SEESAC Publishes a Practical Guide on Addressing Arms Diversions

SEESAC’s tailor-made SALW Knowledge Base has been recently expanded to include a publication focusing on strengthening post-export controls. The report ‘’Addressing the Unauthorized Re-export or Re-Transfer of Arms and Ammunition’’ reviews international guidelines and practices for cases when arms are re-exported or re-transferred from their intended locations or users. Published on February 18, 2015, the comprehensive report analyses both regional and international standards, as well as national policies and practices on re-export and re-transfer controls with particular focus on South Eastern Europe.
 

The report presents a comprehensive overview of the different ways in which states can and do impose re-export and re-transfer controls, enforce and monitor these controls and respond to reported violations. It also provides a set of guidelines to assist states in South East Europe with the development and implementation of re-export and re-transfer controls – particularly how to respond in an effective and transparent manner to reports and allegations of unauthorized re-exports and re-transfers.
 

The report is accompanied by a Toolkit for Addressing Unauthorized Re-export and Re-transfer of Arms and Ammunition, available in English and three local languages, (BCMS, Macedonian and Albanian), which complements the report by providing licensing officers with specific language to be included in the licensing documentation, a menu of tools that can be used, and checklists helping them  to impose and enforce re-export and re-transfer of controls and respond to violations in the best way possible.

Both the Report and the Toolkit were researched and writen by Mark Bromley and Lawrence Dermody from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). 

The Report and Toolkit are products developed under SEESAC Arms Exports Control Programme, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway.  Countries participating in this Programme through its Regional Information Exchange Process (RIEP) identified the strengthening of exports controls as an area that required more work, while SEESAC facilitated the creation of the report and the toolkit in line with their requirements. 

SEESAC KNOWLEDGE BASE

SEESAC is dedicated to identifying and filling knowledge gaps by building a publicly available SALW Knowledge Base consisting of over 65 research-based publications covering issues ranging from SALW Legislation, to Community Policing and SALW Stockpile Management. SEESAC’s approach is to meet specific and targeted information needs for SALW issues in the region.