Democratic institutions, both the democratically elected branch of the legislature (e.g. assembly or parliament) and the judiciary, in all nations have a vital role to play in security sector oversight and monitoring security sector policies and practices. In this way, parliamentary oversight is a critical component of legislative governance of the security sector.

The role of parliamentarians and parliamentary committees is multi-faceted and, ultimately, determines the legal framework for security policy and practice, accountability of security institutions and security institutions’ use of financial and human resources. Such activities presume a high degree of motivation and focused activity by interested parliamentarians.

Additionally, all security sector institutions and their employees must be accountable to an independent judiciary for their actions.