Introduction

The Graduate Institute for Development Studies (IUED) in Geneva and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) conducted in July 2005 a survey in order to measure public perceptions of Palestinian security sector governance.

The survey involved 1,500 individuals living in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. In this study, ‘security sector’ is the public sector that comprises all security forces and the relevant civilian bodies needed to oversee them, including the judiciary. ‘Security sector governance’, in a very general sense, refers to how this sector is run. It looks at people, institutions, processes and practices that affect the functioning of the security sector and its capability to deliver security in the broadest possible sense to the population.

A successful security sector would effectively provide security for the greatest number of people at affordable costs, in full transparency and in an accountable manner. How well this is done in practice, however, is a matter of perception.

Thus, understanding how the public views the security sector and its activities is important for good governance. That is why public perception studies of security sector governance are an important tool not only for assessing the quality of governance, but also for evaluating the direction of future reforms. By giving the public a voice in the discussion of their own future security, public perception studies are a step towards greater inclusiveness in the management and over-sight of security issues. They are also a mean for establishing public accountability of the security sector and involving civil society in its governance. This in itself is an important element of any security sector reform agenda, given that the security sector, more than any other public sector, has a tendency to resist public input and oversight.

While many governments in the Middle East would be reluctant to authorize similar studies, the Palestinian National Authority deserves credit for having made this research possible.

The present summary report presents some key findings of the survey. A fully detailed report will be published in winter 2005/2006.

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