Parliaments have the duty and obligation to strengthen their oversight of arms transfers. This was the conclusion of the regional meeting of the Western Balkans Parliamentary Forum on SALW co-organized by the Parliament of Montenegro and SEESAC and which took place on 08 November 2010, in Becici within the framework of the Cetinje Parliamentary Forum. The meeting was presided over by Mr. Mevludin Nuhodzic, the Chair of the Committee on Defence and Security of the Parliament of Montenegro, who stated in his opening address that the Parliament had established good foundations to oversee the trade in controlled goods and thus contribute to strengthening the image of Montenegro as a responsible member of the international community.  ... read more

The presentation of the report Establishing the South East Europe Women Police Officers Network – Research Findings took place under the high patronage of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Ms.Jadranka Kosor, in Zagreb, Croatia 5 November 2010. The presentation, followed by the roundtable on the position of women in police services in SEE and mechanisms for gender equality was organized by the Croatian Ministry of Interior and UNDP/SEESAC.  ... read more

On 29 October 2010, the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), with the support of SEESAC, organized a conference on the activities of BiH institutions in the control of arms imports and exports. The event, which took place within the framework of the Western Balkans Parliamentary Forum on SALW, was attended by Members of Parliament (MPs), high ranking representatives of the executive, representatives of civil society organizations (CSO) representatives of international organizations and MPs from Montenegro and Serbia. Mr. Adem Huskić, Member of the Joint Committee on Defence and Security, welcomed participants on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly, and stated that the event was further evidence of the efficiency of parliamentary oversight of the security sector in general and the arms trade in particular. Introductory addresses were also given by Mr. Dragiša Mekić, Assistant Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations; Mr. Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Mr. Diman Dimov, SEESAC Team Leader.  ... read more

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations (MOFTER) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and SEESAC jointly organized on 28 October 2010 in Sarajevo a seminar on the implementation of legislation on arms imports and exports. The seminar, attended by officials from the Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) as well as several security agencies, was organized within the framework of SEESAC’s efforts to support the strengthening of arms export controls in the Western Balkans. The seminar was opened by Mr. Dragiša Mekić, Assistant Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, who stated that the customs were an essential part of the system of controls and that increasing their capacity to recognize controlled goods as well as their understanding of procedures would significantly contribute to increasing transparency and reducing illicit trafficking.  ... read more

On 28 October 2010 the Administration of Federal Police in BiH, with the support of SEESAC, organized the presentation of the report Establishing the Southeast Europe Women Police Officers Network (WPON). Following a press conference to mark the launch of the report, a roundtable on the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325 was held.  ... read more

SEESAC's project on women police officers features in the Newsletter 6/2010 of the Regional Cooperation Council.  ... read more

Ms. Bojana Balon, WPON Project Manager features in the latest Southeast Europe Police Chiefs Association Newsletter.  ... read more

On 8 October 2010 in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, SEESAC organized a roundtable on parliamentary oversight of arms export controls. The event, which took place within the framework of the Western Balkans Parliamentary Forum on SALW, was a follow-up to the Regional Meeting of the Western Balkans Parliamentary Forum, held in Belgrade on 12 May 2010 T]. The aim of the event was to support the further development of the capacity of Serbian Members of Parliament (MPs) to oversee arms exports.  ... read more

On 7 October 2010 the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia, with the support of SEESAC organized the launch of the report Establishing the Southeast Europe Women Police Officers Network (WPON). The launch was followed-up by a seminar on the Position of Women in the Police Services of the Southeast Europe and Mechanisms for the Promotion of Gender Equality.  ... read more

On 21-22 September 2010 the Croatian Ministry of Interior organized a seminar on the implementation of the SALW collection campaign. The event took place at Regional Arms Control Verification and Implementation Assistance Centre (RACVIAC ) in Zagreb. The opening speeches were given by Ambassador Paul Vandoren, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Oliver Grbic, Chief Police Director, and Ms. Louisa Vinton, UN Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative.  ... read more