The Institute for Security Studies, also known as ISS or ISS Africa (to distinguish itself from other similarly named institutes in other parts of the world), described itself as follows: "an African organisation which aims to enhance human security on the continent. It does independent and authoritative research, provides expert policy analysis and advice, and delivers practical training and technical assistance." Their areas of research include transnational crimes, migration, maritime security, development, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, crime prevention, criminal justice, conflict analysis and governance. It is the largest independent research institute in Africa dealing with human security and is headquartered in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

, South Africa, with offices in Kenya, Ethiopia and Senegal. In 2019, it was ranked 116th by ''the Global Go To Think Tanks Report'' and 55th among think tanks outside the United States.

History

The institute was originally established as the Institute for Defence Policy in 1991 by Jakkie Cilliers and PB Mertz. In 1996, it was renamed the Institute for Security Studies and the organisation shifted its research focus from South Africa to Africa as a whole. The Institute for Security Studies began with a focus in civil-military relations and democratic reform in the waning years of

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

South Africa, but has since evolved to encompass a wide range of issue areas of human security across Africa, including: human rights,

arms control Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Arms control is typically exercised through the u ...

, corruption and governance,

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

, and crime and

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

. Since its inception, the Institute for Security Studies has grown into a pan-African research institution, partnering with the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

, the

Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security coopera ...

, and a host of governments, institutions, and organisations throughout the world.

Areas of work

ISS works in the following areas: * Governance, crime, and justice * Conflict prevention and risk analysis * Conflict management and peace building * Transnational threats and international crime

Partnerships

ISS is a regional partner of the

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC; French: ''Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime'') is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the ...

(UNODC), and they are currently working together on the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). ISS is also a member of the

United Nations Crime Prevention and Crime Justice Network United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * United (2003 film), ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * United (2011 film) ...

(part of the UNODC). The institute has engaged with the African Union on various platforms. ISS was a research partner with the African Union Commission in the Year of Peace and Security in 2010. Additionally, the ISS website hosts as a repository for African Union documents, dating back to 1990. Finally, ISS collaborates with the African Union Peace and Security Council to produce a monthly report on the security challenges and opportunities that face the continent.

Corruption and Governance Programme

In 2010, the Corruption and Governance programme of the Institute for Security Studies launched the ''Who Owns What?'' database. This is an extensive, open-source database of disclosure forms of the assets and interests of South African politicians, in an effort to increase transparency of public officials. The ''Who Owns What?'' Database has been used to hold South African politicians accountable for their private interests.

African Futures Project

The African Futures Project is a collaboration between the Institute for Security Studies and the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures to promote long-term strategic thinking for the African continent across a broad range of key global systems. The African Futures Project has produced monographs on long-term African development, as well as a quarterly policy brief series that addresses specific development issues, such as the future of traffic accidents and fatalities or the implications of a

Green Revolution The Green Revolution, also known as the Third Agricultural Revolution, was a period of technology transfer initiatives that saw greatly increased crop yields and agricultural production. These changes in agriculture began in developed countrie ...

for Africa.

Reception

ISS is listed as a prominent organisation in Africa in independent listings. The views of ISS staff have been cited and referenced in news stories in the African press, in connection with the

Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping On the night of 14–15 April 2014, 276 mostly Christian female students aged from 16 to 18 were kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School at the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. P ...

and in other contexts. It has also been cited in some non-African publications, such as the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', the ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', and ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

''.

References

External links

* * {{citation , title=Institute for Security Studies , url= http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Organizations/Detail/?id=96843&lng=en , via=

(publications fulltext) 1991 establishments in South Africa Security studies Organisations based in Pretoria Think tanks established in 1991 Think tanks based in South Africa