This report looks at the links between DDR and transitional justice. DDR programming has become a regular component of international peace support and peacebuilding architecture. DDR programmes can play an important role in limiting violence by disarming large numbers of actors and disbanding illegal, dysfunctional or bloated military structures.
While there is a growing body of research on DDR, there has until very recently been little research that explores the linkages between DDR and transitional justice. There have also been minimal efforts to practically design processes with the other in mind.
The report first looks briefly at the contribution of DDR to stability, security and peace, followed by discussion of the ‘silo approach’ to peacebuilding, whereby DDR and transitional justice have traditionally been addressed separately. The complementarities of DDR and transitional justice are then discussed, followed by sections on how transitional justice could benefit DDR and vice versa.
The report identifies four key ways in which DDR and transitional justice can be brought together in theory and practice: through legal frameworks, design and implementation, sharing information, and research and training.
