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The OECD DAC Network on Conflict, Peace and Development Co-Operation (CPDC) has recently launched in-country SSR consultations, focused on the OECD/DAC Handbook on Security System Reform, with DAC members operating in countries in transition. The purpose of the consultations is to enable locally posted officials of OECD/DAC member countries/organisations to familiarise themselves with and/or expand their knowledge of good practices on Security System Reform. Burundi, with support from the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB), was selected to host the first such consultation, which took place on 4 and 5 December 2007 in Bujumbura.
OECD Behavioral change in action – OECD administrator Rory Keane discusses SSR principles with donors and government in Bujumbura: 4-12-2007.
Non-DAC donors were also invited to participate in the SSR consultation, given that the OECD is in the process of developing an enhanced engagement process with non-DAC donors.
So that the national authorities could also familiarise themselves with the Handbook, members of the strategic planning units of the Ministry of Defence and of the General Directorate for the Burundi National Police, along with representatives of other relevant ministries (including the Justice Ministry) and supervisory bodies (including parliament), were also invited to the first morning session of the consultation.
Participation:
A total of 35 persons took part in the consultation. Apart from BINUB, the following countries and institutions were represented:
DAC members: Belgium, France, Germany (GTZ), Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom (DFID) and the European Commission.
Non-DAC: Egypt and South Africa.
Government of Burundi:
In view of the interest generated during the first morning session, Burundian officials decided to attend both days and to increase the number of their participants. National Defence, Public Security (Police), Justice, Foreign Affairs and members of Parliament were represented (10 participants).
Apart from a handful of participants who attended only the introductory morning session, the audience was extremely attentive and highly active. It was a diverse group, insofar as participants had varying degrees of knowledge of SSR and of Burundi, were a mixture of generalists and specialists, and spoke English (a minority), French or both (the majority).
Summary of mission:
Mission staff took a flexible approach towards drafting and carrying out the agenda. Given that SSR issues are eminently political, the initial agenda did not call for the group to focus its attention on the situation in Burundi. At the end of Day 1, Burundian SSR issues came up in the discussions. It emerged that most participants, national and international, wanted to seize the opportunity to address the situation in Burundi via the Handbook. As a result, mission staff revisited and adjusted the agenda for Day 2 and introduced group simulation exercises. Specifically, the two-day consultation proceeded in four sessions, as follows:
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Session 1: Introduction of mission staff, participants and their expectations, aims of the consultation and the agenda – Overview of the OECD DAC guidelines for SSR and the SSR Handbook (PowerPoint) - Discussion/comments by participants. Session conducted almost exclusively in French.
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Session 2: Focused on the political environment and SSR assessment (Sections 2-3 of the Handbook) – Discussion and presentation of the Handbook’s coverage of these two topics (PowerPoint). Bilingual session.
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Session 3: Break-out groups undertook a simulation of a joint assessment (multi-donor/partner) of Burundi’s SSR challenges, identification of 3 sectoral priorities by group (4 different sectors per group) and pooling. Bilingual session.
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Session 4: Overview of donor financing and co-ordination mechanisms (PowerPoint) – Group work (each group simulating a point of view: government, donors and civil society) in order to identify 6 priorities, among the 36 challenges that emerged from Session 3’s simulated assessment, the starting points for tackling those priorities, and the financing and co-ordination mechanisms to be put in place between governments, between donors, and between governments and donors. Pooling of results, discussion, evaluation, conclusion and sharing of contacts. Bilingual session.
Conclusions and recommendations:
On the whole, evaluation of the consultation (ad hoc discussions, the final plenary session and formal feedback via e-mail) has been very favourable. Conclusions and recommendations have focused on the need for a cross-cutting and integrated approach, getting partners involved, the need for co-ordination and use value of using the Handbook as a reference tool. The consultation was perceived overall as a good means of helping to enhance co-ordination. There is no doubt that such initiatives are relevant, and that presenting the Handbook provides a platform for new dialogue among all stakeholders. The involvement of the Burundian side was crucial, and the benefits that they themselves could reap from the Handbook as a reference tool were evident. The Burundian participants also appreciated that OECD members had signed up to the best practice outlined in the Handbook.
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