DCAF supports parliaments and independent oversight bodies in Europe and Central Asia to play a more effective role in the democratic governance of national security sectors. To this end, parliamentary assistance projects in the Europe and Central Asia region contribute to the following main objectives

• Strengthening capacities of parliaments to legislate and oversee national security sectors;
• Raising awareness on international standards and good practices in the work of parliaments and independent oversight bodies through development and delivery of knowledge products;
• Enhancing the exchange and dialogue between parliamentary committees and national justice and security actors;
• Fostering the cooperation between parliaments and civil society organizations and strengthening the role of civil society organizations in monitoring parliamentary performance in security sector oversight;
• Providing parliamentary committees and independent oversight bodies with access to independent policy expertise;
• Fostering regional parliamentary cooperation related to security sector governance.

Broader – and long established – cooperation with NATO Parliamentary Assembly supports regional discussion of a number of security governance issues such as defence reform, integrity building or gender and human rights in the armed forces.