International actors often invest heavily in SSR programmes without investing sufficiently in their capacity to manage and oversee them — and that capacity is key to effective international assistance. Partly this is an issue of identifying the right people with the right skills. But it is also about recognising that the means through which an assistance programme is developed and implemented often determines its outcome. A patient and sensitive approach is required, one that is focused on building local ownership and partnerships with other actors to co-ordinate support. It is important to design each programme activity to achieve the objectives that programme has set, and to assess its success in doing so. Ongoing monitoring and review is needed to track progress, and assistance programmes must be sufficiently flexible to adapt to changing contexts accordingly.