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News from the Field: Training parliamentary security and defence committee staff advisors in East and South-East Europe

Skilled Parliamentary Staff Advisors have proved invaluable to the democratic processes of parliamentary Security and Defence Committees in all countries. But in Parliaments in countries of transition, they are often in short supply. That is why the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) launched its project "Capacity Building in East and South East European Parliaments", focusing on continuous training and support of expert staff.

DCAF, one of the world's leading institutions in security sector reform and security sector governance, recognizes the common obstacles faced by countries in the post-conflict and transitional region of East and South-East Europe. It set out to address the public administration challenges that hold back the development of professional and independent parliamentary advisory capacities in the region. Supported by the United Nations Democracy Fund, the ongoing project offers a total of nine weeks' training over 2007-2008 to11 Parliamentary Staff Advisors from nine Security and Defence Committees in the region.

In 2007, DCAF held five weeks of training in Macedonia and Germany, and a final week in Sarajevo in close cooperation with the Joint Committee for Security and Defence of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This session introduced a thorough understanding of the challenges faced by Bosnia and Herzegovina in reforming its army and intelligence community -- de facto ethnically split three ways -- into unified, state-level entities.

In looking at ways to ensure that the armed forces are ethnically representative of their country, the staff advisors learned how security and defence policy is formulated, implemented and monitored in the host country. Discussions focused on the role of the Ombudsman in protecting the rights of armed forces personnel, and ways to incorporate human rights and individual freedom into military culture.

During a visit to the European Parliament in Brussels, facilitated by the European Parliament Sub-Committee on Security and Defence, participants saw at first hand how external security policy is coordinated between Member States at the EU level. This highlighted a key objective of the programme: enabling an exchange of learning across national borders. The participants met with staff attached to the European Council and Commission, and learned about policy-making processes in common foreign and security policy, justice and home affairs, and development assistance. They attended a hearing of the Sub-Committee on Security and Defence in the European Parliament, and followed the work of Members of Parliament and their Staff Advisors.

The Brussels training, in short, illustrated to the delegates how their EU counterparts develop, implement and monitor EU external policy in accordance with an inter-institutional "balance of power". EU officials noted how extensive the programme was; one commented that most delegations to Brussels normally visit one or possibly two institutions, but hardly ever all three, as these participants did.

Another session took place in Belgrade, at the invitation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. The participants learned about Serbia's recent security sector reform measures, as well as the challenges ahead. Parliamentarians and Government officials who met the group stressed the importance of cooperation and trade in consolidating security and stability in South-East Europe. Euro-Atlantic integration, particularly EU integration, is seen as a priority in boosting cooperation with neighbouring countries.

Promoting gender balance in the security sector in East and South-East Europe is one of the main objectives of the DCAF programme. For the past two years, the proportion of female staff advisors in the programme has ranged between 30 per cent and 50 per cent. The group met with the specialized Committee on Gender Equality, through which the Serbian National Assembly closely monitors the Government.

Another session, facilitated by the OSCE Mission to Serbia, focused on protecting the human rights of armed forces personnel. There was a lively exchange of views on conscientious objection, equal opportunities and non-discrimination.

The five training events so far have achieved a great deal in advancing the project, which has the overarching goal of developing the research and advisory skills of the participants so as to improve oversight and transparency in policymaking and legislation in the security sector.

In the words of the project's external examiner from the Danish Institute for Human Rights in Copenhagen: "The Committee representatives that participated expressed a high appreciation about the training session. Often they even provided specific examples of the importance the programme had for the work in their Committees. All participating countries stressed that their Security and Defence Committees were among the best functioning and active committees of their Parliaments".

Finally, an important element of the project is consolidating change in the region as a whole. DCAF and its partners have set out to help build a regional network of Security and Defence Committee staff that will integrate and harmonize efforts for change throughout the region. Such cooperation is essential in a region which has historically lacked standards for transparent security sector governance. The final event of the project will take place in Geneva with a focus on the role of parliamentary staff in integrity building. It will underscore the importance of good security sector governance to democratic accountability and prosperity everywhere.

 

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