About

SSR Resource Centre | Security Governance Group

This site is a space where policy-makers, practitioners, analysts and observers interested in security sector reform (SSR) can access the latest news, research and analysis. The Resource Centre is intended to be a tool to share knowledge of the latest trends and developments in the security sector and expand global understanding of this dynamic and evolving field. Below is a summary of the tools available:

  • Top Story: The first content you will likely notice on the homepage is a large image and title: this is the latest post from our Resource Centre Blog, and will feature a timely news story, updated research or anything else new and innovative taking place in the world of SSR
  • The Newsroom: Directly underneath the Top Story is The Newsroom. These are our last three blog updates, in reverse chronological order (from left to right)
  • Featured SSR Updates: located on the top-right of the homepage, these links are a snapshot of what we consider to be the  most important content on the site at any given time
  • SSR Country Updates: this box on the right side of the homepage displays which countries have recently been ‘tagged’ in any of our updates
  • Event Calendar: A quick look at upcoming SSR events

Navigating the Site

  • Countries: organized by region, this section features country snapshots of states where SSR programs are taking place.
  • Resources: This section will feature recent publications from the Security Governance Group, as well as links to significant SSR publications and organizations. This is also where the SGG’s “SSR Research Community” will be housed.
  • Video: features various forms of video commentary from top SSR experts
  • Careers: Features the latest consulting opportunities with the Security Governance Group, as well as a link to join the Security Governance Group’s Expert Roster.

Security Governance Group

The SSR Resource Centre is a project of the Security Governance Group, a private research and consulting firm headquartered in Waterloo, Canada, and specializing in the security dimensions of state building, peace building and post-conflict reconstruction. The firm combines grassroots, field-based practitioner experience and policy expertise with excellence in research and analysis. Our staff and associates have been at the forefront of the development and implementation of security sector reform and related areas like the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of combatants. Innovation is one of our core values. We seek to leverage technology in our work, developing software tools for e-conferencing, long-distance learning and communications that are tailored to our clients, including governments, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and think tanks.

Mark Sedra (msedra@secgovgroup.com). Mark Sedra is the President and co-founder of the Security Governance Group. Mark teaches in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and is a faculty member of the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Prior to joining the Security Governance Group, Mark was a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the leader of CIGI’s Security Sector Governance project. His research on post-conflict state building has taken him to a number of countries and regions, including Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Sudan, the Middle East and the Balkans. Mark was formerly a research associate at the Bonn International Center for Conversion, and a visiting research fellow at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. He served as the 2004-2005 Cadieux Léger Fellow in the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). Mark has served as a consultant on international security issues to numerous organizations and governments, including the United Nations, DFAIT and the British Department for International Development.

Geoff Burt (gburt@secgovgroup.com). Geoff Burt is the Vice President and co-founder of the Security Governance Group. Prior to joining the Security Governance Group, Geoff Burt was a researcher at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), and a member of CIGI’s Security Sector Governance project. Geoff’s research focuses on state building and security sector reform. His work in Haiti has examined the regulation and oversight of private security and, more recently, efforts to coordinate the national level, top-down police reform process with participatory violence reduction projects at the community level. Geoff was a recipient of the Canadian Department of National Defence’s Security and Defence Forum Internship, which he held at CIGI in 2009-2010. Geoff is an experienced project manager and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Vanessa Humphries (vhumphries@secgovgroup.com). Vanessa Humphries is a Project Manager at the Security Governance Group. Vanessa Humphries is a graduate of the Masters of International Public Policy program at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she focused her studies on human security and global governance. Vanessa has worked with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs as a Humanitarian Affairs Intern and with a civil society organization in Bangladesh, where she completed a major project on the security implications of climate change in the region. She has experience working as a Research, Writer and Project Coordinator with two national organizations focusing on Canadian nonprofit policy issues. She has published papers on conflict resolution and humanitarian relief coordination.

Through our competitive internship program, the Security Governance Group encourages and supports new researchers and upcoming practitioners that study in the fields of security sector reform, state building, peace building and/or post-conflict reconstruction. Our current research and communication interns are Chris Bordeleau, Isaac Caverhill, Lema Itjemaye, Sean Jellow, Matthew Redding and Jahan Zeb.