Financial oversight in the security sector is a key instrument for ensuring that public funds allocated by the state for the security of the people are spent in a transparent and accountable manner. However, the financial management of security sector institutions is often characterised by opacity rather than transparency. Even in established democracies, the budgets and financial operations of law-enforcement, military and intelligence organisations are often concealed from public scrutiny and sometimes even from formal external oversight by parliament or audit institutions. Furthermore, in many developing countries, disproportionate security expenditures prevent the use of public funds for socio-economic development.
Why this Toolkit?
Building the conceptual and technical capacities of specialized practitioners is a crucial step towards strengthening financial oversight in the security sector. This Toolkit is designed for financial oversight practitioners who wish to:
- Gain access to best international practice in financial oversight of the security sector
- Improve their professional ability to financially oversee security sector institutions
- Acquire a more proactive attitude toward conducting thorough financial oversight activities of security sector institutions
- Assert their authority in scrutinizing budgets and financial operations conducted by security sector institutions.
This publication has been made possible by the generous support of the European Union.The toolkit can be downloaded in its entirety in the following languages: English, Arabic.
