Transcript RSG at SSR Workshop in South Africa 8

“Enhancing United Nations Support
for Security Sector Reform in Africa:
Towards an African Perspective”
International Workshop co-hosted by South Africa and the Slovak Republic
Cape Town, 7-8 November 2007
Contribution by Shola Omoregie
Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Guinea-Bissau and Head of the
United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS):
also representing the Department of Political Affairs, United Nations
Headquarters, New York
“Enhancing UN support for
SSR in Guinea-Bissau;
UNOGBIS in partnership”
International Workshop co-hosted by South Africa and the Slovak Republic
Cape Town, 7-8 November 2007
Contribution by Shola Omoregie
Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Guinea-Bissau and Head of the
United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS):
also representing the Department of Political Affairs, United Nations
Headquarters, New York
Since its foundation over 60 years ago, the United Nations

has been dedicated to supporting Member States to
maintain international peace and build security and the
rule of law at national, regional and international levels;

Over the past two decades, the Organization has been
progressively engaged in assisting Member States’
efforts to strengthen and develop national capacities in
this broad area and thereby contribute to the
enhancement of international security; and

5 features define a functioning security sector: a legal
and/or constitutional framework; an institutionalized
system of governance and management; mechanisms for
interaction among security actors; capacities; and a
culture of service.
The recent focus on the UN’s role in security sector
reform (SSR) is shaped by:

the evolution of the UN’s comprehensive approach to
security over the past 15 years;

the experience of UN field operations (e.g.
UNOBGBIS), particularly in peacekeeping, but also in
prevention, peacebuilding and long-term development
contexts; and
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the experience of Member States in national SSR and in
supporting other States in this area, as well as efforts by
regional and multilateral organizations and other partners
(AU, ECOWAS, EU, OAS, NATO, among others).
Background: UNOGBIS Mandate since 2005 –
Assisting with SSR

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The 2007 mandate of UNOGBIS includes
providing assistance for SSR in GuineaBissau, carried out through:
Good offices role of the RSG; and
Programmes and activities of UNOGBIS
Political, Human Rights, Military, Police and
Public Information

The UN Security Council first included
SSR as a part of UNOGBIS’ mandate in
2005. This revised mandate, under
Resolution 1580 of 22 December 2004,
was a proactive response from the Council
in order to address the evolving political
exigencies which surfaced towards the end
of 2004, particularly the destabilizing
effect of the military mutiny of 6 October.

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Original intention focused on SSR as an
exercise aimed at the military, but concept
expanded to take account of democratic
governance and development.
SSR is first and foremost a political
undertaking, requiring the political will
and commitment of the Government and
institutions involved.
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1.
2.
For this reason, political facilitation and support
for SSR in Guinea-Bissau became a key priority
in the mandates of UNOGBIS for 2005, 3006
and currently 2007.
The overriding priority of SSR in the mandate of
UNOGBIS has become more pronounced in
2007 for two reasons;
as a consequence of the streamlining of the
Office’s activities for 2007, and partnerships
with national and international actors, and
particularly with the current momentum of focus
on SSR at the level of the UN Security Council,
aimed at enhancing United Nations support for
SSR processes (cf PRST/2007/3).

“The Security Council acknowledges that strong
support and assistance of the international
community are important to building national
capacities, thereby reinforcing national
ownership, which is crucial for the sustainability
of the whole process. The Security Council also
underlines that the United Nations has a crucial
role to play in promoting comprehensive,
coherent and coordinated international support
to nationally-owned security sector reform
programmes, implemented with the consent of
the country concerned” (S/PRST/2007/3).
UNOGBIS has been assisting the SSR
process in Guinea-Bissau at three
levels:
1.
2.
3.
Providing linkages, support and
facilitation – SSR International
Partners Group on Guinea-Bissau
RSG offices with partners for advocacy
and resource mobilization
Projects with partners to tackle needy
areas
Encouraging and supporting national
ownership of SSR; moving Guinea-Bissau
from SSR Strategy document to SSR Plan
of Action

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Formal engagement by UNOGBIS in the provision of
support for Guinea-Bissau SSR started in October 2005
UNOGBIS facilitated work of UK SSDAT to October
2006 – 3 missions, consultations and evaluations
UNOGBIS follow-up to facilitate work of UK SSDAT
UK SSDAT produced GB SSR Strategy Document
Outline of the SSR Strategy Document

1.
2.
3.
4.
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4 sectors target of SSR:
Security
Defence
Justice
Veterans
Annexe 1 of SSR Strategy Document:
3-year Investment Plan for SSR
Annexe 2 of SSR Strategy Document:
Budget of US$184 million for SSR

