DCAF

The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) was established by the Swiss government in October 2000. The Centre’s mission is to promote good governance and security sector reform in accordance with democratic standards. The Centre conducts research on best practices, encourages the development of appropriate norms at the national and international levels, makes policy recommendations and provides in-country advice and assistance programmes.

DCAF’s partners include governments, parliaments, civil society, international organisations and a range of security sector actors, such as police, intelligence agencies, border security services and the military.

Organisational Structure

DCAF is an international foundation with 49 Member States. DCAF’s main divisions are Research and Operations. The staff numbers over 70 employees from more 27 countries. DCAF’s head office is located in Geneva, Switzerland. The Centre also has a subsidiary office in Brussels.

Research

DCAF's key areas of research include:

• standards, norms, and best practices in the field of democratic governance of the security sector.

• theory and practice of security sector reform

• parliamentary and civilian oversight of armed forces, police, intelligence and internal security forces

• legal and legislative aspects of security sector governance

• the empowerment of civil society in security oversight issues

• security sector reform as a means of ensuring post-conflict peacebuilding

• challenges of security sector governance in the Euro-Atlantic area, Africa and the Middle East

• emerging issues in security sector governance (privatization of security, political control of nuclear weapons)

Operations

DCAF's key programmes on the ground include:

• providing advice and assistance to governments, parliaments and international organisations on good governance and reform of the security sector

• promoting accountability and effective civilian oversight of the security sector

• funding and training of expert staffers in support of parliamentary defence and security committees

• assisting in drafting and reviewing legislation related to defence and security

• developing legal standards and mechanisms for oversight of intelligence services

• assisting police reform in countries in transition

• providing advice and assistance in organizing professional, integrated and accountable border management structures

• assisting governments in encouraging transparency in defence budgeting, procurement and planning.

Special Programmes

DCAF’s Special Programmes focus on:

• generating and disseminating new practical research and implementation material on gender and Security Sector Reform (SSR)

• building the capacity of SSR practitioners, policy-makers and parliamentarians to mainstream gender into Security Sector Reform initiatives (SSR)

• promoting the mainstreaming of gender into Security Sector Reform (SSR) within the international community

• strengthening the links between the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and Security Sector Reform (SSR)

• providing advice for the security sector in effectively addressing Trafficking in Human Beings

• generating knowledge on the role of the security sector in providing a secure environment for children and building capacity in addressing the needs of children in armed conflict and post-conflict situations vis-à-vis the role of the security actors

References

External Links

DCAF's News & Events Page

DCAF's Publications Page

DCAF's Home Page

Further Reading

DCAF's Annual Report 2006