THE FOREWORD
to the Integrated DDR Standards
The evolving nature of armed conflicts requires the United Nations to continually adapt its tools, including its approach to DDR. To this end, I am encouraged by the work of the 25-member United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR in revising the United Nations Integrated DDR Standards. The Working Group benefited from the contributions of regional organizations such as the African Union and the European Union, as well as from civil society organizations, training institutions and representatives from academia, national DDR commissions and Member States.
The revised Standards, launched in November 2019, recognize that DDR can be used to advance political solutions, and underscore the value of people-centred interventions through tools such as community violence reduction and transitional weapons and ammunition management. The Standards also emphasize the need to prevent re-recruitment and first-time recruitment during ongoing conflicts, thereby reinforcing the efforts of the United Nations with respect to prevention and sustaining peace.
The revised guidance on the needs and experiences of women is particularly timely as the United Nations marks the twentieth anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, and offers more options to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women in conflict and post-conflict situations. Standards have also been updated to reflect the Youth, Peace and Security agenda. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in fragile settings demonstrates the need for DDR to consider health aspects as well.
With this revised guidance, practitioners now have a wide range of DDR responses at their disposal, which can be tailored to specific circumstances. I encourage all stakeholders to translate these Standards into practice as we work together to build and sustain peace.
António Guterres
