IPU and DCAF launch Handbook on oversight of security forces

From left to right : General Juan Carlos Salgado, Senator Fernando Flores, IPU President Sergio Páez. Photo IPU/ J. Inostrosa

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) launched in Santiago a handbook for parliamentarians on parliamentary oversight of the security sector, in the presence of the President of the IPU Council, Chilean Senator Sergio Páez, the Chairman of the Chilean Senate Defense Committee, Fernando Flores, the Defence Chief of Staff, General Juan Carlos Salgado, Swiss MP Paul Günter, the Deputy Director of DCAF, Philipp Fluri, and the IPU Secretary General, Anders B. Johnsson.

"People's views must find expression in the nation's security policy"

Because security is central to people's well-being, it is essential that their views find expression in the nation's security policy. That policy has to incorporate the underlying values and principles relating to security which the State seeks to foster and protect. There is thus a clear need for the people's elected representatives in parliament to work closely with the government and the security sector. Yet although they work for the same end, their roles are and should be fundamentally different. In Chile, relations between society and the armed forces have improved over the years. Today's international community will find in Chile an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation, which we hope will be further consolidated in the future. We are confident that this handbook will help to ensure that all the key players in the security arena will steer their cooperative endeavours towards the common good of each and every citizen.
Mr. Sergio Páez,
President of the IPU

"A social fabric underpinned by trust and dialogue"

Parliament is responsible for setting the legal parameters, adopting the budget and overseeing security activities. It can only exercise these responsibilities in full if it has broad access to information, the necessary technical expertise, and the power and intention to hold the government to account. This, in turn, requires a social fabric that is underpinned by trust and dialogue. Nowadays, the part that is played by those whose job it is to provide security is undergoing considerable change. New types of armed conflict and growing ties between states have prompted innovative responses and new thinking about the very concept of security. The attacks of 11 September 2001 and their aftermath have only underscored this need.
Anders B. Johnsson
IPU Secretary General

"A very reliable tool that can be a real help in building a safer world"

The Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Santiago offered an excellent opportunity to launch this Handbook, because both MPs and the media were present. This event can also be linked to Chile's history. Recent developments on the world political scene also underscore the importance of such a publication. Mr. Adolf Ogi, former Federal Councillor in charge of the Swiss Defence Department and currently United Nations Ambassador for sport in the service of peace, was one of the prime movers behind the establishment of three key centres in Geneva: the Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), the Humanitarian Demining Centre and the Centre for Security Studies. The handbook published jointly by the IPU and DCAF is a very reliable tool, that can be a real help in building a safer world.
Mr. Paul Günter, Swiss MP
President of the Swiss IPU Group

"The idea of democratic parliamentary oversight of the armed forces is also gaining ground within NATO and the OSCE"

Inside international organisations and within the international community, people are giving thought to the question of parliamentary oversight of the security sector. This means that there is greater awareness of this question. The 2002 edition of UNDP's Human Development Report stresses the importance of controlling the security sector. The idea of democratic parliamentary control of the armed forces is also gaining ground within NATO and the OSCE. It is viewed as a linchpin of all democratic development and cooperation programmes with the governments of countries undergoing democratisation. Its track record is perhaps not very good for the moment but the process is moving towards real democracy in an ever increasing number of countries, which are taking the question of democratic control of the armed forces very seriously. Accordingly, DCAF considers that the effectiveness of parliamentary control is all the more vital insofar as it guarantees that new solutions will be designed and implemented with all the desired transparency and accountability. Failing this, security forces could well misunderstand their mission and set themselves up as a State within a State, diverting scarce resources or wielding excessive political and economic influence.
Philipp Fluri, Deputy Director,
Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces-Geneva (DCAF)

The example of Chile

In Chile, the Chief of Staff, General Juan Carlos Salgado, and the President of the Senate Defence Committee, Senator Fernando Flores (editor's note: a close friend of the late President Allende who spent many years in exile in Washington, D.C.) work together. Here are some of their impressions of the Handbook for MPs on the control of security forces.

Q : Is the fact that the Handbook is being launched here in Santiago, Chile, symbolic for you?
Fernando Flores: It is indeed symbolic. But I would like to stress that we are working together on many subjects. The General has access to state-of-the-art technology that can be of use to us!
General Juan Carlos Salgado: We are working together to prepare a workshop on this subject.

Q : Why is the Handbook important?
General Salgado: This Handbook is important because it sums up the modern notion of security and because it defines the accountability that the State must display in the security field. In short, it is a compromise. And in my view this is a good way to tackle matters. Yet I would like to point out that the title lends itself to confusion, for by mentioning parliament's control over the security forces, this gives the impression that the sector of security forces is out of control. Rather, it seems to me that the Handbook tackles the interaction between parliament and security forces.
Senator Flores : Yes, that's right. I believe that people are learning little by little. The experience of some persons is important. This opens up the possibilities that MPs have for dealing with various subjects, including this one.

Q : Is it important that the citizens who have elected the parliamentarians who represent them understand better this relationship between armed forces and democracy?
General Salgado: Absolutely ! We must convince people of a great many things, including the relationship between the security sector and Parliament. We must keep on working to get the message across.

Q : Is it hard for you to convince citizens?
General Salgado: No, it's easier today than it used to be.