Over 1,639 Pieces of Weapons, Parts and Components Destroyed to Enhance Public Safety in BiH

Travnik, 10 October 2026 – 1,639 small arms and light weapons, their parts and components were destroyed today at the Pobjeda Foundry near Travnik, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance public safety.

A total of 883 pieces of long and short weapons and 756 parts and components were destroyed, having been collected through various police activities or voluntarily surrendered by citizens.

The destruction was organized by the Small Arms and Light Weapons Coordination Board in cooperation with police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in BiH and UNDP SEESAC.

The initiative is funded by the European Union under the framework of Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/3006 of 2 December 2024 in support of SEESAC disarmament and arms control activities in South-East Europe reducing the threat of illicit small arms and light weapons and their ammunition, and is implemented by UNDP SEESAC.

Since 2017, authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have destroyed nearly 15,600 pieces of small arms and light weapons in partnership with UNDP SEESAC, with financial support from the European Union and technical assistance from UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Attending the destruction, Ermin Pešto, Assistant Minister of Security and Chair of the Small Arms and Light Weapons Coordination Board, stated: “Every piece of illegal weapon we remove from our communities reduces the risk of its misuse and contributes to greater safety for citizens. Today’s destruction is the result of the continuous work and cooperation of the competent institutions and police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina in controlling and reducing the quantity of illegal weapons. It is particularly important to continue acting preventively, to raise awareness of the dangers posed by the illegal possession of weapons, and to encourage citizens to voluntarily surrender illegal weapons to the competent institutions.”

The European Union currently provides close to EUR 14.5 million in support of three regional SALW control projects implemented by UNDP SEESAC. The projects aim to reduce surplus stocks of SALW and ammunition, tackle illicit possession and trafficking of firearms, and enhance the secure storage of SALW and ammunition.

Technical support for the implementation of the activities is provided by UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has been working with the competent institutions for many years to improve small arms and light weapons control and reduce the risks their illicit possession poses to citizens. Through this cooperation, UNDP in BiH supports the safer management of confiscated weapons, the strengthening of institutional capacities, and the implementation of measures that contribute to greater public safety.

Today’s activity reaffirms long-standing cooperation and a shared commitment to sustainable solutions for the secure management of confiscated and surplus firearms.

It also marks another step towards achieving the objectives of the Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons and their Ammunition in the Western Balkans by 2030, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Small Arms and Light Weapons Control Strategy 2025–2030 and the accompanying Action Plan for 2025–2027.