CiR2P Option 40 | Security sector reform
DISCUSSION:
Security Sector Reform (SSR) is a critical task in most nation-building contexts. Armies, intelligence agencies and the police force can suffer from some or all the following: poor leadership resourcing and accountability, corruption, disinterest in the law, ethnic imbalance, and in their worst form, wielded by tyrannical regimes to oppress the population and worse.
Western nations involved in SSR in fragile states should consider expanding their programs in, for instance, police training and institutional support, to include a climate action theme.
A climate-aware security sector can better preform a range of traditional tasks. For example:
- In an immediate post-disaster context, police (and military) assets and personnel can be redeployed to secure critical environmental infrastructure such as water supply and food production systems, with an understanding of the longer-term trends and projections.
- In the mid-term, police forces can provide a security presence that encourages the rollout of low pollution infrastructure.
- Over the longer term, a strong, fully functional police force free from corruption and accountable to the public, can have a significant stabilising impact on the country, which can be an essential ingredient to attract foreign investment in low emission and climate-resilient activities, and allow the country to ween itself of donor support.
In addition, the police, military, and intelligence services should be educated to the physical climate change risks facing their country or local jurisdiction for planning, budgeting, procurement purposes.
The potential for internal and cross-border migration and increased load on the domestic health and emergency services are but a few climate-related stressors that will impact directly on the security sector.
SSR programs should include funding and training to develop climate risk scenario planning.