DDR is the concept of United Nations and UNDP provides technical assistance to the post-conflict states to initiate the process of DDR. UNDP plays a coordinating role to strengthen national capacities and provides financial and technical assistance to DDR process. DDR has become the integral part of post-conflict peace consolidation featuring prominently in the mandates of peace keeping operations over last 20 years.
DDR is crucial component for stabilizing war torn societies as well as recovery and long term development. It helps to create an enabling environment for political and peace process by dealing with security problem that arises when ex-combatants are trying to adjust to a normal life during the vital transition period from conflict, peace to development.
Assumptions:
Each and every institution of the state are made fragile due to the war. Therefore institutions are to be adjusted according to the political settlements.
Transitional interim constitution is formulated where security apparatus of a country is also brought to the debate.
Various security sectors might have various assignments, fundamental objectives of these sectors might not be changed but the structure should be changed.
Disarmament: It is the process of collection, documentation, control and disposal of small arms, ammunitions, explosives and other light and heavy weapons from the combatants and often also from the civilians. In case of intense civil wars, a notice is issued with specific time-frame depending upon the political consensus to hand over arms with the national framework or inviting international assistance. The collected weapons are collected, registered and submitted to the bodies which are responsible for monitoring the process.
Demobilization: It is the formal and controlled discharge of active combatants from armed forces and groups, including a phase of reinsertion which provides short term assistance to the ex-combatants. The combatants units created during the war are destroyed and these combatants are kept in the camps established with political consensus and mechanisms and certain trainings are provided to combatants and special attention is given to women and child combatants according to the context.
Reintegration: Is the process by which ex-combatants acquire civil status and gain sustainable employment and income. It is political, social and economic process with an open time frame, primarily taking place in the communities at the local level. Therefore, it is a complex and psychological process which requires much more time.
There are three dimensions of reintegration in a broad sense.
Political:
Combatants should be politically secure.
Combatants should be provided with voting rights.
They should get opportunities to take part in all political activities then onwards.
Social:
Social integration means environment should be created where the combatants are accepted and acknowledged in the society.
It is more complex often because of the involvement of combatants in criminal activities for political ideology.
Complexities faced by male: displaced, no skills and blamed with charges
Complexities faced by females: Cultural practices, acceptance problems
Same war fought, same activities performed but during reintegration male feels brave and females are blamed to be prostitutes.
Economic:
There should be certain schemes for former combatants so that they can involve in income generating activities with equal access to that of other members of the society.
They should be given special attention because they have lost many years in the war and do not have income generating skills.
Failing to address the special requirements of the ex-combatants may result in negative consequences in long term development and stability. Former combatants may not have skills to get involve in income generating skills and the trauma of what they have witnessed during the war may leave them vulnerable to psychological disorders. Therefore, former combatants left without support networks other than their former comrades may seek revenge through crime and political violence specially when underlying causes of conflict such as unemployment and poverty are still existing.
DDR is the first step to transition from conflict to peace. It is difficult in those areas where the institutions are totally crumbled and economy is stagnant because of the war. The three phases of DDR are highly interconnected and interlinked. The success of one phase is critical to the successful completion of the other.
Necessary preconditions for DDR:
- Security
- Inclusion of all warring parties
- Political agreement
- Comprehensive approach
- Sufficient funds
- Special attention (child soldiers, women etc.)
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