An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 21 oversight and management that added to the complexity of SSR. This helped the students under- standing the Security Actors involved in SSR, and explained their different roles and significance. The first of these actors was at national level and were grouped in four categories covering state security and justice providers, state governance and over- sight mechanisms, non-state state security and justice providers, and non-state governance and oversight mechanisms. The next list of Security Ac- tors was the involvement of the international com- munity, these include UN, African Union (AU) and EU organisations, but it also includes Non-Govern- mental Organisations (NGOs) and private actors such as companies providing technical expertise and private military and security. The course then moved on to the main top- ics, which were on areas that are proving to be challenging in SSR programmes. The first was on Governance and its importance and integration to SSR programmes, this paid particular emphasis on addressing the root causes of corruption that plague war-torn and troubled nations. The second impor- tant topic took a look at the Justice and Policing system; this highlighted the importance of ensuring the coherence between justice, police and rule of law with the broader justice and security sector. It also looked at the use of customary and traditional security and justice systems that are used in some countries across the world. Another interesting topic from a military perspective was on security and defence and their role, national security strategies, and providing direction for defence and SSR. This was interesting as it looked at areas that we in Ireland would not con- sider, like the use of liberation armies, guerrilla forces and private security companies in the security of the state. After each topic session students were then given a scenario from the case study of Mali to come up with a plan to address an area of SSR. These group exercises were really helpful and gave the student time to put their range of skills from their different backgrounds into practice, while also giving different perspectives that each student could learn from. The final topics of the course covered monitoring and evaluating security and justice support programmes; this highlighted its importance to the delivery of successful SSR and its role as a key component in the learning cycle. We also looked at Effective Advising, a new topic for some of the students attending, which will help them in the future. Some of the Crosscutting issues that affect SSR raised on the course included gender based violence, which includes domestic violence, gun violence, human trafficking, child abuse, sexual violence, rape, genital mu- tilation, sex-selective massacres and anti-homosexual violence. Another crosscutting issue is post-conflict recovery in the form of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration of combatants, including child soldiers. The course also highlighted the coordination among national and interna- tional partners is crucial for the effectiveness, credibility and sustainability of SSR programmes, but it is an area that is fraught with obstacles and is an area needing a lot of work. Security Sector Reform is a hot topic that has gone global in recent years, with all agencies involved in providing security and aid having a policy and working groups in dealing with the challenges and crosscutting issues with SSR. This training on SSR is an important aspect for individuals travelling overseas as it gives a unique overview of the bigger picture in the countries we serve in. LT COL TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, SCHOOL COMDT UNTSI "This course has pro- vided an excellent op- portunity for a range of instructors from across the Military College to engage with the complex topic of SSR. As School Commandant of UNTSI, I will ensure that what my staff and I have learnt this week is passed onto the officers and NCO's who rotate through our School during their pre-deployment training. I am particularly pleased with the multi- dimensional make-up of the participants: police, military, civil servants and academia, as this reflects the makeup of the various actors our troops and sail- ors engage with on contemporary PSO missions." DONGXU SU, POLICE REFORM ADVISER OF THE STANDING POLICE CAPACITY (SPC) "I'm the Police Reform Adviser of the Standing Police Capacity (SPC), which is a component of the Police Division of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). It has been my honour to participate on the Advanced Security Sector Reform (SSR) course. Though this is the first SSR course hosted by Ireland, the professionalism, efficiency and hospitality of the Irish Defence Forces have impressed me and other international participants deeply, we also enjoyed the Irish tradition, food, music and sense of humour very much. Ireland has been actively contributing to UN peacekeeping during the last six decades. Irish soldiers and police officers have worn the blue beret in a couple of peace operations, and some of them sacrificed their lives while fulfilling the mandates authorised by the Security Council. Meanwhile, the aid agencies, such as the Irish Aid, have also been supporting the host states to address humanitar- ian needs and to promote the rule of law in post conflict environment. During this short but fruitful week, I had an opportunity to share experience on SSR with Irish colleagues as well as participants from other countries/organisations, and we learned a lot from each other. UNTSI, as a centre of excellence, has extensive experience of organising both national and international military and civilian training on peacekeeping. We are looking forward to strength- ening our cooperation and coordination with the Irish authorities, institutions and colleagues for international peace and security." Vox Pops

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