Publications

Part of the Gender and Security Toolkit, the Tool:- introduces why gender matters in security sector governance (SSG) and security sector reform (SSR), and outlines the benefits of integrating a gender perspective. It explains key concepts that are used in the Toolkit: gender, intersectionality,

This research provides information on police education and training models in eight European countries (Austria, Netherlands, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Poland, Croatia, and Montenegro), U.S., and Canada. It includes an overview of the functioning of police education and training systems, an analysis of the curricula for basic and specialized police training, an evaluation of police in-service training and development and an assessment of Human Resources management in police education and training institutions. It is recommended for a broad range of professionals dealing with police education and training.

This report provides an overview of the efforts made to develop an OSCE approach to SSG/R. It also covers the progress achieved in SSG/R in the period 2014–2018 and focuses on support provided by OSCE executive structures to participating States.

The paper provides an analysis of OSCE participant States responses to the voluntary reporting on Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) through the annual information exchange on the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security. It provides a better understanding on the scope and impact of PMSCs in the OSCE area and identifies ways to foster a thoughtful dialogue among participating States on the nature and regulation of PMSCs.

The OSCE participating States have made a number of commitments regarding the issue of gender equality, women´s participation in efforts to promote peace and security and equal opportunities within the security services, including the armed forces, to allow for balanced recruitment, retention and promotion of women and men. In line with its mandate to assist participating States in the implementation of human dimension commitments, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has mapped the inclusion and situation of women in the armed forces in the OSCE region through a questionnaire addressed to delegations of all 57 OSCE participating States. The information received from delegations provides a baseline against which to measure progress, gather best practices and support the assistance ODIHR provides to participating States.

This publication has been developed in cooperation between DCAF and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) as part of an ongoing research project on ombuds institutions for the armed forces. It is the result of an effort to conceptualize and examine issues and challenges related to oversight of the armed forces and the promotion of human rights based on the feedback provided by the institutions themselves. It maps prominent capacity development needs of ombuds institutions in the OSCE region, and offers best practices through which these needs can be addressed. The study also examines different models, functions and approaches of ombuds institutions for the armed forces in the OSCE region. The mapping study will hopefully help states that wish to establish ombuds institutions by identifying the best format for doing so but it can also support existing ombuds institutions, scholars, policy-makers and armed forces commanders by offering a reference instrument on the current state of ombuds institutions in the OSCE region.

The purpose of this Guide is to provide basic guidelines for further steps in the process of comprehensive regulation of the area of information security in Serbia. The study is intended for decision makers: for representatives of the relevant state institutions, as support to efforts directed at regulation of the area of information security in Serbia, but also for representatives of the private sector, academic community and civil society interested in this field. The Guide is produced in co-operation with the CSO the Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies, in the scope of the larger project related to security sector reform, implemented by the OSCE Mission to Serbia, and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

On 23 October 2015 in Astana, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana jointly with Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies held an international conference entitled “Accomplishments and Challenges for the OSCE on the Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act (1975) and the Astana Summit (2010)”. This compendium, which includes presentations given at the conference by both Kazakhstan’s and foreign participants, explores a broad range of topics related to the OSCE’s main areas of focus, as well as current international security and regional co-operation issues. The edition will be of interest to political scientists, international relations experts, civil servants, scholars, educators, university-level students, and broad sections of the public interested in the contemporary development of the OSCE.

This publication presents a compilation of the ten best essays written by the M.A. and Ph.D. alumni whose academic studies were financially supported by the Mission. The essays were written on the topic: “The OSCE and contemporary security challenges”.

These guidelines provide OSCE executive structures and their staff with a tool for pursuing a coherent and co-ordinated approach to supporting nationally-led Security Sector Governance and Reform processes.