Follow-up action on the SSR
Strategy Document
1.
SSR Strategy Document presented by
Government at RT in Geneva
Progress on SSR Stalled with political
instability
New Government & new impetus by
UNOGBIS and partners
New Government established Organizational
framework of 3 Committees
RSG/UNOGBIS role in SSR Steering
Committee
2.
3.
4.
5.
SUMMARY: Guinea-Bissau roadmap
of documents to SSR implementation
 3 key documents that inform GuineaBissau SSR are:
(i) the SSR Strategy Document of
October 2006 (outlined above), which
defines the security and defence
sectors that are the targets of the
reform;
(ii) The 2007-2009 Three-Year Investment Plan
for SSR (October 2006), which enumerates the
SSR objectives that needed to be achieved and
the programmes or projects that needed to be
carried out to achieve the objectives, at an
estimated budget of US$184.3 million; and
(iii) the SSR Plan of Action for the Restructuring
and Modernization of the Security and Defence
Sector (September 2007), which defines the
calendar programming of the schedule of
activities to be implemented and has the aim of
operationalizing the Government’s SSR Strategy
Document of October 2006.
Outline of Guinea-Bissau SSR Plan of Action

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Short-term objectives:
Security and defence context for future
legislative framework
Improved management of human resources
Organization and good conditions for SSR
Regain confidence of population
Adequate solution to dilemman of Veterans
Promote national reconciliation
Outline of Guinea-Bissau SSR Plan of Action

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

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Medium and long-term objectives:
Modernization through legislative framework
Mobilize human and material resources
Transform sector into a guarantor of peace and
security
Tailor size of sector to needs of country
Create conditions for socio-economic
development
Specific objectives:
Create a new Armed Forces structure in line with
the economic capacity of the country as follows:



Army component of Armed Forces – 50% of
total strength, i.e. 1720 personnel
Navy component of Armed Forces – 35% of
total strength, i.e. 1204 personnel
Air Force component of Armed Forces – 15%
of total strength, i.e. 516 personnel
Specific objectives:
 Of the above Armed Forces
components, 30% will be permanent
personnel and the rest 70% will be
reservists. Based on the above figures,
the restructuring and reduction of
Guinea-Bissau’s Armed Forces
personnel to a total of 3,440 personnel
should take place over a period of 5
years.
Specific objectives:
Restructure the security forces in order to
create an integrated, simple and functional
structure as follows:

Public Order Police component of security
forces – 38% of total strength, i.e. 1300
personnel

Guinea-Bissau National Guard component –
49% of total strength, i.e. 1700 personnel
Specific objectives:



State Information Services – 9% of total
strength, i.e. 300 personnel
Judiciary Police (Criminal Investigation) –
4% of total strength, i.e. 150 personnel
This new restructuring of the security forces
is expected to result in the integration into the
Guinea-Bissau National Guard of the Border
Guards, Rapid Response Unit, Revenue Unit,
Coast Guards and Forest Guards.
Financing for Guinea-Bissau SSR Plan of Action

The budget estimate of US$184.3 million is
based on the Government’s Three-Year
Investment Plan for SSR - 2007-2009;

Of this amount, US$43.2 million, representing
23.4% of the total budget, has already been
pledged;

the remaining US$141.1 million (76.6%) is
expected to be raised through resourcemobilization from international partners; and

The Government of Guinea-Bissau is
expected to contribute US$18.4 million (10%)
of the total budget.
Institutional framework for
implementation of Guinea-Bissau SSR

The Inter-Ministerial Committee, made
up of only Government members; and

The Steering Committee, made up of
Government members, representatives
of the Armed Forces, civil society and
other national stakeholders, and
international partners;
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

The Technical Coordination Committee,
made up of representatives of Government
ministries and departments, representatives
of the Armed Forces, civil society and other
national stakeholders, and representatives of
international partners;
SSR Support Office, for providing support
for the execution, follow-up and assessment of
SSR; and
SSR Implementation Structure, for
implementing the programmes and projects
in the SSR Plan of Action.
Timeframe for implementation

The various projects and activities envisaged under
the SSR Plan of Action are expected to run from late
2007 until 2009.
Projects and activities to be carried include:
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the establishment of a legal framework for SSR;
the conduct of a census of the Armed Forces and
Veterans,;
Awareness-raising campaigns;
DDR;
recruitment of new cadres and training,;
Projects and activities under SSR (cont.)
 acquisition of working gear, office
equipment and laboratory equipment;
 construction of training academies
barracks; and
 tribunals and prisons;
 These projects and activities are for the
benefit of the four sectors envisaged in
the SSR Plan of Action (Security,
Defence, Justice and Veterans)
Endorsement of support by UNOGBIS to Guinea-Bissau
SSR

