Conference Report: The State of the Region, Security Sector Governance in Southern Africa BACKGROUND Understanding the dynamics of the security sector and the arrangement of power relations within the security sector requires in-depth knowledge of the actors, structures, processes, values and behaviour that inform the delivery of security services and how citizens access those services. The aim of this conference was to explore dynamics that influence the democratic governance of the security sector in Southern Africa. The identification of entry points for reform has a five- fold purpose: To enable input from the region into the international agenda for SSR To enable input from Southern Africa into the conti- nental framework for SSR To enable input from regional experts into the possible strategic orientation for the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) To have an available knowledge base on the security sector to enable civil society participation and local ownership To assist think tanks in the region to develop sound strategies for applied policy research and capacity- building interventions
