MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union

MISSING PIECES
Undertaking such efforts will obviously pose tremendous challenges
in situations where the institutions of the state are severely disorganised
and under-resourced, with often little confidence in the government’s
ability to restore law and order. Every context will require tailor-made
approaches and interventions, bearing in mind that reform processes, to
be sustainable, must be locally owned.
Societies will often undergo processes of disarmament, demobilisation
and reintegration (DDR). Both DDR and JSSR processes should be closely
linked. Former combatants will often be given the choice of joining the
new security forces, requiring a concurrent redesign of the mission and
operating procedures of both the military and the police. Such provisions
are now increasingly integrated in peace agreements themselves.
Reintegration of former combatants depends to a large extent on there
being a culture of rule of law, and JSSR initiatives can and must enhance
the perception of security so that former fighters agree to be disarmed,
communities accept their return, and sustainable reintegration opportunities
are created.
JSSR initiatives in war-torn societies are particularly important to define
the role of a civilian police force versus the army, and avoid the emergence
of militarised and repressive policing.
Given the importance of JSSR in fostering peace and security, and
contributing to the conditions necessary for sustainable development,
assistance to JSSR should not be considered as part of military assistance,
but rather as a priority for development. This step was recently taken by
the OECD, which decided in March 2005 to allow ODA to be used inter
alia for ‘security system reform to improve democratic governance and
civilian control’ and ‘enhancing civil society’s role in the security system
to help ensure that it is managed in accordance with democratic norms
and principles of accountability, transparency and good governance’. 31
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS
To date, justice and security sector reform efforts have generally not been
informed by current thinking and good practices on small arms controls—and
vice versa. It is clear, however, that dysfunctional justice and
security sectors contribute to various demands for guns and play an important
role in perpetuating the cycle of armed violence in a variety of
contexts. In their role as overseers of the executive branch of government,
parliamentarians are particularly well placed to call for such measures as:
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