Secretary-General’s Report on Guinea-Bissau of July
2007 (S/2007/401)

Secretary-General’s Report on Guinea-Bissau of
September 2007 (S/2007/576)

UN Security Council members concluded that the
lack of SSR was the Achilles heel of the Government
of Guinea-Bissau;
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Council members recommended an intensification of
UNOGBIS and partner efforts and assistance for
SSR, which it welcomed as the long-term framework
for combating drug trafficking and organized crime
in Guinea-Bissau.
UN Security Council Presidential Statement of 19
October 2007 (S/PRST/2007/38):

The Security Council expressed grave
concern about
 drug trafficking and threat to political
stability;
 the safety of public officials involved in
combat against drug trafficking;
 welcomed the holding of the Lisbon
international conference and the ECOWAS
regional conference on drug trafficking; and
 reiterated assistance for and encouragement
from UNOGBIS and partners for the
Government to pursue SSR.
BEST PRACTICES IN SSR – Involvement of UNOGBIS
and partners for an enhancement of UN support

Best practices in SSR by UNOGBIS and partners is
characterized by a step-by-step, sector-by-sector
approach that will constitute the groundwork for a
fuller implementation of SSR.

SSR is a costly, time-consuming and long-standing
process that cannot be carried out in one giant
operation.

UNOGBIS and partners recognize that enhancing
support for SSR would have to be by means of setting
examples and carrying out small, quick-impact
projects that will serve to illustrate the value of SSR
and the benefits that can be obtained.
Brazil training project

A product of the good offices role of the RSG in
partnership with ECOWAS;
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Has the support of President Vieira;

Conceived essentially as a project to pave the way for
a future SSR in the Armed Forces;

Aimed at improving skills training in Brazil for
excess senior officers of the Armed Forces;

Designed to provide a productive post-military life to
selected generals of Guinea-Bissau Armed Forces
who would otherwise not see the reason for going into
a difficult retirement; and
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The project will be implemented as a partnership
between ECOWAS, UNOGBIS and UNDP, with a
financing package of US$2 million, facilitated by
President Obasanjo, through ECOWAS.
UNODC Drug Control Officer / Law Enforcement Officer
project

Arrangements being finalized between UNODC,
UNDP and UNOGBIS;

Officer to be placed in Bissau to, to provide support
to law-enforcement institutions;

Funded initially by UNODC, Officer would start duty
in early November, for an initial period of two
months until early January 2008,

Following this, a UNODC Senior Law Enforcement
Advisor would be recruited for a longer term; and
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UNODC Drug Control Officer is expected to work
closely with UNOGBIS Police Unit and UNDP, and
will report to UNOGBIS.
Conferences on Drug trafficking

(1)
(2)
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UN Security Council has endorsed
Guinea-Bissau and Portugal’s plan to organize an international
conference on drug trafficking in Lisbon in December (cf.
Guinea-Bissau Emergency Plan / MOU between both
ECOWAS regional conference in February 2008 (in West
Africa)
Objective: Plan of Action for resource-mobilization and the
combat against drug trafficking not only in Guinea-Bissau but
also in the sub-region;
RSG has been requested by the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal to serve as link and
facilitator between the Lisbon international conference and the
ECOWAS regional conference; and
UNOGBIS is liaising with UNODC, who have agreed to provide
a costing plan for the Lisbon conference, and is currently
facilitating preparations for the conference through the
organizing of meetings of international partners in GuineaBissau.
Guinea-Bissau’s application to be on agenda of the
Peacebuilding Commission

Through the good offices of the RSG, UNOGBIS,
UNDP and partners facilitated arrangements for the
Government’s application to be placed on the agenda
of the Peacebuilding Commission, and have
continued to mobilize international support for this
application.

In its Presidential Statement of 19 October, the
Security Council expressed its will to consider
Guinea-Bissau’s application.

If Guinea-Bissau is placed on the agenda of the
Peacebuilding Commission, this will enhance a
coordinated United Nations Support for SSR
activities.
Small Arms and Light Weapons

Taking account of the background of the weapons used during
the liberation war and subsequent civil conflicts, SALW are
unfortunately, still in circulation;

Combat against proliferation of SALW requires an approach
within the wider framework of SSR;

UNOGBIS continues to play the role of facilitator and continues
to engage international partners in resource-mobilization;

In 2005 UNOGBIS facilitated the activities in Guinea-Bissau of
a team from the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs
(UNODA);

