Ministries of Foreign Affairs can positively influence the delivery of transparent and accountable security policies in a variety of ways.

In transition or post-conflict states, the ministry will often be the focal point for coordination between international donors and international organisations running development and technical assistance programmes. In this context, the Ministry can play a vital role in ensuring that reform assistance packages are coordinated, do not duplicate each other, and develop the capacity of democratic institutions as well as government institutions and security sector agencies.