Second Generation Disarmament and Reitegration (DDR) Practices in Peace Operations A Contribution to the New Horizon Discussion on Challenges and Opportunities for UN Peacekeeping

"As widely acknowledged, United Nations (UN) peace operations are deployed in increasingly complex settings, which require new, dynamic models for conducting peacekeeping. These settings involve greater levels and diffusion of violence against unarmed civilians, often perpetrated by undisciplined armed elements, such as militia and gangs, operating at the sub-national level. As a contribution to the “New Horizon” process of engaging Member States in a policy dialogue on the challenges and opportunities of peacekeeping, the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Section of the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI) of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) initiated a study to document the innovative programmes that DDR practitioners are implementing in the field. The aim is to provide policy makers and practitioners with the tools needed to address the increasingly complex reality of DDR operations. The report is primarily based on four field studies (Afghanistan, Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti and Liberia) but also draws from experiences of other DDR settings based on a desk review and interviews with partners. The term “Second Generation DDR” is used to describe the set of evolving practices documented in the report. Scholar-practitioners and security oriented thinktanks are beginning to use Second Generation DDR and “Interim stabilization” to describe wider security promotion efforts. From the outset, however, it must be underscored that many of the ideas and practices highlighted in the report are not new, and have been implemented, albeit in a fragmented manner, by national Governments and UN agencies. To facilitate better understanding of the Second Generation concept, the study contrasts this new approach with “traditional DDR”, which shares the same strategic aims as Second Generation DDR (to support the peace process, create political space and contribute to a secure environment). Whereas traditional DDR focuses mainly on combatants that are present within military structures, the focus of Second Generation programmes shifts away from military structures towards the larger communities that are affected by armed violence. Traditional DDR involves a range of activities falling under the operational categories of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. Second Generation programmes, on the other hand, include a number of different types of activities that can be implemented when the preconditions for traditional DDR are not in place in order to support the peace process, build trust, contribute to a secure environment and help build the foundation for longer term peacebuilding. Instead of implementing relevant provisions of a peace agreement, Second Generation activities are programmed locally using an evidence-based approach. These efforts, reinforced by regular assessments, enable practitioners to more effectively and quickly adapt to new developments. The study underscores that DDR practice has evolved over the last several decades, demanding institutional change. Prior to the late 1980s, the Cold War shaped an approach to postconflict security that focused on disarming and demobilizing military establishments and right-sizing armed forces. In the 1990s, more comprehensive objectives were introduced to conceive of DDR programmes as part of processes aimed at transitioning from war to peace. In 2000, the Brahimi report underlined the importance of strong mandates buttressing the adoption of integrated DDR strategies and, in 2006, the Integrated DDR Standards (IDDRS) were published offering much valuable guidance in addressing the political, military, security, humanitarian and socio-economic dimensions of the post-conflict environment. The IDDRS also includes a set of preconditions which should be in place before a DDR programme begins. "