A 360 degrees approach to a security threat that is here to stay
SEESAC at the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation
Vienna, 20 September 2017
Since 2002, SEESAC has been providing continuous support to security institutions of South East Europe in their efforts to ensure non-proliferation of arms, ammunition and explosives at the national and regional level. But the flow of illegal arms from conflict or post-conflict areas and - towards the European Union (EU) remains a threat to security for numerous Member States and their citizens. The accumulation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and ammunition, inadequate storage conditions, significant illegal possession and policy making gaps make illegal arms flow a security a comprehensive threat to be tackled.
The OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation took place under the Chairmanship of the Republic of Serbia. One of the sessions focused on best practices and results achieved to combat the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons in South-East Europe. The session covered multiple angles including national, country based interventions from the states’ law enforcement perspectives to international organizations and international law enforcement agencies.
SEESAC was invited as one of the key four speakers to share with representatives of the 57 participating States of the OSCE its regional perspective on how to bring together different law enforcement institutions in South-East Europe, strengthening their institutional, sectoral and regional capabilities to fight the illegal trade and transfer of arms, drawing upon 15 years of working experience in this field. Slobodan Bošković - SEESAC’s SALW expert present at the Forum, highlighted the 360 degrees approach SEESAC is using when providing assistance to national counterparts, from ‘hands-on’ interventions such as weapons destruction, security upgrades of storages, marking tracing and record-keeping to ‘soft power’ interventions such as awareness raising campaigns about the impact of uncontrolled SALW on societies, support in policy development, policies based on gender and SALW data analysis. Accordingly, Slobodan’s contribution to this forum was to present best practices, update about the progress achieved in the field, inform about the threats identified, and thus contribute towards the further confidence building and decision making of the OSCE.
About the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation
The Forum works to increase military security and stability in Europe and covers politico-military agreements of the OSCE participating States. It helps implement confidence and security-building measures to regulate the exchange of military information and mutual verification between states. The Forum also provides practical assistance to address the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons; deals with non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and oversees the regular contact, co-operation, and sharing of military information among the participating States.
http://www.osce.org/forum-for-security-cooperation