Human rights and justice in Europe & CIS

Security Sector Oversight

Security is a public good that states are charged to provide for their citizens. The "war on terrorism” has increased the attention given to security issues, but it has also hindered human rights protection and public accountability. Furthermore, in many countries of the CIS region, there is still a dominating executive branch of government and insufficient capacity in the legislative branch and civil society to effect democratic control. Governance and human rights aspects are not sufficiently addressed in security sector reforms, which are often too focused on military assistance. Finally, the high level of corruption in the security sector and the lack of professionalism provoke tensions among political sectors and between politicians and civil society.

In partnership with DCAF, the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, the UNDP Regional Centre in Bratislava works to enhance the security sector oversight capacity of parliaments and civil society by preparing technical training materials, providing institutional capacity development assistance and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues at the regional level.

Documents:  

Report: Regional Parliamentary Roundtable on Security Sector Oversight

Even fifteen years after the fall of the Soviet Union, most of the CIS countires still swing between democracy and security on the one hand, and revival of authoritarianism and ongoing threats of conflicts on the other. In this respect, the degree of security sector reform and security sector oversight is a good indicator of progress in the transition towards democracy.

As a sub-regional follow-up to a CIS Parliamentary Roundtable held in Prague in October 2005, a two day Roundtable on parliamentary oversight over the security sector was hosted in Kiev, Ukraine, from 22-23 June, 2006.

The Roundtable dialogue focused on a review of accomplishments of the Ukrainian Parliament and remaining challenges, complemented with a comparative dialogue on the situation in other countries. The discussion covered three main topics, namely legislation, budgeting and crisis management.

 Publications:

Democratising Security in Transition States Findings, recommendations and resources from the UNDP/DCAF Roundtable for CIS Parliamentarians, Prague October 2005. Democratic control of the security sector enhances human security; parliaments can play a strategic role in enhancing security sector reforms by making security services more accountable. Given a legacy of non-transparency and the strong position of the responsible ministries in the region, developing parliamentary capacities is critical to ensuring effective democratic oversight, resolving conflicts and reinforcing human rights protection. This publication, jointly edited by UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre and DCAF (Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces), is based on recommendations from a 2005 CIS Parliamentary Roundtable and is intended to be a substantive tool for parliamentarians, civil society institutions and donor governments interested in furthering democratization of the security sector. [ more ]

Contacts:

Kerstin Eppert, Peace & Security Analyst, UNDP Bratislava, kerstin.eppert@undp.org

Mamura Nasirova, Cross-cutting: Research Assistant, UNDP Bratislava, mamura.nasirova@undp.org