Funding Mechanisms

Digitalization and Institutional and Regional Cooperation Project (DIRC)

Implementing period: October 2022 - December 2023

Budget: US$ 309,412



The project ensured continuity in and the strengthening of the ongoing efforts and achievements of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding SALW control. The project introduced new digital tools and structured joint in-country and regional exercises to fight against illegal SALW trafficking, ultimately contributing to more efficient and effective overall fight against illegal SALW trafficking. Furthermore, the project ensured further strengthening of gender mainstreaming and women’s engagement in SALW control within the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH (BiH Customs). It shall support women’s engagement in SALW matters, in particular the gender equality network within the Indirect Taxation Authority to raise awareness on the detection and prevention of gender-based harassment and to reduce gender inequality within the institution.

Overall achievements:

  • Enhanced capacity of BiH ITA, Border Police, and 14 law enforcement agencies to fight illicit SALW trafficking:
    • A new and improved version of the SALW ID Tool application containing 384 items and more than 1500 related high-resolution photographs was produced, installed on laptops, and distributed to 12 law enforcement agencies in the country together with the Tool’s source code, to support their daily SALW-control operations.
    • Six local joint exercises were organized, with BiH customs and cantonal, entity, and state level police representatives, along with the active participation of the BiH Prosecutor Office. These two-day joint exercises enabled 93 customs and police officials to properly apply the previously developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), regulating a step-by-step approach in the detection of illegal SALW in vehicles and compounds, as well as to correlate the SOPs with BiH criminal procedure codes.
    • Two international joint exercises were organized, one between BiH and Serbia and one between BiH and Montenegro, with the involvement of the police, customs, and prosecution representatives from these countries. 52 customs and law enforcement officials took part in the exercises which included simulation of an attempted smuggling of illegal SALW at joint border crossings. The developed SOPs and associated specialized equipment were used for the exercise, which also involved application of respective legal provisions and cross-border collaboration elements.
    • An analysis of the digitalization needs in the relevant police bodies in FBiH and the RS MoI was prepared, including recommendations for follow-up interventions which will be pursued under the next project implemented in BiH funded by the Trust Fund.
       
  • Engagement of women in SALW control/security matters was enhanced:
    • Building upon the previous gender equality advocacy as well as awareness raising on sexual and gender-based harassment among the ITA employees, two gender equality workshops were organized for 45 ITA staff (19 women and 26 men), including participation of experts on gender issues from the BiH Agency for Gender Equality, two Associations of Women Police Officials, the Ministry of Security BiH, and the ITA itself.        
    • Upon a call for proposals, two small-scale initiatives received funding support and were successfully implemented by the two associations of women police officials operating in BiH -– the Network of Women Police Officers, and the Republika Srpska Women Police Officials Network (RS WPON).
      • The Network of Women Police Officers successfully organized a workshop on “Advocacy and women’s activism in the security sector” involving 23 women officials from 13 different police agencies as participants. The activity increased the participants’ knowledge and awareness of advocacy and women’s activism in the security sector and trained active members in their coordinator role for future advocacy activities. The Network also organized a two-day meeting of its Steering Board to define the necessary changes to the association’s Statute and other relevant internal regulatory documents, which were subsequently adopted at the Network’s Assembly meeting.
      • The RS WPON successfully organized a training session on “Firearms safety measures and firearm injury care,” with participation of 15 women police officers from the RS MoI. RS WPON completed the design and distribution of a brochure aimed at assisting police officers with SALW misuse in domestic violence cases, including examples on how to prevent SALW misuse in domestic violence. 220 brochures were printed and distributed across the RS Ministry of Interior’s organizational units. RS WPON also published a leaflet covering key legal provisions on SALW possession and statistics on SALW misuse in domestic violence cases. 2,000 leaflets were then distributed by RS WPON in a street campaign format in Banja Luka, Doboj, and Istočno Sarajevo. As part of these campaigns, RS WPON members engaged with the local populations and media, shedding additional light on the topics for the respective communities.
         

The project contributed to Roadmap Goals 2, 3, 4, 5 and key performance indicators 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 14 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.