR by targeting middle and senior level personnel working on SSR or related activities within the various agencies of the UN. Key objectives of the training include:
Support to the Development of UN SSR Training
The UN SSR Taskforce is in the process of developing its approach to SSR sensitization and training. Through the Chair of the Taskforce, i.e. DPKO, ISSAT was requested to provide assistance in designing these sensitization training modules.
Following a series of consultations within the UN SSR taskforce and with UN field personnel, the follow training products have been identified as immediate requirements:
- Output 1: short (1 hour) SSR sensitization module for mandatory pre-deployment training;
- Output 2: half-day SSR sensitization briefing for senior staff;
- Output 3: one-day SSR sensitization briefing, for UN staff and national actors;
- Output 4: two day SSR sensitization and training course for practitioners and policy-makers;
UN System-Wide Training on Security Sector Reform
Following a request from the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on SSR, ISSAT supported the design of a 1 day course for Headquarters personnel and filed staff. The UN Inter-Agency Task Force on SSR followed up with a request to support the roll-out of this training at Headquarters (providing four one-day SSR training programmes in New York from 20-24 April 2009) and to work with trainers from the Inter-Agency task Force to support their future use and roll out to the course.
The training programmes aimed at developing the UN’s capacity on SSR and targeted middle and senior level personnel working on SSR within the various agencies of the UN. Key objectives of the training include:
- Supporting the UN’s emerging approach on SSR;
- Increasing participants’ awareness and understanding of SSR and the UN’s emerging approach to SSR;
- Enhancing system-wide capacity to deliver effective and holistic support to SSR efforts;
- Fostering and developing the UN Inter Agency SSR Community of Practice by promoting active membership across the UN system.
UN HQ Training on Security Sector Reform
Following a request from the SSR Unit on behalf of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on SSR, ISSAT supported both the design and the roll out of a 1 day course for Headquarters personnel and field staff (to date 6 such briefings have been run at UN HQ).
The SSR Unit, on behalf of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on SSR, followed up with a request to support the further development of UN SSR training and to assist in the completion of training for Senior UN SSR practitioners. ISSAT also worked with trainers from the Inter-Agency Task Force to support their future use and roll out of the courses.
The training programmes aimed to further develop the UN’s capacity on SSR and targeted middle and senior level personnel working on SSR within the various agencies of the UN. Key objectives of the training included:
- To increase participants’ awareness and understanding of security sector reform (SSR), and the United Nations emerging approach to SSR.
- To enhance system-wide capacity to “deliver as one” effective and holistic support to national SSR efforts.
- To foster and develop the United Nations inter-agency SSR Community of Practice (COP) by promoting active membership across the United Nations system.
Support to UN SSR Inter-Agency Senior Practitioners Workshop (New York)
On behalf of the UN SSR Inter-Agency Task Force, the SSR Unit in DPKO requested ISSAT’s assistance to support the implementation of the upcoming UN Inter-Agency Senior SSR Practitioners Workshop.
The objective of the 2010 workshop was to conduct the first round of consultations with field colleagues on the applicability potential of the draft interim Technical Guidance Notes, currently under preparation.
The SSR workshop was hosted and chaired by DPKO on behalf of the UN SSR Inter-Agency Task Force. ISSAT provided facilitation support during the following sessions.
Day one:
AM session: Welcome and introduction, followed by facilitated discussions on priorities and expected outcomes for the workshop.
PM session: Presentations of the 2010 UN Inter-Agency programme report, followed by discussions on priorities and implementation strategies for 2010/2011.
Day two & day three:
AM session: Presentations, by lead agencies, on the status of guidance notes and challenges that they are facing, followed by facilitated discussions.
Day four:
Discussions of conclusions and the way forward.
Second Induction Workshop for UN SSR Expert Roster (Geneva)
As a follow-on from the recommendation of the UNSG’s report for the development of rosters of experts, the UN Inter-Agency SSR Task Force has initiated the development of a UN Roster of SSR Experts.
The SSR Unit, on behalf of the UN Inter-Agency SSR Task Force, has requested DCAF/ISSAT to support them in facilitating part of a 2-day Induction Workshop of the UN Roster of SSR Experts.
The participants were SSR consultants, widely acknowledged as leaders in this field, have solid SSR experience and are available for deployment into UN areas of operation.
Support to AU-UN SSR Orientation and AU SSR Policy Development Workshop
On behalf of the UN Inter-Agency SSR Task Force, the SSR Unit in DPKO requested ISSAT’s support for the facilitation of the upcoming AU-UN SSR Orientation and AU SSR Policy Development Workshop.
The workshop brought together senior government officials from SADC Member States, representatives from the SADC Secretariat, AU staff based in Addis Ababa, senior UN officials based in the SADC region, who were working in the area of SSR, and world-renown senior SSR practitioners, as additional expert resources for participants.
