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Supporting the implementation of DDR processes in the field

The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Section (DDRS) at the UN Headquarters in New York monitors global DDR operations, collects best practices from the field, and provides policy and technical support for the design, planning and implementation of DDR processes. Alongside supporting DDR teams in the field, the DDR Section, together with partners, also regularly revises DDR standards and training courses to ensure that the latest developments are covered.

03.06.2021 | Marc Schibli, DDR Training Officer at the UN HQ in New York

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Prior to his assignment as DDR Training Officer in New York, Marc Schibli was deployed as DDR expert in the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Monitoring the destruction of collected weapons was part of his work.

 

DDR teams in the field support armed groups in laying down their weapons and abandoning armed structures, and help former combatants and other individuals associated with armed groups to reintegrate into society as civilians. While the first-generation DDR programmes in the 1990s were designed for post-war times and frequently relied on a peace agreement, political will, trust in the peace process and minimum level of guaranteed security, the dynamic of armed conflicts has changed over the intervening years. Today’s trouble spots are often characterised by sporadic outbreaks of fighting, the absence of peace agreements, multiple actors with diverging objectives, shifting alliances, unclear command structures, and links to organised crime and violent extremism. 

The UN has therefore created a number of DDR-related tools that offer more flexible approaches to today’s various crises situations. One such example are Community Violence Reduction programmes, which are identified and prioritised by local communities, who are then paid to implement them. Bringing together ex-combatants, youth and women aims at reducing the violence, promotes social cohesion, prevents (re-)recruitment and can pave the way for a traditional DDR programme. 

The DDR Section at the UN Headquarters in New York supports DDR teams in the field and is divided into three areas of responsibility, which correspond to the three major peacekeeping missions involving a DDR process: MINUSMA (Mali), MONUSCO (Democratic Republic of Congo) and MINUSCA (Central African Republic). Alongside its regional responsibilities, the DDR Section also works on various cross-team projects. 

The Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR, which is composed of 26 UN entities, published the Integrated DDR Standards (IDDRS) in 2006. The IDDRS represent the agreed policies and procedures of the UN for supporting DDR and are based on field experience from various missions and cover all important aspects of DDR. As more recent conflicts place ever more complex demands on DDR activities, the catalogue of tasks has increased accordingly, which is why the IDDRS are regularly adapted and supplemented. The DDR Section is currently working with other members of the Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR to revise the IDDRS. 

Since the IDDRS is considered the standard reference in the field of DDR, the knowledge they contain must be passed onto DDR practitioners. Solid training on the UN’s new standards and approaches is essential for operational readiness. Therefore, DDR courses need to be adapted accordingly and brought up to date. As DDR Training Officer, I am assessing the training needs of the DDR community, coordinating and supporting the organisation and delivery of DDR training courses, and managing the training budget. Training courses are offered by a network of different training centres and institutes working in the field of DDR, the Integrated DDR Training Group (IDDRTG). Currently, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Ghana, where Swiss officers are also working, and the Swedish Folke Bernadotte Academy co-chair the IDDRTG. 

While these training courses were being held in various locations around the world before the pandemic, COVID-19 has meant that many training courses have had to be postponed indefinitely, cancelled or redeveloped into online-only courses. The initial experiences with virtual training have shown that learning content can be conveyed and group work and exchanging experiences are possible online, but that the important interpersonal aspect of training is missing. Until we will be able to visit field components and offer in person training courses again, we are adapting our work and readjusting our offering to the current situation.

 

More exciting reports from the world of peace support in the magazine Swiss Peace Supporter 01/21


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