United Nations, Oct 13 (IANS): Indian Minister Preneet Kaur stressed here Wednesday the importance of effective security sector reform (SSR) for countries that are in the midst of conflict or building peace post-conflict.

Her statement came as she addressed the Security Council during its debate on the topic of SSR, Xinhua reported.

"Successful security sector reform is vital for establishing enduring peace and stability in countries that are in conflict or in a post-conflict peacebuilding phase," said Kaur, minister of state for external affairs of India. "On the other hand, it is usually failure in SSR that causes some countries to remain mired in conflict for extended periods."

She said that it is important that SSR remain country-specific and nationally owned even when it involves international institutions like the UN or donor countries.

"For successful implementation of security sector reforms, it is imperative to clearly recognize, at the outset, that it is an internal affairs of a country," said Kaur. "As such, the process must be led and owned by the concerned nation-state."

"The process must be driven by national requirements and not by donor priorities," she added.

The minister emphasized the importance of having a broad approach to the operational aspects of security sector reform, as the sector goes beyond just defence and police forces.