Progress of the SALW Control Roadmap Implementation Assessed at the 12th Regional Coordination Meeting

The  progress in implementation of the Roadmap for a Sustainable Solution to the Illegal Possession, Misuse, and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and their Ammunition in the Western Balkans by 2024 (Roadmap) was assessed during the 12th Regional Roadmap Coordination Meeting.

Held in Skopje, North Macedonia, on 10-11 December 2024, the meeting convened over 100 participants both in person and online. Attendees included representatives from the SALW Commissions in the Western Balkans, international organizations involved in arms control in the region, and key donors such as the European Union, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Apart from the participants from Belgrade, Podgorica, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, and Tirana, the delegation from the Kingdom of Cambodia attended the meeting in Skopje as part of a study visit to the region. Their participation in this meeting is another evidence of the region’s progress and the accumulated experience and expertise that has been built throughout these years and that is being used as a footprint in developing small arms and light weapons control programmes by other regions.

These meetings serve as a platform to inform and coordinate ongoing activities aligned with the Roadmap’s specific goals, present information submitted by the jurisdictions in their narrative reports, and discuss contributions from international and regional organisations as well as the donor support to the Roadmap implementation.

The 12th Regional Progress Report on the Implementation of the Roadmap, covering the period from 1 January to 30 June 2024, was presented at the meeting. Prepared by SEESAC with inputs from six Western Balkan jurisdictions, key findings from the regional report in the Roadmap’s implementation include:

  • Most jurisdictions have reported ongoing work in further aligning their criminal codes with the UN Firearms Protocol, with three jurisdictions reporting their full compliance.
  • All jurisdictions reported valid SALW control strategies in place, while two jurisdictions reported ongoing work on the evaluation of current strategies and development of new ones in the reporting period.
  • Active participation/engagement in development of gender sensitive tools to prevent misuse of firearms in domestic and gender-based violence was reported by all jurisdictions.
  • Continued progress was reported by all jurisdictions in improving the capacities of both criminal and border police in countering firearms-related crimes.
  • The Firearms Focal Points were reported as established by five jurisdictions of the Western Balkans and as being operational by four of them.
  • All six jurisdictions reported participation in the operations and activities, including in the intelligence phase of the Southeast Europe Joint Action Days (SEE JAD).
  • Four jurisdictions reported continued collaboration with FRONTEX, EUROPOL or INTERPOL. All of them reported contribution to the several Operational Actions under EMPACT including in co-leaders role.
  • Strengthened capacities of judiciary for investigation and prosecution of firearms related offences through study visits, regional meetings, and training activities, targeting judges and prosecutors were reported by all jurisdictions.
  • Numerous activities focused on raising awareness about the dangers associated with illicit possession and misuse of firearms were reported by all jurisdictions. Additionally, increased cooperation with journalists and engagement of local authorities, CSOs and community policing was noted in the report.
  • A total of 21,017 pieces of firearms were reported as collected through voluntary surrender across the region.
  • Recognizing the importance of security infrastructure, improvements continued in law enforcement storages. Security upgrades were reported as ongoing or completed in about 30 evidence rooms across the region.
  • Approximately 1,017 confiscated firearms, 36,417 pieces of confiscated ammunition, and 70.9 tons of surplus ammunition were reported as destroyed during the reporting period.

In the first half of 2024, SEESAC’s AVMP recorded 1,567 firearm-related incidents in the region, a 12% decrease from the 1,791 incidents reported in the previous reporting period. This decline spanned all types of firearm incidents, with celebratory shootings showing the most significant decline, dropping from 105 to 32 cases. These incidents resulted in 42 homicides, 165 injuries, 206 threats, and 28 suicides with firearms.

The meeting was opened with addresses from distinguished speakers, including:

H.E. Panche Toshkovski, Minister of Interior of North Macedonia underscored the significance of the Roadmap and the collaborative approach taken to address illicit arms trafficking. He also emphasized the endorsement of the revised text of the Roadmap for implementation 2025-2030 during the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs on 28 October 2024.

H.E. Olivier Caron, Special Envoy for Counterterrorism and the Fight against Organized Crime, France, praised the authorities for their dedication to implementing the Roadmap and highlighted the vital role of the SALW Commissions. He also noted the significant achievements in SALW control in the Western Balkans and stressed the importance of maintaining these successes.

Mr. Benedikt Zanker, Head of Division, Conventional Arms Control at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, praised the achievements, reaffirming continued German support through political, financial, and technical assistance.

Mr. Ben Nupnau, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to North Macedonia, expressed the EU's strong commitment and support in the fight against illicit arms, adding that the EU has allocated new funds to support this initiative.

Ms. Steliana Nedera, Manager at UNDP’s Istanbul Regional Hub, expressed gratitude for the jurisdictions’ unwavering dedication to the Roadmap implementation and stressed that the Roadmap next phase reaffirms the region’s collective commitment to advancing SALW control as an integral part of fostering long-term security and stability in the Western Balkans.

Mr. Marko Radovanović, Political Advisor, Regional Cooperation Council, pointed out the Roadmap’s positive impact on regional stability and security, underlining that the positive effects of the regional work within the SALW Control Roadmap were confirmed at the Berlin Process Summit on 14 October 2024.

 
The Roadmap was developed by the Western Balkans authorities with SEESAC’s technical support, under the auspices of the Governments of Germany and France and with the support of the European Union and other relevant actors. It was adopted at the London Summit in July 2018.

The Regional Roadmap Coordination Meetings are organised with the funding support of the European Union through its Council Decision 2022/2321 in support of SEESAC for the implementation of the Regional Roadmap on combating illicit arms trafficking in the Western Balkans. More information on the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap can be found on the following link.

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