Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) and peacekeeping operations

Abstract

Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) has become an important element of current peacekeeping. The conceptual and practical evolution of DDR is presented as well as the role of DDR within peacekeeping, especially regarding the challenges brought by new warfare dynamics in the 21st century. DDR provisions have seen increasing scope overlapping with agendas of security, development, and peacebuilding. During the early 21st century, DDR has further extended its range of actions and has even been implemented in situations with no armed conflict but high level of violence. "Second generation" DDR was piloted in Haiti as part of the MINUSTAH peacekeeping operation and has shown a potential for DDR to be relevant in different types of conflict, and "third generation" DDR is employed in ongoing conflicts with weak rule of law. Yet concerns remain about DDR implementation in places lacking the necessary conditions for DDR. Arguably, peacekeeping mandates as well as DDR need to be flexible to cope adequately with on-going conflicts. Neither peacekeeping operations nor DDR are meant to be linear processes that are generically set into "one size fits all"; on the contrary, their main virtue and also complexity is their "tailor-made" design.