Humanitarian disarmament and peacebuilding

The Humanitarian Disarmament & Peacebuilding sector is one of DRC’s four core sectors of intervention. It seeks to contribute to the fields of disarmament and peacebuilding through a focus on the safety and security of the conflict- and displacement-affected populations at the center of DRC’s mandate.

Our work in Humanitarian Disarmament & Peacebuilding is guided by a bottom-up, rights-based approach, which emphasizes the right of conflict- and displacement-affected communities to safety and security.

Community-level activities include, but are not limited to:

reducing the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war
reducing the risks associated with the storage and circulation of weapons and munitions
mitigating and managing the tensions which lead to conflict
and improving transparency and accountability in the relationships between local communities and duty bearers, such as local security providers.

Humanitarian Disarmament & Peacebuilding at All Levels

While our work starts at the community level, it aims to influence change at all levels to increase the understanding of community-level issues and encourage engagement with them.

This in turn strengthens the formal and informal institutional environment, which influences people’s safety and security at a local, national, and regional level.

The joint efforts of the sector contribute to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 16 promoting peaceful, just, and inclusive institutions and societies.

This is done by combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, removing the threats posed by landmines and other explosive remnants of war, and improving security governance to prevent and manage conflicts.

The programmatic activities support community-based peacebuilding and security and promote sustainability by providing information on peace and security at all levels of society.

The sector is relevant for the development of global policy not only within disarmament and peacebuilding, but also in the humanitarian-development-peace ‘Triple Nexus’.