Security Sector Reform

Security sector reform (SSR) seeks to make the institutions responsible for security protect people and the state effectively, lawfully and accountably. In post-conflict states, it aims to replace coercive or factional security arrangements with institutions under civilian oversight, respecting human rights and the rule of law.

What reform seeks to achieve

Ending organised fighting does not automatically make people secure. SSR addresses both the capacity of security institutions to provide protection and the rules governing how they exercise power.

• It seeks effective and accountable security institutions that can prevent violence, maintain public order and respond to threats without abusing their powers.
• It strengthens the rule of law by making security personnel answerable for misconduct and ensuring that security operations respect human rights.
• It seeks to rebuild public trust, especially among communities that experienced discrimination or violence, through impartial protection and access to justice.
• It supports sustainable peace by addressing abusive or exclusionary security arrangements that can contribute to renewed conflict.

Which institutions and relationships change

SSR is broader than modernising the armed forces. It concerns both security providers and the institutions that direct, oversee or hold them accountable.

• Reform can cover the armed forces, police and intelligence services, including their mandates, recruitment, training and professional conduct.
• It also involves justice and corrections institutions because policing alone cannot provide lawful and lasting security.
• Civilian oversight requires functioning executive, legislative and accountability mechanisms, including scrutiny of security policy and expenditure.
• Civil society participation helps identify people's security needs and brings the experiences of women and marginalised groups into reform.

How reform supports a post-conflict transition

Reform must respond to the country's institutions, conflict history and available resources. External assistance should support national ownership, rather than impose an institutional model.

• SSR should be coordinated with disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, which addresses combatants' transition away from armed groups, while SSR reshapes security institutions.
• Recruitment, vetting and training can help build professional institutions and address the legacy of abusive personnel or practices.
• Reforms must be financially sustainable, with security spending subject to public financial management and oversight.
• Success means greater security and public confidence, not simply more equipment, larger forces or increased military expenditure.