UNODA undertook a survey on SALW in Guinea-Bissau,
identified the main sources of the weapons and prepared a
project document, with a number of recommendations,
including the setting up of the National Commission against the
Proliferation of SALW. The National Commission was
established in 2006 and launched in March 2007.
SALW continued
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Progress stalled from March 2007 (change of Government)
From 14-18 May, UNOGBIS facilitated a second visit to GuineaBissau by UNODA and DESA, UNODC and ECOSAP;
UNODA prepared a new project document with
recommendations for implementing SALW eradication for the
period August 2007 until July 2010.;
Project will be implemented by DESA and executed by UNODA
in partnership with other UN Departments and Agencies, the
Government of Guinea-Bissau, interested donor partners and
international organizations;
The SALW project document also recommended that the UN
engage international partners in further resource mobilization
for Guinea-Bissau’s combat against SALW; and
A National Commission against the Proliferation of SALW was
recently sworn in by the Government (3 October).
Enhancing UNOGBIS support for SSR through
the programmes and activities of UNOGBIS
military and Police Units

Working in partnerships to support the security and
defence forces of Guinea-Bissau has been central to
the activities of UNOGBIS Military and Police Units
in 2007;

Mindful that the process of SSR has to be nationallyowned, to include of key sectors and be well
presented to key national stakeholders such as the
Armed Forces and the Police forces, UNOGBIS
Military and Police Advisors have provided support
through training programmes, workshops and
induction seminars over the period through 2007.
Such activities have included the following:

Meeting on disarmament in May;

4 workshops in August on Security Sector Reform for 120 national
stakeholders (30 Public Order Police under Ministry of Interior, 30
Judiciary Police from Ministry of Justice, 30 Armed Forces personnel
and 30 Veterans);

a workshop in September for the 20 members of the National
Commission on SALW;

5 workshops through February to August, in various regions of
Guinea-Bissau, involving for police and security forces on the use of
firearms, rule of law, human rights ethics and a best practices code of
conduct;

a training seminar in October for 26 personnel of Guinea-Bissau
Armed Forces on awareness-raising regarding peacekeeping operations
in general and their relevance in the context of ongoing preparations to
establish a battalion of Armed Forces personnel as Guinea-Bissau’s
contribution to a future ECOWAS Standby Force.

It is important to emphasize that UNOGBIS has engaged in
partnerships for the above activities, for example, the training seminar
on the ECOWAS Standby force was organized with input also from
ECOWAS and Portugal military attachés in Guinea-Bissau.
CHALLENGES FACING SSR IN GUINEA-BISSAU

The historical challenge – the overriding role of Guinea-Bissau
Armed Forces

A challenge facing SSR remains a restructuring of Armed
Forces, considered vital not only for political stabilization but
also for overall peace and security in Guinea-Bissau. The
political history of the country has been dominated by the
military apparatus, with two coups d’etat, a military mutiny
and similar upheavals. The involvement of the armed forces in
politics in Guinea-Bissau is a direct result of their own nature –
being an intrinsic element of the peoples and the national unity
movement organized to fight the liberation war. The PAIGC,
which led the liberation war, metamorphosed into a political
party after independence, but kept its military origins and
structures. Though over the years it has sought to divest itself of
this character, the military has never been effectively
subordinate to the political class, the majority of who, in any
event, originate from or have direct connections with the
military hierarchy.

The present Armed Forces is composed of
veterans and freedom fighters from the
liberation era, as well as regular recruits who
joined after independence in 1974. Account
must also be taken of militias and other
paramilitary elements. If no reforms are
undertaken, for example within the military,
it will be difficult to eradicate the culture by
which a military career is still being perceived
as a birthright to participation in politics. All
of these components have to be trained to
accept that there is a life after military service
or a life outside of military or politics.
The Veterans question

Veterans of the liberation war for independence,
as well as the veterans of the Portuguese
colonial army.

Agreement has been difficult to reach between
the national stakeholders on issues related to a
census exercise, entitlements, pensions and
social re-integration.

The dilemma of the veterans is also being
politicized.

If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved, it
could delay certain aspects of SSR
implementation.
The question of a census of the Armed Forces –
precondition for international financial engagement

The main issue raised by the international partners
of the Steering Committee during the discussions
with Government counterparts was the census of
military, paramilitary, veterans and police forces in
Guinea-Bissau. The UNDP has agreed to support the
Government financially with the conduct a new
census of the Armed Forces, following a mismanaged
census exercise in 2006. The overall objective of this
new census is to determine the number and status of
current active Armed Forces personnel, with the
purpose of creating adequate conditions for SSR
including but not limited to elements such as DDR,
pension reform and Armed Forces restructuring.

