Helping Keep Citizens Safe - SEESAC and UNDP Providing a Regional Training Course on Stockpile Management

The recent explosion at the ammunitions storage site in Cyprus that killed 13 and injured 60 people is a sobering reminder of how important it is that weapons and ammunition be kept in appropriate facilities and that they are handled by well trained professionals. This is precisely why the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), with the support of UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina, has organized a regional training course on stockpile management for members of the ministries of defence and interior from the Western Balkans region.

From September 12th-16th, in Sarajevo, 19 operational level officials from the ministries of defence and interior of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia underwent a training on Planning and Managing of Stockpile Locations. This was the first module of the three-module course.

All the modules are taking place at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Sarajevo, and are conducted by a team of prominent experts from the Western Balkans and Germany. The course curriculum is in line with international standards and best practices in stockpile management with special emphasis on safety and security of stockpiles and quality of stockpile procedures. Because of its regional character, the participants also benefit from the exchange of experiences and best practices identified by their colleagues from the region who are facing similar challenges.

The training is made possible by the European Union (EU), which is providing the funds under the EU COUNCIL DECISION 2010/179/CFSP of 11 March 2010 to support SEESAC arms control activities in the Western Balkans in the framework of the EU Strategy to combat the illicit accumulation and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition.

The first training is the first part of a three-part training course on Stockpile Management organized by SEESAC. The course is designed to help countries in the region increase their capacities in the area of stockpile management procedures and thereby increase the physical control over the existing storages in the region. The next two trainings, which will be held in October and November respectively, will focus on Inventory Management and Accounting Control Procedures, as well as Stockpile Facilities and Transportation of SALW and Associated Ammunition.

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