Interregional Cooperation and Knowledge Sharing – a Visit of the Delegation from the Kyrgyz Republic to the Western Balkans

From 11 to 16 July, representatives of the Interagency Working Group on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control from the Kyrgyz Republic visited the Western Balkans.

They attended the 19th Regional Meeting of SALW Commissions in Southeast and East Europe, the key strategic level regional process on SALW control that facilitates the knowledge sharing among the authorities from the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine.

The key achievements of this regional platform over the past ten years were highlighted, and several crucial topics were addressed. These included an update on the regulatory framework on firearms, ammunition, and explosives and its harmonization with the EU Acquis, the development of evidence-based and gender-responsive policies, and addressing the misuse of firearms in domestic and gender-based violence contexts. The meeting also focused on the prevention of firearm misuse and proliferation through effective inspection systems for private operators, as well as the key developments in arms control.

Following the regional meeting, meetings and visits to the Ministries of Interior in Podgorica and Belgrade were organized.

The study visit was informative and remarkably productive as it enabled the sharing of experiences on small arms and light weapons control. The Kyrgyz delegation heard about the good practices with regard to the development and implementation of small arms and light weapons control strategy and coordination of measures through SALW Commissions. Further, delegations shared experiences in recordkeeping and licencing of firearms, the detection and investigation of firearms-related crimes and physical security and stockpile management. All these topics have been identified as relevant to the development of the first National Action Plan on SALW Control that is currently being developed in the Kyrgyz Republic.

 The Study Visit was co-organized by UNDP SEESAC and funded through the EU Council Decision 2022/2321, and by UNDP in the Kyrgyz Republic and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) through their joint project SALIENT – Strengthening Control over Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Kyrgyz Republic.