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Certificates Ceremony of the Regional PSSM Training held for Armed Forces Personnel from South East Europe

Certificates were awarded to 18 participants from Ministries of Defence in South East Europe  who completed a week-long Regional Course on Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and their ammunition. The course was funded by the European Union and organized by UNDP SEESAC in Podgorica on 14-18 November, 2016.

United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative Ms. Fiona McCluney and Colonel Veljko Maljisic from the Army of Montenegro, awarded the certificates to participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

“The course that you successfully completed today, is another contribution towards efficient arms control by strengthening the technical capacities to manage and safeguard stockpiles of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition in the region. I’m confident that the course achieved its aim to provide you with much needed specialized knowledge on the best practices and arms control international standards” Ms. McCluney emphasized in her address to the participants.

Held simultaneously in five languages, the course was of the highest quality, covering the most relevant and useful areas that will assist the participants to considerably improve management of the stockpiles in their own countries, MoD personnel from five SEE countries who attended the course said.

The PSSM Course is part of Component 1 of SEESAC’s EU-funded EUSAC project, aiming to reduce the threat posed by the spread and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and their ammunition through capacity development of personnel in charge of handling stockpiles. Complementing the efforts to increase security of storages through infrastructure improvements implemented under the same component of the EUSAC project, the goal of the course is to further strengthen the capacities of MoD personnel in charge of managing and safeguarding stockpiles of SALW and their ammunition– with a specific focus on the security of stockpiles.

The participants are learning about theoretical and practical aspects of securing storages of SALW and their ammunition in accordance with the International Small Arms Control Standards. The course covers topics on design and evaluation processes, threat assessment, target identification, etc.  The training was delivered by instructors from GEODE Experts, with international expertise in training and specialized assistance in the field of stockpile management of weapons and conventional ammunition.

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EU SUPPORT OF SEESAC DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE (EUSAC) 

The European Union entrusted SEESAC with the implementation of a series of region-wide activities in the period 2014 – 2016 through EU COUNCIL DECISION 2013/730/CFSP. The regional course is part of Component 1 of the resulting EUSAC Project (EU Support of SEESAC Disarmament and Arms Control Activities in South East Europe) which is an integral part of the SEESAC SALW Control portfolio.

EUSAC marks a continuation of the trust placed in SEESAC by the EU since 2002. The Union previously supported SEESAC through Council Decision 2002/842/CFSP, extended and amended by Council Decisions 2003/807/CFSP and 2004/791/CFSP. Most recently, the Union supported SEESAC arms control activities through Council Decision 2010/179/CFSP. 

Designed in close cooperation with national authorities, the EUSAC project works on the following five interrelated streams of activities:

  • Increased security of stockpiles: through the renovation and security improvements to storages of arms and ammunition.
  • Stockpile reduction: through the destruction of surplus arms and ammunition held in storages.
  • Improved marking, tracing and registration of SALW: through the provision of support to the establishment or enhancement of existing weapons registration and record-keeping systems.
  • Improved regional cooperation on awareness raising, information sharing and knowledge transfer: through the facilitation of regional cooperation between national institutions tasked with arms control.
  • Implementation of collection and awareness raising campaigns.

 

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