The Asia-Pacific
Security Sector Governance Network
About the Asia-Pacific SSG Network
As part of an initiative to promote good security governance in the Asia-Pacific region, DCAF has since 2017 created a network of partner institutions and so-called SSG Associates (experts at these institutions working on security sector-related issues) for South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia. Out of 27 countries and regions in these three sub-regions, DCAF now has partners in 22 countries.
The partners are brought together at both the overall regional level (the Asia-Pacific SSG Forum), and the sub-regional level (the Sub-Regional SSG Forum) once a year. There, partners are invited to share and learn from each other's experiences in promoting good SSG through SSR activities. In these sub-regional and regional forums specific activities are also identified that can be used to improve on SSG in different parts of the sub-region; or where experts in one country could be of assistance in SSR activities elsewhere in the region. The Asia-Pacific regional meeting is attended by each country's SSG associate, and the sub-regional forums are also attended by a small delegation of national working group members.
DCAF's partners in turn assemble a group of security sector representatives and experts, the so-called “national SSG working group”. In at least two meetings per year they review the status of good security sector governance in their country and define needs for improvement. Together with the national partner, DCAF translates those into specific SSR activities, for which we seek funding so that our partner – or the partner in collaboration with us – can implement such SSR activities.
About DCAF
DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance is dedicated to improving the security of states and their people within a framework of democratic governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and gender equality. Since its founding in 2000, DCAF has contributed to making peace and development more sustainable by assisting partner states, and international actors supporting these states, to improve the governance of their security sector through inclusive and participatory reforms. It creates innovative knowledge products, promotes norms and good practices, provides legal and policy advice and supports capacity‐building of both state and non‐state security sector stakeholders.
DCAF's Foundation Council is comprised of representatives of about 60 member states and the Canton of Geneva. Active in over 80 countries, DCAF is internationally recognized as one of the world's leading centres of excellence for security sector governance (SSG) and security sector reform (SSR). DCAF is guided by the principles of neutrality, impartiality, local ownership, inclusive participation, and gender equality. For more information visit www.dcaf.ch (or click the button below) and follow us on Twitter @DCAF_Geneva.
The Asia-Pacific Unit specifically was established in 2017 after more than 10 years of steadily increasing engagement in Southeast Asia with the goal to expand its activities across other Asia-Pacific sub-regions. We provide support to nationally-led SSG/R processes as well as sub-regional and regional security sector experience-sharing initiatives. We do this in cooperation with national, regional and international partners supporting SSG and SSG/R across the wider Asia-Pacific region. You can follow us on Twitter @DCAF_Asia.
What we do
We take a unique sub-regional approach to promoting good governance of the security sector in the region. Our vision is to foster inter- and intra-regional dialogues, experience-sharing and cooperation within and between the four sub-regions of South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, in order to improve ongoing and new national SSG/R processes.
For the Asia-Pacific entry on the DCAF main website, see the link below.
Activities
We assemble and maintain a network of national actors working on SSG and SSG/R in the Asia-Pacific region. We organise annual South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia SSG forums in collaboration with our sub-regional partner organisations. The goal of these forums is to exchange and learn from SSG challenges and identify SSG/R needs for the sub-regions and individual countries. We also organise an annual regional SSG forum, to exchange best practices and challenges across all countries of the region.
Meet the DCAF Asia-Pacific Team
Albrecht Schnabel
Head of Asia-Pacific Unit
Kevin Socquet-Clerc
Senior Project Officer
Southeast Asia
Rohit Karki
Senior Project Officer
South and East Asia
Justin Yu
Intern
Sabeena Bali
Project Officer
Floris de Klerk Wolters
Project Officer
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