Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Security Council
12 May 2008
Statement to Security Council meeting on securing peace and
development: the role of the United Nations in sup****ting security
sector reform
Thank you, Mr. President.
Distinguished delegates,
It is an honour to join you for this discussion on the United Nations
role in security sector reform.
This issue is of special im****tance to the responsibility of the UN,
and of this Council in particular, for maintaining international peace
and security.
I am grateful to you, Mr. President and the Government of the United
Kingdom for bringing us together for this im****tant and timely debate.
I also very much appreciate the tireless efforts of the Governments of
Slovakia and South Africa in promoting this discussion.
Excellencies,
This month, we mark the 60th anniversary of United Nations
peacekeeping. Maintaining international peace and security remains a
daunting challenge for our Organization. Despite our efforts over
these six decades, conflict and violence continue to pose a threat to
nations and peoples.
Unquestionably, Member States remain central providers of security for
States and their populations; this is their sovereign right and
responsibility, as is the work to reform their security sectors. It
is, however, the responsibility of the United Nations to determine how
we can best sup****t Member States in delivering enduring security
through effective institutions.
Excellencies,
In February 2007, I addressed this Council for the first time on
security sector reform. The term is a relatively new one. But in
practice, the UN's experience in this area goes back decades, spanning
a range of activities and UN Departments, Offices, Funds and
Programmes.
As early as 1989, the UN was tasked with sup****ting a newly
independent Namibia in developing preliminary structures for its armed
forces. Since the early 1990s, our peace operations have assisted
national authorities in establi****ng new policing institutions, and in
strengthening the capacity and integrity of defence structures. In
Angola and Mozambique, our mandates included sup****t for the
integration, reform and training of armed forces, and partner****ps
with bilateral donors in coordination and delivery.
=46rom El Salvador and Cambodia in the past to Liberia and Sierra Leone
today, the UN has assisted parties in security reform in the context
of good offices, mediation and peacekeeping operations. From Guatemala
to Afghanistan, from Burundi to the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
our experience in mediating and implementing peace agreements shows
that if these agreements are to succeed and endure, the work to reform
security institutions needs to be addressed from the outset.
In other words, the UN has rich and varied experience in what has come
to be known as security sector reform. And yet, too often, we have
remained an ad hoc partner for national and international
stakeholders.
What has been lacking is a common framework and a coherent system-wide
approach. Despite our hands-on record, we have only limited
institutional structures to guide engagement on the ground. We need to
strengthen our ability to provide consistent, well-coordinated and
high-quality technical advice, during peace processes and in
peacekeeping, peacebuilding and development. We need to make our
approach less piecemeal and more holistic.
That is why, at the request of the Security Council and General
Assembly, I issued a re****t in February entitled =93Securing peace and
development: the role of the United Nations in sup****ting security
sector reform=94. As many of you know, it was the product of broad
consultations with Member States, regional groupings and
organizations, as well as research centres, academic institutions and
NGOs. It was also subject to wide-ranging consultations within the
United Nations system, both at Headquarters and in the field.
The starting point for the re****t is a broad discussion of the
concept, underscoring its linkages to many im****tant processes. It
makes clear that in any context, security reform must be approached
both strategically and holistically. On one level, it is a highly
specialized field. On another level, it is obviously linked to
budgetary questions, economic development, good governance and sound
public management. On yet another level, it requires prudent, measured
and consistent steps, as well as a well-functioning understanding with
the full range of national stakeholders and partners.
The re****t before you therefore defines security sector reform as a
process of *****sment, review and implementation, as well as
monitoring and evaluation, led by national authorities. The goal is
strengthening the effective and accountable security of a State and
its people, underpinned by respect for human rights and the rule of
law.
Allow me to underscore a few key principles that will guide our
approach. These reflect the discussions of Member States in the
Security Council and General Assembly.
First and foremost, the UN should engage in security sector reform at
the request of national Governments, or in response to Security
Council mandates and General Assembly resolutions.
Second, Member States are the primary providers of security, and
national owner****p is the cornerstone of our approach. As the Security
Council noted last year, =93it is the sovereign right and primary
responsibility of the country concerned to determine the national
approach and priorities of security sector reform=94.
Third, the UN should work in collaboration with key international
partners. Such partner****ps are vital in ensuring expertise and
resources. This is imperative already at the outset of any peace
negotiation and mediation, as successful security sector reform is a
necessary precursor of any peacekeeping exit strategy, and ultimately,
of economic and social development.
Fourth, the UN approach must be flexible and tailored to the
individual country, region or environment. States and societies define
and pursue security according to their particular context, history,
culture and needs. There can be no rigid one size-fits-all.
Finally, our approach must be gender sensitive and consistent with
international law, with particular attention to ***ual and gender-
based violence. We must help ensure that the security sector assumes
its responsibility in eradicating the unspeakable epidemic of violence
against women that has become the common aftermath of conflict.
Excellencies,
Member States have recognized the need for a coherent system-wide
approach to security sector reform, and the need to avoid duplication
by creating new frameworks. Let us therefore focus, as a first
priority, on professionalizing our approach.
My re****t proposes a number of straightforward and pragmatic
measures:
-Developing UN technical guidelines and training in the area of SSR;
-Strengthening field capacity as well as capabilities and expertise
for central backstopping;
-Enhancing coordination and delivery of SSR sup****t;
-And establi****ng a compact SSR Sup****t Unit at Headquarters, to serve
the whole United Nations, in particular peace
operations.
These priorities represent the minimum we must do to enhance our
performance. But beyond these, developing effective and accountable
security institutions -- including those responsible for the provision
of justice -- is more than just a goal. It is our shared obligation,
especially in countries recovering from conflict.
It is an obligation intricately linked to our capacity to respond
rapidly and decisively in times of crisis, and to address long-term
perspectives. It is central to our ability to create an inter-related
system of rapidly deployable capabilities, operating under the United
Nations Charter. This is why I warmly welcome the Council's intention
to debate this strategic issue later this month, with the
participation of the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom.
Mr. President, Excellencies, I am grateful for your commitment to our
collective endeavour to strengthen the United Nations' role in
security sector reform.
Thank you very much.
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