In order to further support the development of the AU SSR policy framework, and following the success of both the 2009 AU-UN “Addis” and the 2010 “Ghana” SSR Orientation and Policy Development workshops, the AU and UN intended to conduct another event in the Southern African Development Community. The event had the following objectives:
- Introduce participants to key concepts in SSR, as well as the emerging African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) approaches to SSR;
- Provide an opportunity for participants from SADC Member States, together with staff from the AU, SADC Secretariat and the UN to contribute to the development of a comprehensive AU policy framework on SSR, which would form a key building block for further development of the UN approach to SSR; and,
- Contribute to the development of an effective SADC-AU-UN partnership in the area of SSR.
ISSAT personnel assisted in facilitating a number of sessions and practical exercises based on country examples.
Support to UN Inter-Agency Senior SSR Practitioners Workshop
On behalf of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on SSR, the SSR Unit in DPKO requested ISSAT’s assistance to support the running of the upcoming annual UN Inter-Agency Senior SSR Practitioners Workshop.
The objective of the 2011 SSR Practitioner’s workshop was to 1) consult on priorities for the next programme period (2011-2014) based on the conclusions reached during the internal UN strategic planning meeting of March 2011; 2) Discuss the way forward on regional approaches and discuss the UN-AU strategic partnership; 3) Take forward two of the five interim technical guidance notes that are under development by the Task Force. The SSR workshop was hosted and co-chaired by DPKO and UNDP on behalf of the interagency Task Force on SSR.
Support to AU-UN SSR Orientation Workshop on SSR for the Pan-African Parliament
On behalf of the UN Inter-Agency SSR Task Force, the SSR Unit in DPKO requested ISSAT’s support for the facilitation of the AU-UN SSR Orientation Workshop on SSR, which took place in Cape Town, South Africa.
The workshop was targeted at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution.
In order to further support the development of the AU approach to SSR, this 3 day workshop aimed to:
- Introduce participants to key concepts in SSR, as well as the emerging AU and UN approaches to SSR;
- Provide an opportunity for the PAP, together with staff from the AU and the UN to contribute to the development of a comprehensive AU policy framework on SSR, which would form a key building block for further development of the UN approach to SSR; and,
- Contribute to the development of an effective PAP-AU-UN partnership in the area of SSR.
ISSAT personnel assisted in facilitating a number of sessions and practical exercises based on country examples.
Support to UN Inter-Agency Senior SSR Practitioners Workshop
On behalf of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on SSR, the SSR Unit in DPKO have requested the ISSAT’s assistance to facilitate the upcoming annual UN Inter-Agency SSR Taskforce Workshop.
The objective of the 2011 workshop was to:
- Further develop a “Knowledge and Practice Network” amongst UN actors involved in SSR, promoting communication, partnerships and the collection and dissemination of lessons learned from SSR activities in the field;
- Sign-off drafted Interagency Technical Guidance Notes (ITGN), identify a plan for their roll-out, associated training, and the next round of ITGNs;
- Prepare for the Secretary-General’s report on SSR requested by Security Council Presidential Statement S/PRST/2011/19, with a particular focus on the past five years of the IASSRTF and incorporating the views of the field.
The SSR workshop was to be hosted and co-chaired by DPKO and UNDP on behalf of the interagency Task Force on SSR.
ISSAT provided support throughout the workshop as follows:
- Advice on workshop methodology and session plans in line with the workshop objectives;
- Support the SSR Unit to develop of the workshop agenda;
- Provide on-site process facilitation for the two-day workshop;
- Provide input into the final workshop report.
Workshop for the UN Roster of SSR Experts
As a follow on from the recommendation of the UNSG’s report for the development of rosters of experts, the UN Inter-Agency SSR Task Force has developed a UN Roster of SSR Experts.
The SSR Unit, on behalf of the UN Inter-Agency SSR Task Force, has requested DCAF/ISSAT to support them in facilitating part of a 3-day Induction Workshop of the UN Roster of SSR Experts.
The participants will be SSR advisors who are widely acknowledged as leaders in this field, have current SSR experience and are available for deployment into UN areas of operation.
The workshop programme aims to:
- Sensitize participants to the United Nations approach to SSR
- Create a network, synergies and relationships among participants, and explore their complementarity and teamwork skills in the light of potential future consultancies
Provide participants with detailed information on the management process of the Roster
Country Review on the Governance of the Security Sector in Guinea Bissau
UNDP, on behalf of the UN Inter-Agency SSR Taskforce, has requested DCAF/ISSAT to conduct a country review on the governance of the security sector in Guinea Bissau. The objective of this review is to achieve a better understanding of the entry-points, challenges and opportunities; as well as, best-practices in engaging in the governance of the security sector in Guinea Bissau.
The outcome of the review will feed into the development of a technical guidance note (TGN) on the same subject. The target audience for the TGN is UN staff working on supporting national SSR efforts, both at HQ and in the field.
This review will also help inform UNDP’s interventions in the governance, justice and security sectors in Guinea Bissau, in particular, and in other conflict and post-conflict situations more generally. .
The field mission took place in September 2010. The first rough draft of the country review was developed by the beginning of October 2010 to ensure information collected will feed into the next draft of the TGN. The final draft will then be developed and finalised by December 2010 and will continue feeding into the development of the TGN.
