Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration

UNDP provides technical assistance to disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) initiatives in 20 countries.  We operate in peacekeeping missions, special political missions or non-peacekeeping/non-political mission contexts, in collaboration with different partners. In order to be most effective, we take a holistic approach to DDR that goes beyond ex-combatants, focusing on the wider community with programmes on armed violence reduction and weapons management. In support of national authorities, UNDP plays a coordinating role, strengthens national capacities and provides financial and technical assistance to DDR programmes.

Our Goal

Through the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants, UNDP seeks to support peace processes and enhance security to facilitate recovery and development. During the transition from conflict to peace, our goal is to support ex-combatants' economic and social reintegration. Rebuilding and sustaining their livelihoods is achieved through training for employability and support for micro and small enterprises/businesses and other initiatives that are important for return to civilian life.  MORE >

Projects and Initiatives

Responding to UNDP Administrator's Call for Community Resilience in Sudan

Following Administrator Helen Clark’s call for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to move away from being an overly risk calculating organization into one that is more

Fighting for Peace: Hakamas in Darfur

Hakamas are a traditional part of the daily lives of men and women throughout the Darfur region in western Sudan. They used to comprise women singers more

Espérance Nibigira, 35, joined a community solidarity project that has been launched with assistance from UNDP and with the financial support of the Japanese government. (Photo: UNDP)

Burundi: Returning to a normal life after war

Some mornings Espérance Nibigira, who is 35 years old, wonders how she is going to find the energy to begin the day. As a combatant in the north-west of Burundi during the civil war that raged between 1993 and 2005 and resulted in 300,000 victims, she suffered an accident on the battlefield that left her disabled and suffering from amnesia. more

Cluster munitions maim and kill Iraqis every day

Every year hundreds of Iraqis are killed or maimed by cluster munitions and landmines, due to Iraq’s contamination of millions of explosive remnants of war (ERW). According to Iraqi figures, the contamination claimed 14,000 victims between 1991 and 2007, while in the three Kurdish governorates the estimated number of victims (both injuries and deaths) was 8,174 between 1991 and 2008. more

UNDP Magic: The compressor that turned into a pick-up.  Best among the income-generating practices amongst former armed cattle rustlers.  From the Juakali project in Northern Uganda’s Karamoja Region.

Preventing Violence through Employment Works in Uganda

Juakali project in Northern Uganda’s Karamoja Region has changed the lives of the youths. All group members are former cattle warriors who are now ‘disarmed’, some voluntarily and others forcefully. The group is one of the most impressive groups of beneficiaries among the UNDP-supported groups in Karamoja Region in Uganda. more

Did you know?
  • In 2010, we assisted national actors to train, equip and refer 25,000 male and over 7,000 female ex-combatants and associated members (about 10% of an estimated total of 224,000 men and 72,000 women) to emergency jobs and employment opportunities in Burundi, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kosovo, Nepal, the Republic of Congo, Sudan and Uganda.
  • Throughout 2010 UNDP also planned the start-up of eight DDR programmes expected to become operational in 2011, in Afghanistan, Chad, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sri Lanka.
Policy, Guidance and Lessons Learned
  • How to Guide – Monitoring and Evaluation for DDR Programmes English
  • Posters - Monitoring and Evaluation for DDR Programmes English
  • Practice Note on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-combatants English | French
  • The Integrated DDR Standards: Take the Quiz - What are the Integrated DDR Standards? English
Additional Resource
  • Report of the UN Secretary-General on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration English