OSCE’s role in strengthening good security sector governance at the centre of Ministerial Council side event

By increasing democratic civilian control, respecting the rule of law, upholding human rights and integrating a real role for women, good security sector governance helps build the population’s trust and provides stability by significantly contributing to conflict prevention.

An updated second edition of the Guidelines on Security Sector Governance and Reform for OSCE staff was unveiled on 3 December 2021, at a side event held at the 28th OSCE Ministerial Council in Stockholm, Sweden.

“This new edition of the Guidelines will ensure that OSCE assistance to participating States is comprehensive, cross-dimensional, gender-sensitive and impact-oriented in support of the security needs of the whole population,” said Tuula Yrjölä, Director of the OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre.

Kathleen Kavalec, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Pierre Von Arx, Head of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan provided practical examples of the OSCE’s assistance. Von Arx highlighted the Project Co-ordinator’s work on strengthening parliamentary financial oversight and underlined that all support is implemented with full respect for national ownership.

Ambassador Radomir Boháč, Permanent Representative of Slovakia and Chair of the Group of Friends of Security Sector Governance and Reform (SSG/R) in the OSCE added that: “Discussions on SSG/R clearly demonstrates how much the agenda has been evolving within the OSCE in these past years. 46 participating States signing up to this year’s Group of Friends Statement is a clear sign of support and an important acknowledgement of the relevance that SSG/R has in the OSCE context.”

The Guidelines were first developed in 2016 and have been revised in the course of 2021 by the Conflict Prevention Centre, with input from SSG/R focal points across OSCE executive structures and with the support of the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) and the Swedish Agency for Peace Security and Development – Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA).

An updated training programme for OSCE staff will be introduced in 2022.