Spain: Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration course

Course on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration in Barcelona, Spain, 14 to 25 May 2018

1.Background and scope

In countries emerging from violent conflict and/or serious political and social crises, a successful transition between conflict and peace is often dependent on the establishment of increased human security and the creation of a climate of confidence, which paves the way for a range of peacebuilding and recovery activities. The process of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) is both an output of conflict resolution and a facilitator for peacebuilding.

DDR involves the standing down of parties to a conflict and the reintegration of ex-combatants into civilian life. It seeks to address the post-conflict security challenge that arises from ex-combatants being left without livelihoods or support networks, other than their former comrades, during that critical transition period. DDR is also often closely linked to security sector reform (SSR), such as police reform and army integration. Furthermore, DDR supports the economic, social and political reintegration of ex-combatants and their dependants, as well as children associated with fighting forces. Integrating a gender perspective in all areas of DDR will increase prospects for reconciliation and development and make successful DDR a chief contributor to sustainable peace. While much of a DDR programme will be focused on ex-combatants, the beneficiaries of the programme should ultimately be men, women, boys, and girls in the wider community.

2.Aim

The aim of this middle to senior level course is to give the participants a comprehensive view on DDR in order to increase their understanding of programmes, projects and activities needed for a peaceful development. The course will combine experiences from different DDR programmes with theoretical views on the subject.

3. Course contents

This course is to a large extent based on the UN Integrated DDR Standards (IDDRS) for guiding principles, preconditions, core strategies and approaches for undertaking integrated DDR. It outlines preconditions necessary for the success and sustainability of DDR programmes. It also provides guidance on key strategies and approaches to DDR programmes and operations such as community based reintegration and security aspects. Furthermore, the course includes discussions on mandates as well as on the international legal framework within which integrated DDR programmes operate.

The course covers four general themes with underlying specifics:

Concepts, Policy and Strategy of IDDRS

• Concept of DDR

• UN approach and guiding principles

• Introduction to conflict analysis

• Stake-holders and partnerships

Operations, Programmes and Support

• Disarmament

• Demobilisation

• Social, political and economic reintegration

• Local Peacebuilding

• Public Information

Structures and Processes

• Integrated DDR planning

• Mission and programme support

• National institutions for DDR

• Monitoring and evaluation

• Finance and budgeting

Cross-cutting issues and linkages

• Gender and DDR

• Youth, Children and DDR

• SSR and DDR

• Transitional Justice and DDR

• Organized Crime and DDR

• DDR and Violent Extremism

4.Participants

The participants are expected to have a basic knowledge of Peace Support Operations and a need or strong interest to learn about DDR. Invited participants are civil servants, diplomats, police, military personnel, academics and representatives from International and Non-Governmental Organisations. The course also provides the participants with an opportunity to build an international professional network. As the course is taught fully in English, fluency is a requirement.

5.Venue

The course is jointly organised by the Barcelona International Peace Center and the Folke Bernadotte Academy, and will take place in Barcelona, Spain. The training venue is a beautiful 19th century house that hosted a convent for many years. It is conveniently located minutes away from Barcelona’s city center.

6.Costs

The course fee is 2 500 Euros. Included in this fee is the cost of accommodation during the course in a suitable hotel in single rooms as well as lunch and daily refreshments. Payment arrangements will be described in the acceptance letters. A limited number of scholarships can – in exceptional cases – be offered, covering parts of these expenses, for qualified participants who otherwise would not be able to attend.

7.Points of Contact

For further information please refer to https://fba.se/en/how-we-work/courses/ and http://www.bcnpeacecenter.org/ or contact:

Mr Eric Mellado Åhlin
Folke Bernadotte Academy
Phone: +46 70 559 63 02
E-mail: Eric.Mellado-Ahlin@fba.se

Ms Eva Lopez
Barcelona International Peace Center
Phone: +34 686 379 555
E-mail: info@bcnpeacecenter.org

Folke Bernadotte Academy Course Administration
E-mail: courses@fba.se

Please send us your applications by March 23. We receive many applications and in order to better evaluate yours, please include a short motivation note as to why you wish to attend this course. In addition, CVs are welcome.

Applicants are kindly requested to use the online application form.