STEP 8
Facilitate Implementation
No matter how well it is mediated, an agreement that is not implemented is useless. For this reason, the mediator should consult or even include potential implementers of DDR programs early in the process. Consultations should not constrain the creativity or flexibility of the mediator, but they will serve as reality check, helping the mediator determine if he or she is on the right track.
Just as mediators should be attentive to the realities of implementation, implementers should not assume that mediation ends with the signing of an agreement. Program implementers should be aware of the need for continued facilitation and mediation during the implementation phase of the program and should be ready to assume these political tasks. Implementers should be particularly careful about sequencing DDR implementation vis-a-vis other political provisions of an agreement. Implementers often tend to adhere to timelines established in an agreement, even when delays occur on other political fronts. Such an approach fails to see the political nature of a DDR program and is doomed to failure.
The long-term success of a DDR program, and indeed of an entire peace agreement, will rely on the ability of the local stakeholders at all levels to manage the inevitable conflicts that continue into the implementation phase of any agreement. For this reason, efforts must be made to enhance the ability of national and community leaders, clan and tribal chiefs, and nongovernmental and faith-based actors to mediate and manage conflicts. Such capacity-building activities will require external support, in particular financing.
Include Implementers in the Negotiation Phase
Mediators should carefully consider the implementation dimensions of DDR throughout the negotiation phase of a peace process, not just after the signing of an agreement. Early attention to implementation ca