UNDP will inform the local office of the arrival of the ISSAT team, and will appoint a focal point in Guinea Bissau that the ISSAT team can liaise with for assistance in setting up interviews and accessing materials.
Case Studies
Provision of Technical advice: Establishing a Steering Committee in the Central African Republic
In the Central African Republic, the committee in charge of organizing the “National SSR Seminar” – the Comité Préparatoire
– was supported by UNDP. The Comité
was in charge of research and document preparation, including gathering lessons from the threat assessment and supporting the information and awareness-raising campaign via consultation meetings in Bangui and five provinces. The Comité
was also responsible for practical and logistical arrangements for the seminar. As the Comité
undertook this intensive work, two main challenges emerged. First, staff members were only partially detached from their ministries or civil society organizations. This resulted in a prioritization of their other duties rather than the short-term mission they had been asked to complete within the Comité
.
Second, a number of the members were very senior – often former ministers – and were therefore reluctant to undertake the large number of (even basic) tasks required by the Comité
’s mandate. UNDP and other international experts assisted the Government in overcoming these challenges: in highlighting the importance of the work of the Comité
to high-level political actors, they garnered support for secondments of staff to the Comité
.
UNDP also provided training and seconded secretarial staff to the Comité to increase the body’s administrative capacity. The provision of advice and sensitization on the need to carefully consider the membership of such committees paid off when the Secrétariat Technique Permanent (that replaced the Comité Préparatoire following the National SSR Seminar) was assigned full-time staff for its mandate, thus enabling it to fully support implementation of the security sector reform activities agreed at the Seminar.
Raising the HIV Awareness of Uniformed Personnel in Sudan
In partnership with the UN DDR Unit, UNFPA, UNDP and the UN Mission in Sudan (UN 2010) supported DDR interventions to address HIV, promote human development, and provide psychosocial support and reproductive health services. The Mission’s work involved close collaboration with the North and Southern Sudan DDR Commissions, the Sudan Armed Forces, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and the Sudan National AIDS Programme.
Activities included:
- Vulnerability and capacity assessments of women associated with the armed forces.
- Training demobilized ex-combatants, women associated with the armed forces and community members on HIV/sexual and reproductive health/gender-based violence through a trainer-training programme.
- Implementing public information campaigns to raise awareness and sensitize receiving communities about HIV.
- Developing referral networks with existing providers to ensure service coverage in receiving communities.
- Supporting access to reproductive health services and STI testing and treatments.
- Supporting access to voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for ex-combatants and women associated with the armed forces.
- Training reintegration counsellors on HIV, sexual and reproductive health and gender- based violence.
Source found in: Security Sector Reform: Integrated Technical Guidance Notes , United Nations SSR Task Force, 2012. p 55.
The Challenges of Sequencing National Security Policy and National Security Legislation in Timor-Leste
In Timor-Leste, the government’s intention was first to develop a national security policy, which would subsequently guide the development of national security legislation. However, following the 2006 security crisis, swift development of the legislation became a priority, so that the roles and responsibilities of the police and defence forces could be more clearly delineated. Legislation and policy thus advanced in parallel: the national security law would be led by the Office of the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence, while national security policy would continue to be developed under the auspices of the Office
of the President and the Secretary of State for Security. In order to ensure links between the two processes, each of the institutions would comment in parallel on the draft law and draft policy. In practice this approach proved challenging; there were limited national resources to lead both processes, and equally limited international resources to support the national effort. Finally, further delays in the policy-making process resulted in the national security law being adopted prior to the national security policy. As a result there was difficulty aligning policy with law, despite the fact that the law did not undergo the same broad consultative process as national security policy. After considerable national effort, law and policy were finally aligned, with a focus on supporting an integrated security sector.
Source found in: Security Sector Reform: Integrated Technical Guidance Notes , United Nations SSR Task Force, 2012. p. 125.
Facilitating National Consultations in Liberia
In Liberia, it was decided that the Governance Commission (GC) would lead in the development of national security strategy. The GC, which had been created by the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement to promote good governance in the Liberian public sector, resolved to ensure a consultative approach to the development of the strategy. However, this approach was resisted by numerous representatives of government ministries, who feared that including civilians in discussions on national security would
amount to compromising that security.
The leadership provided by the GC was vital in overcoming this challenge. In particular, an effective approach was the South-South dialogue the GC supported, which brought together experts from other countries in the region to share their experiences with similar processes.
This approach proved extremely useful in alleviating fears of undertaking broad national public consultations. The consultation
process then took place across the country and involved traditional chiefs, women, civil society, local authorities, youth and local officials from the United Nations Mission in Liberia. The consultation identified local perceptions of national security threats, which included poverty, unemployment, crime, ethnic tensions and regional insecurity. These concerns were in turn reflected in the national security strategy and resulted in recognition of the need for a wider range of government ministries to support national security provision.
Source found in: Security Sector Reform: Integrated Technical Guidance Notes , United Nations SSR Task Force, 2012. p 133.