It is widely agreed that a safe and secure environment is necessary for sustainable development. There is a growing appreciation that sound security sector governance is critical in achieving such an environment. This paper, prepared for UNDP’s ‘Learning from Experience for Afghanistan’ workshop, outlines key concepts and issues for external actors promoting sound security sector governance. It encourages the development of a contextual approach to external assistance.
The security community encompasses all actors affecting the security of the state and its population. Non-statutory groups in the security community can be security forces (e.g. guerrilla armies) or civil society bodies (e.g. trade unions). The security sector comprises official actors within the security community: organisations authorised to use force, civil management bodies, and justice and law enforcement institutions. Under sound governance, the security sector is guided by principles of democratic governance, controlled by civil authorities and operates according to a peacebuilding approach.
Seven key issues are relevant for external actors promoting sound security sector governance:
- Security as a public good: While acknowledging the need to allocate resources to the security sector, donors often attempt to dictate expenditure. They should encourage governments to review their security needs.
- Comprehensive approach to security sector transformation: External actors should foster understanding of how components of security sector reform fit together, with a clear distinction between internal and external security.
- Coherent external interventions: A range of organisations, individuals and expertise are required. All should try to coordinate policies and programmes in a transparent manner.
- Commitment of national leadership to a reform process: It is not necessary for all stakeholders to favour reforms before external parties become involved. Influential allies and incentives can foster crucial government support.
- Local ownership and capacity: There are a variety of means to achieving sound security sector governance. External stakeholders should empower governments to discover what works best for them.
- Confidence-building measures: Security forces and civilians are often suspicious of each other and of external intervention. External stakeholders should proceed cautiously and structure activities to build confidence.
- Importance of a long-term perspective: Transformation can be a lengthy process and external actors should think in terms of five-year, rolling forward-planning cycles.
Conditions in weak states, such as Afghanistan, pose particular challenges. Concluding points recommend the development of a contextual approach to external assistance:
- The agenda for strengthening security sector governance acknowledges institutional and human resource deficits in weak states. The issues above still apply, but more time for preparatory work may be needed.
- Preparatory work in weak states should create space for dialogue and develop human capacity in government and civil society. Appropriate time frames and continuity of assistance are essential.
- Not all weak and conflict-affected states are the same. Traditional categories, including conflict-affected, post-conflict and transition to democracy, are inadequate in assessing needs.
- Six contextual categories could offer a better approach: political context, normative context, institutional context, societal capacity, economic context and geopolitical context. Within these, it is possible to identify subcategories and form suggestions for assistance.
- The international community is showing signs of not having learned from Kosovo, Bosnia and Sierra Leone. All international instruments, including peace enforcement, must be employed. Placing the burden of Afghanistan’s problems on the development community is likely to result in failure.
