Security sector reform (SSR) is a broad ranging concept of how to reconstruct post-conflict and collapsed states and to facilitate the democratic transition of post-authoritarian states. Small arms measures are an important component of effective security sector reform. Small arms and light weapons control programmes that remove civil war guns from uncontrolled circulation and create the necessary conditions so that state security forces are able to exercise a monopoly over the legitimate use of force.
Actors targeted in security sector reform are state security forces (such as armed forces, the police, etc.); security management and oversight bodies (such as legislative select committees, financial management bodies, and civil society organisations); justice and law enforcement institutions (such as the judiciary, prosecution services, and human rights commissions); non-official security forces (such as liberation armies, private bodyguard units, private security companies, and political party militias). All actors identified for policy action also require inclusion of small arms specific components to be comprehensive. Various programmes have implemented small arms components that have made contributions to SSR.
Small Arms Survey Publications
Wille, Christina. 2006. "Stabilizing Cambodia: Small Arms Control and Secuity Sector Reform" in Small Arms Survey 2006: Unfinished Business.
Nathan, Laurie. 2007. No Ownership, No Commitment: A Guide to Local Ownership of Security Sector Reform. Paper commissioned by the Security Sector Reform Strategy of the UK Government's Global Conflict Prevention Pool. University of Birmingham. UK .
Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform. 2005. Civil Society Organisations and Security Sector Reform. In Compendium of Good Practices on Security Sector Reform. Shrivenham: CSSM.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). 2005. Security System Reform and Governance. Reference Document. DAC Guidelines and Reference Series. Paris: OECD.
Scheye, E. and G. Peake. 2005. To Arrest Insecurity: Time for a Revised Security Sector Reform Agenda. Conflict, Security & Development. 5:3. December. pp. 296 -327
Reform of State Security Forces and Related Small Arms Programming
Reform of the state security forces, such as the armed forces and the police, requires a review of stockpile management and safe storage and registration procedures, as well as an assessment of the rules of engagement of the security forces and human rights standards for the police. It may also include destruction of surplus weapon and ammunition stocks.
Security Management, Oversight and Small Arms Regulations
Work with the security management and oversight bodies, such as legislative select committees and civil society organisations, includes discussions on the requirements for small arms-specific legislation and, if necessary, the establishment of an oversight body to enforce adherence to the rules of engagement set for the security forces and human rights standards set for the police.
Reform of Institutions of Justice, Law Enforcement and Small Arms Control
Justice and law enforcement institutions, such as the judiciary, prosecution services, and human rights commissions, need to be aware of small arms use principles as expressed in international documents to work towards full enforcement.
Non-official Security Forces and Small Arms
Armed opposition forces have been targeted through disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes. Private bodyguard units and private security companies have been addressed by the debate on private military companies (PMCs). Political party militias are sometimes included in approaches to armed groups.
Wood, Brian and Glenn McDonald. 2004. "Critical Triggers: Implementing International Standards for Police Firearms Use" in Small Arms Survey 2004: Rights at Risk.
Chesterman Simon and Chia Lehnardt (eds). 2007. From Mercenaries to Markets: The Rise and Regulation of Private Military Companies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). 2006. "Private Military Companies" Backgrounder.
Lambert, Alexandre. 2006. Democratic civilian control of armed forces in the post-Cold War era: the development and trend from the concept of civil-military relations towards security sector governance. Geneva: IUHEI.
Valasek, Kristin. (2007-Forthcoming). Gender and Democratic Security Governance. in Handbook for Civil Society Organisations on Public Oversight of the Security Sector. Bratislava. Renesans for UNDP & DCAF.
UN-INSTRAV. 2000. Integrating Gender in Security Sectors Reform: Assessments, Monitoring and Evaluation.
UN-INSTRAV. 2000. Gender and Security Sector Reform: An analytical Framework. Working Paper.
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