A successful conduct of the census is also expected to
pave the way for financial support from international
partners. The census is expected to determine and
confirm the number of Armed Forces personnel in
active service and put in place an electronic
management database with verified and updated
human resources information for all Armed Forces
personnel so that ID cards could be issued. A
technical committee, made up of an international
technical expert and national personnel from all
relevant national structures will be set up to perform
the census, such as verifying all personnel records
and determine their status. The work of the census
technical committee will be reviewed and overseen by
the SSR Steering Committee, of which
RSG/UNOGBIS is a member.
Political challenge – political will and commitment

A sustainable process of SSR in Guinea-Bissau will depend on
the political will and commitment from national political
stakeholders to carry out reforms, including in particular a
commitment from the Armed Forces establishment to carry out
a credible census. A great challenge for UNOGBIS and partners
is the need to engage national political stakeholders to
acknowledge that the construction of enduring institutions of
security, defence and justice in order to have sustainable peace
and economic development will not be possible unless they show
the commitment towards SSR and maintain it. Part of the
activities of UNOGBIS consists in workshops and seminars for
national stakeholders, organized by the Military and Police
Units, aimed at raising awareness of SSR, its exigencies and
implications. The RSG has also been actively engaging partners
in order to keep national stakeholders focused on maintaining
commitment to SSR. Current progress has to be maintained in
order for the momentum of commitment to continue.
The Challenge of national ownership of SSR

SSR in Guinea-Bissau could meet with resistance and fail if it is
perceived to be an operation imposed on the national political
stakeholders. Sovereignty remains a valued concept in
international relationship and nation states want to be seen to be
masters of their own destiny. However, it is difficult for national
actors to assume national ownership in a context of extreme
dependence on external assistance, particularly with funding for
the process. International partners who will provide financial
assistance have to continue working hard to find a balance
between letting national stakeholders take major decisions on
SSR issues and imposing conditionalities of transparency in
disbursements or placements of technical advisors within
Guinea-Bissau’s security and defence apparatus for better
coordination.
The challenge of policy divergence and
institutional fragmentation among GuineaBissau’s external actors

A range of national and international actors,
including the United Nations system, is
involved in enhancing support for SSR in
Guinea-Bissau. Sometimes, different actors
means conflicting policies and approaches on
SSR, including priorities and areas of
assistance to Guinea-Bissau. This represents a
major challenge to efforts to make progress
with SSR.
The challenge of resource-mobilization

Guinea-Bissau has empty State coffers and is unable to confront the
challenge of direct financing capacity for SSR. Comprehensive SSR
requires an extensive outlay of financial and technical resources, in the
absence of which it is difficult to make the irreversible progress
necessary for sustainable peace and economic development.
Nevertheless, UNOGBIS and international partners have continued
with resource-mobilization efforts. An example was the Geneva Round
Table in November 2006 when the Government’s SSR Strategy Plan
was presented to donors for assistance. Unfortunately, actual
disbursements have not materialized or have fallen short of donor
pledges made at the round table. This could mean delays and negative
impacts on the programming and implementation of the SSR Plan of
Action. In addition, resource constraints are affected not by demand
but by supply-driven approaches by donors, which are managed within
tightly controlled budget restrictions, disbursement regulations, strict
timeframes and administrative overheads. An associated problem is the
perception by international partners that the current budget estimate
of US$184 million in the Government’s SSR Plan of Action is excessive
and unrealistic, especially if the figures are not broken down into
specifically-costed small projects that could readily be financed on
time.
Fitting Guinea-Bissau SSR in a wider context

Designing an integrated African perspective for SSR
is a welcome challenge, and this workshop has
provided an appropriate forum for discussion on the
matter. SSR in Guinea-Bissau needs to be
implemented within a framework of sub-regional
cooperation, within ECOWAS. In West Africa, the
absence of an integrated SSR will not only increase
human insecurity but also facilitate cross-border
crime, including drug trafficking, illegal trafficking
in small arms and light weapons, illegal trafficking in
humans, illegal immigration and insurgency activity
which could also involve the recruitment of the
region’s numerous unemployed and frustrated youth
populations.
Creating an all-round African perspective for SSR also
demands a regional approach, within the framework
of the African Union. The New Partnership for
Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the emerging
architecture of the African Union have clearly
indicated that peace and security is a pre-requisite
for development and prosperity generation in Africa.
Among the priorities in the African Peace and
Security Agenda are those associated with achieving
security sector transformation and those of
strengthening governance. Great progress has been
achieved in Africa on issues and policies of the
African Peace and Security Agenda including the
African Common Defence and Security Policy, the
Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development
Policy and the Common African Approach to Small
Arms and Light Weapons.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND
ATTENTION