Having Their Say: Guidelines for Involving Local Civil Society in the Planning, Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of U.S. Security Assistance and Cooperation
Engaging Civil Society in Security Aid & Cooperation, UAE F-35 Deal Moves Forward, Retooling Security Assistance & more
Having Their Say: Guidelines for Involving Local Civil Society in the Planning, Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of U.S. Security Assistance and Cooperation
Center for Civilians in Conflict, October 2020
A new report by the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) illustrates the importance of engaging civil society in America’s vast security assistance and cooperation enterprise, especially in the countries where these programs are being implemented. The report notes that skyrocketing U.S. security cooperation budgets and the globally shrinking space for civil society is leaving security institutions to operate with little oversight or accountability, and blind to a critical source of insight into public security needs.
The report’s assertions are based on three premises: first, that legitimate governance in democratic societies requires adequate public participation in policy decision-making. Second, that justice and security service delivery, formal security sector oversight and accountability, and security sector reform processes depend heavily on civil society to perform effectively. Finally, the volume and nature of U.S. security cooperation and assistance imparts a responsibility on the United States government to ensure its programs serve the right and intended purposes without doing harm.
The report argues that engagement may take one of four major forms:
Informing independent civil society;
Consulting independent civil society;
Involving local civil society;
Supporting local civil society;
The report provides fifteen guidelines for constructing a policy framework for including local, independent civil society in the most important decisions relating to security cooperation and assistance. To read the full report, click here.
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Growth in Annual U.S. Security Assistance Since FY2001
The graphic above illustrates the growth in U.S. security assistance between FY2001 and FY2019.
U.S. security assistance has grown substantially in the last two decades, despite significant gaps in oversight and accountability, particularly in recipient countries. A new report by CIVIC looks at the need to engage civil society to help fill in these gaps, and ensure the appropriate application of security assistance and cooperation.
