ABSTRACT
The security sector reform (SSR) concept has been adopted by international institutions at the end of the 1990s to refer to a relevant and critical part of the action of peace missions for development and stabilization in the countries of intervention. It consists in reforming the institutional sectors involved in the management of domestic security in those receiving countries that are unable to protect citizens from security threats in transition processes. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guideline defined SSR as a “the transformation of the ‘security system’ which includes all the actors, their roles, responsibilities and actions working together to manage and operate the system in a manner that is more consistent with democratic norms and sound principles of good governance, and thus contributes to a well-functioning security framework.” 1 In this context, security and development have become increasingly linked to one another mainly for two reasons. First, “inappropriate security structures and mechanisms can contribute to weak governance and to instability and violent conflict, which impact negatively on poverty reduction.” 2 Second, security sector (SS) and its reform when it is needed is considered as a fundamental component of human security. 3 Sustainable security systems are considered a crucial step of the development process by international institutions, and development and security are defined as interconnected sectors by OECD 4 and UN. 5
