SALW Control Roadmap 2024
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Global Firearms Programme / Support for the Implementation of Roadmap for Western Balkans (UNODC)

Duration

2017-2023

Beneficiary/ies

Western Balkan jurisdictions

Donor/s

  • Multi-Partner Trust Fund
  • Germany

Funding Amount

USD 4,773,091

Funding gaps (if any)

N/A

Objective/s

To prevent and counter illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, and their links to transnational organized and other serious crimes, including terrorism and organized crime, and foster effective international cooperation and information exchange.

Contributing to the Roadmap goal/s

Goal 1 - By 2023, ensure that arms control legislation is in place, fully harmonized with the EU regulatory framework and other related international obligations and standardized across the region.
Goal 2 - By 2024, ensure that arms control policies and practices in the Western Balkans are evidence based and intelligence led.
Goal 3 - By 2024, significantly reduce illicit flows of firearms, ammunition and explosives (FAE) into, within and beyond the Western Balkans. 
Goal 4 - By 2024, significantly reduce the supply, demand and misuse of firearms through increased awareness, education, outreach and advocacy.

Contributing to the Roadmap overall targets

Goal 1:

  • Ensure full legal and regulatory framework is in place with regards to FAE producers.

Goal 2:

  • Standardize and institutionalize data collection on firearms, by gender and age, regarding legal and illegal SALW/firearms interdictions, armed violence incidents, ballistic evidence, and other firearms related data resulting in periodic regional FAE.
  • Institutionalize systematic collection of criminal justice data across the Criminal Justice Sector (at the level of Police and Customs, Prosecutors service, Court Service, Correctional and Penitentiary Services).

Goal 3:

  • Prevent trafficking (smuggling, illicit trade and transit) of FAE through improved processes, equipment and training of targeted law enforcement units.
  • Strengthen existing bilateral, regional and international mechanisms and encouraging new forms of good practice to counter trafficking of firearms.

Goal 4:

  • Increase awareness among licensed private and legal entities about the danger of misuse and illicit proliferation of FAE.
  • Increase awareness and reduce the misuses of firearms in violence against women, domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence.

Key activities implemented up to date

2018:

  • Support to BiH and Serbia for development of legislation on firearms import marking:
    • The Guidelines on the methods of marking firearms and ammunition and the Instruction on applying for a license to mark firearms and ammunition were promulgated in the Official Gazette of BiH No. 49/18.
    • On 30 October 2018 the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee of the Serbian Parliament adopted at is 20th Sitting of the Bill on Testing, Stamping and Marking Firearms, Devices and Ammunition.
  • Development of train-the-trainers manual for detection of firearms at land border crossings,
  • Three trainings in BiH on detection of firearms at land border crossings for BiH Customs.
  • Regional meeting on analysis of illicit firearms criminal cases,
  • Regional training for prosecutors on identification and tracing of firearms (jointly with EUROPOL).

2019:

  • Training manual for a course on detection of firearms in postal and courier parcels,
  • Training in Montenegro for customs on detection of firearms in postal parcels,
  • SOP on detection of firearms in postal parcels for Customs Agency in Montenegro,
  • Support for the development of database in BiH for record-keeping of imported firearms,
  • Training for Montenegrin prosecutors on identification and tracing of firearms,
  • Training for BiH prosecutors on identification and tracing of firearms,
  • Analysis of criminal law and criminal procedure law in North Macedonia,
  • Working Group on Amendments to the Criminal Code in North Macedonia,
  • Analysis of criminal law and criminal procedure law in Montenegro,
  • Working Group on Amendments to the Criminal Code in Montenegro,
  • Sub-regional training for BiH, Montenegro and Serbia law enforcement, prosecutors and customs officers on investigation and prosecution of illicit arms transfers,
  • Education for Justice Firearms Modules (https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/tertiary/firearms.html) on:
    • Module 1: Introduction to Availability, Trafficking and Criminal Use of Firearms,
    • Module 2: Basics on Firearms and Ammunition,
    • Module 3: The Legal Market in Firearms,
    • Module 4: The Illicit Market in Firearms,
    • Module 5: International Legal Frameworks,
    • Module 6: National Regulations on Firearms,
    • Module 7: Firearms, Terrorism and Organized Crime,
    • Module 8: Criminal Justice Responses.
  • Regional meeting on collection of data on Key Performance Indicator 5 under the regional Roadmap.

