1. Summary of Issues, Indicators and Benchmarks for Democratic Governance in the Security Sector
.
Item Goals Indicative Targets Indicators or Benchmarks Source or Reference
1 Rule of Law & Constitutionalism • Presence of a Imposed or ‘People ‘owned’ The Constitution
democratically agreed constitution
Constitution. Additional Legislations:
Right to justiciable freedom Armed Forces Act, Police Act,
• Bill of Rights guaranteeing of expression, information, Criminal Justice Systems
equality of citizens before the political association and
law and the liberty of the fundamental freedoms, Judicial precedence
individuals; individual and economic, social and political
collective freedoms and rights Incorporation of international
equality of opportunity for all instruments into domestic law
Ombudsperson, Human i.e. African Charter of Human
• Independent Institutions of Rights Comm., Gender and Peoples’ Rights, UDHR,
State Equality Commission; Anti- Convention on economic,
Corruption Comm. social and cultural rights.
• Improvement of law National judicial reform, Decisions of the National
enforcement mechanisms and Police reform, Prison Human Rights Commission
criminal justice system improvement
National Law Reform
• Independence of the Judicial Ensure transparency in Commission’s work
branch process of selection of
judicial officers; improve
incentives and remuneration.
• Presence of Court of superior
jurisdiction to arbitrate in Independent Constitutional
constitutional matters or Supreme Court
2 Political Representation • Mode of appointment to Is appointment determined Nature of Electoral
legislative and by elections and do the Commission
governmental positions; elections give room for
• The composition of the alternation of political power
political system Does it consist of a
• The competitiveness of the multiparty democracy
political system comprising of two or more
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2. parties.
• Nature of appointment to Extent of effective
the executive branch. competitiveness in the
• Independent candidature political process;
• The composition of the Role of Legitimacy,
national parliament along competence, national
party lines character
• The composition of local
and regional councils
• The autonomy and
independence of the electoral
system
• Independence & Impartiality
of the electoral authority.
3 Personal security and access to justice • Strengthening Police • Community Policing - National Policy on Safety &
Accountability and Principles Security
Responsiveness; • Demilitarising public order - DFID Safety and Security
• Developing Community and defining security in Sector Reform papers
Awareness broader terms - African Charter provisions
• Improve access to and reduce • Legal Aid and scope of
cost of ‘justice’ legal clinics for pro-bono
• Improving Police-Community cases
Relations • Establishment of
• Improving the prosecution Independent Police
service and decentralise Services Commission with
workload adequate powers
• Investigate non-traditional • Examine scope for
forms of justice reform. mediation and arbitration
in the community
4 National security and conflict prevention • Clearly defined and well Defence and Security Sector Defence Act or National
articulated vision and mission Review & White Papers Security Strategy
of security sector
organisations21
• Accountability of Security Accountability both to Committees on Defence,
sector organizations, elected civil authorities and Security, Police Affairs
21
This section is derived from the DFID work on the principles of good governance in the security sector.
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3. particularly in the security to civil society
forces
• Security sector organizations Constitutionally defined role Incorporation of
operate in accordance with of the security structures internationally accepted
the international law and standards in domestic
domestic constitutional law; security laws
• Information about
security sector planning Availability of alternative Coverage of security sector
and budgeting are widely sources of verifiable issues in the media and
knowledge information on degree of openness of
available, both within the security sector military facilities to civilians
government and to the
public, and a
comprehensive and
disciplined approach to Extent of dialogue and Availability of human rights
the management of interaction between the education in the military
defence resources is security sector and civil training curricula
society
adopted;
• Civil-military relations are
based on a well-articulated
hierarchy of authority between
civil authorities and the
Clearly defined constitutional Capacity of Parliamentary
defence forces, and on a
powers for the Parliament committees to provide
relationship with civil society
and Executive Branch – independent verification and
that is based on the respect
powers of the purse, powers understanding of security
for human rights;
of deployment and powers of issues.
• Civil authorities have the
scrutiny
capacity to exercise political
control over the operations
and expenditure of the
security forces and civil
society has the capacity to
monitor the security forces
and provide constructive input
to the political debate;
• An environment exists in
which civil society can be
Extent of the professional
consulted on a regular basis
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4. on security policies, resource autonomy granted to
allocation, and other relevant security forces
issues;
• Security-force personnel are
adequately trained to
discharge their duties in a
professional manner Regional Norms and values ECOWAS Mechanism for
consistent with the Conflict Prevention,
requirements of democratic Peacekeeping, Security;
societies; NEPAD’s APRM, AU’s Peace
• Fostering an environment and Security Council
supportive of regional and
sub-regional peace and
security has a high priority for
policy-makers
5 Open and Accountable Institutions • The nature and composition Independence of Civil Service Institutions of Accountability;
of the civil service
• Transparency and Accountability of Civil Service Nature of the Legislative
accountability in to elected authorities Accountability Mechanism,
government
• Decentralisation of decision Quality Control mechanisms Independence and
making structures and the for civil service at all levels effectiveness of the
nature of inter- accountability structures –
governmental relations
Constitutional Court, Auditor-
• Media awareness
Civil Service Commission’s General’s Office, Anti-
• Presence and Effectiveness
effectiveness Corruption Commissions and
of independent monitoring
agencies Inspector-General of Armed
Forces & Intelligence Services
6 Broader Understanding of Security • Meeting the 2015 Extent of fulfillment of UNDP Human Development
through Effective and equitable provision International Development human security and human Report; Country strategy
and Millennium Targets development goals in health, papers on poverty reduction
• Country’s social and economic food, environmental security programmes.
rights regime and poverty reduction
7 Facilitative mechanisms for policy • Management of national Extent of inputs into the Office of Budget Monitoring
formulation and management budgetary process budgetary process by all National Planning Machineries
• Effective Policies for linking stakeholders, including civil Accountant-General’s Office
security sector governance society
and pro-poor poverty Extent of Involvement of a Extent of consultation in the
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5. reduction policies. wide array of stakeholders in making of PRS papers
• The nature and policy formulation &
development of policy management. Input from independent
process research centres and security
• Role of civil society Effectiveness of Policy sector experts
• Private/public partnership making mechanisms
arrangements.
8 Enhanced International Regime for • Regulatory Frameworks for Level of mutual OECD-DAC principles;
Democratic Governance in the Security behaviour of IFIs and accountability
Sector Bilateral institutions DFID principles
consistently applied Extent of context determined
• Availability of regional inputs. AU Principles, SADC &
frameworks to which ECOWAS Protocol
member states’ subscribe Level of corporate
• Regulatory Frameworks for responsibility among trans- UN Global Compact
non-state actors – TNCs etc
national entities
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