Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards

The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of former combatants and those associated with armed groups is a prerequisite for post-conflict stability and recovery. Of course, there can be no substitute for national leadership and the political commitment of warring parties to disarm and demobilize. But in a peacekeeping environment, a successful DDR programme depends heavily on the ability of the United Nations system to plan, manage and implement a coherent and effective DDR strategy.

In response to this fragmented approach, six UN agencies, departments, funds and programmes came together in 2004 to draft a series of integrated DDR standards (IDDRS), i.e., a set of policies, guidelines and procedures for UN-supported DDR programmes in a peacekeeping context. Following workshop discussions and extensive consultations with country-level practitioners from the UN, member states, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations and the World Bank, the IDDRS were further developed and a second draft was tested in 2005. The Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR, which was formally established by the Executive Committee on Peace and Security in March 2005 with a mandate to improve the UN performance in DDR, now counts 15 UN departments, agencies, funds and programmes as its members. This first edition of the IDDRS has been jointly developed and approved by all 15 Working Group members