Security Sector Reform Resource Centre

The SSR Issue Papers

The Security Sector Reform (SSR) Issue Papers, produced by The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), are a product of CIGI’s Security Sector Governance project. Authored by prominent practitioners in the field, policy makers, academics and informed observers, the papers in this series will contribute to ongoing debates and influence policy on issues related to SSR. Combining analysis of current problems and challenges, they will examine thematic and geographic topics relating to the most pressing SSR issues.

SSR Issue Paper No. 1: Isabelle Fortin. “Security Sector Reform in Haiti One Year After the Earthquake.”

SSR Issue Paper No. 2: Aly Verjee. “Sudan’s Aspirational Army: A History of the Joint
Integrated Units.”

SSR Issue Paper No. 3: Kristin Bricker. “Military Justice and Impunity in Mexico’s Drug War.”

SSR Issue Paper No. 4: Alejandro Pachon. “Financing Security Sector Reform: A Review of Official Development Assistance Data.”

SSR Issue Paper No. 5: C. Christine Fair. “Security Sector Governance in Pakistan: Progress, But Many Challenges Persist.”

SSR Issue Paper No. 6: Tom Hamilton-Baillie and Christian Dennys. “Strategic Support to Security Sector Reform in Afghanistan.”

SSR Issue Paper No. 7: Madeline Kristoff. “Policing in Palestine: Analyzing the EU Police Reform Mission in the West Bank.”

The Security Sector Reform Monitor

The Security Sector Reform Monitor is a quarterly publication that tracks developments and trends in the ongoing security sector reform processes of five countries: Afghanistan, Burundi,  Timor-Leste, Haiti and Southern Sudan. Adopting a holistic definition of the security sector, the Monitor covers a wide range of actors, topics and themes, from reforms in the rule of law institutions and armed forces to demilitarization activities and the role of non-statutory security and justice actors.

eDialogue Summary Report: Security Sector Transformation in North Africa and the Middle East

An eDialogue held by CIGI and the United States Institute for Peace provided a forum for a lively exchange of ideas on the application of security sector reform (SSR) in Africa and the Middle East. This report summarizes some of the questions and discussion prompted by the eDialogue, and considers possible entry points and policy directions for reform.

eBook: The Future of Security Sector Reform

A collection of essays from leading scholars, analysts and practitioners examining various facets of the security sector reform agenda and the future of the concept as a whole. The publication will be presented in an innovative ‘eBook’ format — available as a free PDF download or for purchase in eBook format for eReaders, iPad and smartphones.

Special Report: SSR and the Domestic-International Security Nexus

This special report, commissioned by Public Safety Canada, follows a two-day workshop on security sector reform (SSR) organized by CIGI in partnership with Public Safety Canada. Two central questions raised at the seminar are the focus of this report: How can Public Safety Canada effectively contribute to SSR engagements across the world and how can it fit SSR engagement into its domestically oriented mandate? Case studies suggest that engaging in SSR abroad can help eliminate or reduce some transnational threats, such as organized crime and weapons and drug trafficking.

Conference Report: At the Margins of SSR

In September 2010, a joint CIGI and North-South Institute conference, At the Margins of SSR: Gender and Informal Justice, aimed to increase awareness of gender and informal justice, two areas of security sector reform (SSR) that have often been overlooked. The morning session examined southern women’s experiences with police reform, and the afternoon session considered the role of informal or non-state security and justice structures. The report includes a discussion of a future research agenda to examine the relationship between informal justice and security and SSR.

e-Conference Report: The Future of Security Sector Reform

On May 4-8 2009, the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)  held an e-Conference entitled “The Future of Security Sector Reform.” The goal of the web-based conference was to take stock of the evolution of SSR – identifying successes, failures and challenges – and contemplate its future. Over 300 policy makers, practitioners and observers from over 50 countries and a wide range of disciplines took part in the conference.

SSR 101: A Backgrounder on Security Sector Reform

This background paper, a primer for those new to the security sector reform (SSR) field, provides a critical overview of the SSR model, breaking it down and outlining its key elements. It also surveys emerging SSR best practices and analyzes current reform strategies and approaches. The paper identifies the main challenges to the implementation of SSR in the field and some of the tensions and debates surrounding the model that have gained traction in the policy and academic communities. While not a replacement for key foundational documents like the OECD DAC Handbook on Security System Reform, the paper offers an analytical examination of the development of SSR orthodoxy and its application in the field over the past decade.

Key SSR Organizations and Documents

The SSR Resource Centre has compiled a list of key SSR organizations and documents for those trying to familiarize themselves with the field of SSR.