2020-2021:

  • Development of analysis of criminal law and criminal procedure law in Serbia,
  • Development of analysis of criminal law and criminal procedure law in Albania,
  • Recruitment of project staff in BiH, North Macedonia and Serbia,
  • Development of analysis of criminal law and criminal procedure law in North Macedonia,
  • Development of analysis of criminal law and criminal procedure law in Montenegro,
  • Development of analysis of Macedonian case law on firearms offences,
  • Development of analysis of criminal law and criminal procedure law in Kosovo,
  • Development of analysis of Serbian case law on firearms offences,
  • Development of analysis of Montenegrin case law on firearms offences,
  • Development of analysis of Albanian case law on firearms offences,
  • Development of analysis of BiH case law on firearms offences,
  • Recruitment of a consultant for development of a regional report on firearms relevant data in the Criminal Justice System of the WB jurisdictions,
  • Translation into Albanian, Macedonian, Montenegrin and Serbian of a Practical Guide for requesting Electronic Evidence across Borders,
  • Training on identification and tracing of firearms for Serbian prosecutors,
  • Training on identification and tracing of firearms for Montenegrin prosecutors,
  • Workshop on inter-institutional information exchange on criminal procedure law applicable to firearms offences, Nis, Serbia,
  • Firearms case law workshop, Nis, Serbia,
  • Firearms case law workshop, Novi Sad, Serbia,
  • Two Firearms case law workshops, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Firearms case law workshop -prosecutors, Skopje, North Macedonia,
  • Firearms case law workshop -judges, Skopje, North Macedonia,
  • Regional webinar on collection of electronic evidence across borders,
  • Development of training tools for online and off-line capacity building events: four video modules on identification and tracing of firearms for prosecutors,
  • Workshop on inter-institutional information exchange on criminal procedure law applicable to firearms investigations, Tirana, Albania,
  • Workshop on inter-institutional information exchange on criminal procedure law applicable to firearms investigations, Novi Sad, Serbia,
  • Workshop on inter-institutional information exchange on criminal procedure law applicable to firearms investigations, Sarajevo, BiH,
  • Training of prosecutors on identification and tracing of firearms, BiH,
  • Firearms case law workshop, Podgorica, Montenegro,
  • Workshops with Members of the Parliament on harmonization of criminal law with UN Firearms Protocol, Podgorica, Montenegro,
  • Workshops with Members of the Parliament on harmonization of criminal law with UN Firearms Protocol, Skopje, North Macedonia,
  • Workshop for the Working Group for amending Criminal Code in North Macedonia, Skopje, North Macedonia,
  • Workshop for the Working Group for amending Criminal Code in Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro,
  • Workshop on inter-institutional information exchange on criminal procedure law applicable to firearms investigations, Bihac, BiH,
  • One regional training organized on the detection of firearms in fast and postal parcels within the framework of Operation Armstrong of the European Union,
  • Workshop on inter-institutional information exchange on criminal procedure law applicable to firearms investigations, Banja Luka, BiH,
  • Development of analysis of case law on firearms offences in Kosovo,
  • 1st Expert Group Meeting organized on the development of Guidelines on investigation and prosecution of firearms trafficking cases,
  • Trainings on identification and tracing of firearms in North Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro,
  • Workshops on inter-institutional information exchange on criminal procedure law applicable to firearms offences in North Macedonia,
  • Firearms case law workshop, Pristina, Kosovo.

2022:

  • Four needs assessment for detection of firearms, their parts and components in fast and postal parcels in Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia,
  • 3 Expert Group Meetings organized on the development of Guidelines on investigation and prosecution of firearms trafficking cases,
  • Four trainings on x-ray image analysis of firearms, Sarajevo, BiH,
  • One legislative workshop on harmonization of the provisions in the Criminal Code of BiH with the criminalization provisions of UN Firearms Protocol, Sarajevo, BiH,
  • Six workshops on firearms data collection supporting the annual contribution to UNODC Illicit Arms Flow questionnaire,
  • Six trainings on collection electronic evidence in firearms cases using UNODC’s Practical Guide on collection of electronic evidence across borders,
  • Three workshops on inter-institutional information exchange on criminal procedure law applicable to firearms offences in North Macedonia,
  • Training on identification and tracing of firearms in North Macedonia,
  • One legislative workshop on harmonization of the provisions in the Criminal Code of BiH with the criminalization provisions of UN Firearms Protocol, Belgrade, Serbia,
  • One cross-border workshop on inter-institutional information exchange on criminal procedure law applicable to firearms offences in Serbia and North Macedonia,
  • Two regional meetings on harmonization of judicial practices in firearms case law,
  • One regional meeting on the application of special investigation measures to firearms cases,
  • One regional meeting on harmonization of criminal law related to firearms offences,
  • One regional meeting on collection of electronic evidence in firearms cases,
  • One training on risk-analysis for detection of firearms in postal parcels for representatives of Customs and the three postal operators,
  • One regional meeting on customs cross-border cooperation to counter illicit firearms trafficking,
  • Two workshops for freight companies on risk assessment of firearms trafficking through freight shipments,
  • Procurement of three X-ray scanners,
  • Two bi-lateral operations organized on detection of firearm at land border crossing points.

2023:

  • Guidelines on investigation and prosecution of firearms offences developed (Guidelines),
  • Baseline on firearms data in the criminal justice system in Western Balkans developed,
  • Four workshops organized in North Macedonia for customizing the Guidelines,
  • One workshop organized in Serbia for customizing the Guidelines,
  • One investigation on firearms trafficking through postal parcels supported,
  • One paper on Application of special investigative measures in drugs, firearms trafficking and organized crime cases: case law in Serbia, developed.