Welcome to CESS
Our office is in the Dutch city of Groningen, but our experts live all over the world. Our mission is to promote transparency, accountability and effectiveness in the field of security.
Security Sector Reform (SSR)
In our programmes we engage in training, research and consultancy, mostly on Security Sector Reform (SSR). We provide SSR training (including training of trainers) and develop training material for practitioners in defence, law enforcement, intelligence and other government agencies, parliament, media and civil society. We teach SSR all over Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Watch our 5-minute video or read our SSR brochure for more information.
CESS News
New Programme CESS in Macedonia
2013-12-01
During a debate in the Macedonian Parliament in December 2012 skirmishes broke out between deputies of the ruling coalition and the opposition, causing the largest opposition party to boycott the chamber. In March 2013 they reconciled with the governing coalition and resumed their work, although a certain level of distrust still exists. In the meantime a decision was made to install an ad hoc Committee of Inquiry who proposed recommendations about the functioning of the Assembly and, subsequently, a parliamentary Working Group was established in August 2013 to implement these recommendations. CESS is happy to announce that Netherlands Embassy in Skopje decided to fund a programme for building capacity on oversight amongst parliamentarians and staffers by complementing the work of the ad hoc Committee of Inquiry and the Working Group. The programme aims to strengthen parliamentary oversight and the overall functioning of committees.
Wrapping-Up the Georgia Parliamentary Programme
2013-11-30
In September and November 2013 CESS and GRASS organised their last events in Georgia in the framework of their “Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector in Georgia” programme.
On Thursday 26 September CESS and GRASS organised their third seminar on “Parliamentary Oversight Powers over Military Employments Abroad”. The event was organised at the NATO Liaison Office in Tbilisi. The third seminar dealt with the specific topical policy issue of sending troops abroad and the role of parliament in that process.
During the fourth and final seminar at the NATO Liaison Office in Tbilisi on 8 November, CESS and GRASS focused on the role of parliaments in reviewing, assessing and evaluating security and defence policy-making.
