A Beginner’s Guide to Security Sector Reform (SSR)
Contents
- What is SSR?
- Some commonly used definitions of SSR
- How has SSR developed? How is it a part of the international development agenda?
- Core principles and challenges of implementing SSR
- The Global Conflict Prevention Pool’s Security Sector Reform Strategy
- What are the areas of SSR engagement?
- Where can I find further sources of information on SSR?
What is SSR?
Security Sector Reform aims to create a secure environment that is conducive to development, poverty reduction, good governance and, in particular, the growth of democratic states and institutions based on the rule of law. This relies on the ability of the state to mitigate its people’s vulnerabilities through development, and to use a range of policy instruments to prevent or address security threats that affect society’s well-being. This includes establishing appropriate civilian oversight of security actors. Hence, a broader range of state institutions is now being considered in the provision of security, with the military seen as one instrument among many. The ‘security sector’ includes traditional security actors such as the armed forces and police; oversight bodies such as the executive and legislature; civil society organisations; justice and law enforcement institutions such as the judiciary and prisons; as well as non-state security providers.
