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Security sector reform (SSR) is increasingly recognized
as a crucial part of peacebuilding, democratization and development. It
is prioritized by governments and on the agenda of
international development, peace and security communities. The core
security sector includes all the organizations that have the authority
to use or order the use of force or the threat of force to protect
individuals, groups and the state. SSR is a method of transforming
security policies, institutions and programmes, creating opportunities
to integrate gender issues. SSR has two main objectives: to ensure
democratic and civil control of the security sector; to develop an
effective, affordable and efficient security sector. |
There is growing recognition by security sector practitioners and donors that gender should be mainstreamed into SSR. The integration of gender issues is being recognized as key to operational effectiveness, local ownership and strengthening oversight. For example, increasing the recruitment of female staff, preventing human rights violations, and collaborating with women’s organizations all contribute to creating an efficient, accountable, and participatory security sectors that is responsive to the specific needs of different sectors of the population. Despite the recognition of the importance of integrating gender issues into SSR, there is often a lack of political will, clear policy articulation, legislative frameworks and practical implementation instruments.
The UN-INSTRAW Gender, Peace and Security Programme works in the field of Security Sector Reform to ensure that gender perspectives are analyzed, addressed and mainstreamed into SSR initiatives to promote a more inclusive and sustainable human security for women, men, boys and girls. The Programme focuses on developing practical tools, information-sharing, networking, and action-oriented research.
Publications
The Institute’s main publication on Gender and Security
Sector Reform is the Gender & Security Sector Reform Toolkit . This
publication is designed to provide policymakers and practitioners with
a practical introduction to why gender issues are important in SSR and
what can be done to integrate in practice. The publication was prepared
in conjunction with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of
Armed Forces (DCAF) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(ODIHR). |
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Virtual Dialogues
As part of the development of the Gender & Security Sector Reform Toolkit, UN-INSTRAW organized two virtual dialogues to collect information and receive input on various topics:
- April 2007 - Virtual Dialogue on experiences in gender training for security sector personnel. During this three-week Dialogue, more than 140 experts from various areas of the security sector and from around the world exchange experiences and discussed good and bad practices for implementing and evaluating gender training for security sector personnel.
- June 2007 - Virtual Dialogue on Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation of SSR from a gender perspective. The four-week Dialogue brought together about 170 experts from around the world who have various areas of expertise on gender and the security sector. Discussions revolved around how to conduct a gender-sensitive assessment, monitoring and evaluation , including discussion of specific tools and mechanisms.
For more information and documentation from these discussions, please click here .
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