UNDP SEESAC Supports Planning of a Firearms Collection Campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina
On 26 and 27 March, at Vlašić, UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) hosted a meeting of the representatives of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) of Republika Srpska, MoI of Sarajevo Canton, MoI of the Central Bosnia Canton, MoI of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, MoI of the Bosnian Podrinje Canton, MoI of the Canton 10, MoI of the County
of West Herzegovina, Police of Brčko District, MoI of the Hercegovacko-Neretvanski Canton, and the representatives of the international community.
Collection of illegal weapons in Bosnia and Herzegovina was the main topic of the meeting. Specifically the participants discussed the
- possibility of a coordinated effort to pass the Law on Amnesty and Legalization of Illegal Weapons;
- collection and destruction of illegal weapons, ammunition and explosives;
- an awareness media campaigns regarding the threats posed by weapons, ammunition and explosives in illegal civilian possession.
Representatives of all relevant institutions put forward their project proposals, and time frames for the implementation of the proposed activities.
The participants had an opportunity to hear about the experiences gained by their peers in the region, particularly in Croatia where a collection campaign has been implemented over the course of several years with the assistance of UNDP SEESAC. The regional lessons-learned were presented by the UNDP and SEESAC staff.
The participants at the meeting agreed on the pressing need for a coordinated action of collection and destruction of illegal weapons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
All participants agreed that such an action should be conducted on the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, having in mind constitutional responsibilities of specific administrative units. They also understood factors limiting the organization of the collection and destruction activities, in terms of legislative, organizational and financial restrictions.