Support for SEESAC for the implementation of the Regional Roadmap on combating illicit arms trafficking in the Western Balkans and in support of disarmament and arms control activities in SEE (SEESAC)

Duration

19 December 2022 – 19 December 2025

Beneficiary/ies

Beneficiaries under the ROADMAP, Ukraine, and Moldova institutions

Donor/s

European Union - EU Council Decision 2022/2321

Funding Amount

EUR 4,006,955

Funding gaps (if any)

N/A

Objective/s

• Coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of SALW/firearms and their ammunition in the Western Balkans.
• Strengthened interregional cooperation, knowledge exchange and information-sharing on arms control.
• Strengthened capacities of law enforcement services of Moldova and Ukraine for preventing/ countering illicit trafficking and possession of firearms.
• Countering illicit arms trafficking in the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine through capacity assessments and technical assistance to the law-enforcement and border-police authorities.

Contributing to the Roadmap goal/s

Contributing to the Roadmap overall targets

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.
• Strengthen tasking, coordination and monitoring functions of the Firearms Focal Points, to ensure effective policies on Prevention, Mitigation, Reaction, and Suppression of firearms misuse, trafficking and uncontrolled proliferation.
• Increase national analytical capacities and institutionalize firearms data analysis.

Goal 3:

• Ensure full implementation and monitoring of legal, policy and procedural framework on trafficking of FAE.
• Prevent trafficking (smuggling, illicit trade and transit) of FAE through improved processes, equipment and training of targeted law enforcement units.
• Substantially strengthen control, monitoring and prevention of diversion of legal trade through improved capacities, procedures and transparency.
• Strengthen existing bilateral, regional and international mechanisms and encouraging new forms of good practice to counter trafficking of firearms.

Key activities implemented up to date

I. Coordination of the implementation of the Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of SALW/firearms and their ammunition in the Western Balkans

• Online meeting organized on 24 February 2023 with representatives of the SALW Commissions in the Western Balkans where key findings and recommendations of the Mid-Term Review report were presented and discussed.
• One round of local coordination meetings on the implementation of the Roadmap was supported in six Western Balkans jurisdictions during June-July 2023. The 10^th round of the local Roadmap coordination meetings took place in all six jurisdictions throughout November and December 2023. During this round of the local Roadmap coordination meetings, the first draft of the revised Roadmap was discussed, with the exception of Serbia, where such a meeting was held in January 2024. The 11^th round of the local Roadmap coordination meetings took place throughout May and June 2024, while the 12th round of these meetings was  organized throughout November 2024.
• The 9^th Regional Roadmap Coordination meeting was held on 4-5 July 2023 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the 10^th Regional Roadmap Coordination meeting was organized in Tirana, Albania on 19-20 December 2023. The 11^th Regional Roadmap Coordination Meeting was held on 9-10 July 2024 in Podgorica, Montenegro, and the 12th Regional Roadmap Coordination Meeting on 10-11 December 2024 in Skopje, North Macedonia.
• The 9^th regional monitoring report was developed and distributed ahead of the 9^th regional Roadmap coordination meeting. The 10^th regional monitoring report was developed and shared prior to the 10^th regional Roadmap coordination meeting. The 11^th regional monitoring reports were prepared and shared before the 11^th regional Roadmap meeting. The 12th regional monitoring reports were developed and shared ahead of the 12^th regional Roadmap coordination meeting.
• Based on the inputs received from the Western Balkans jurisdictions, EU, Germany, France, other donors, and international organizations, the Zero Draft of the Revised Roadmap was developed, and the first round of consultation was completed. SEESAC finalized the 2^nd Revised Roadmap draft in early 2024, incorporating inputs from SALW Commissions. The consolidated document was shared with international organizations and donors for final comments and feedback and sent to SALW Commissions for final revision. The revised text of the Roadmap was discussed during the 11^th round of local coordination meetings, and the final text was consolidated at the 11^th Regional Roadmap meeting. The Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW), their ammunition, and explosives in the Western Balkans by 2030 was endorsed by the Western Balkans Ministers of Interior during the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs on 28-29 October 2024.
• The work of the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap Multi-Partner Trust Fund continued to be coordinated and monitored by SEESAC as its Secretariat. The Trust Fund continued its operations with the strong support and partnership from its principal donors and partners - Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway and under the overall support of the European Union. By December 2024, the Trust Fund received funding contributions in the cumulative amount of US$ 28.5 million from its principal donors, whereby three new contributions of about $1 million were received in 2024 from Germany ($524,254), Sweden ($363,361), and France ($108,013). A coordinated approach to SALW Control was ensured through a diverse set of projects implemented by UNDP and UNODC in close coordination with local authorities. The next phase of the regional project initiative Hermes, which supports the countering of firearms and ammunition trafficking via postal shipments, was approved in October 2024 by the Trust Fund's Steering Committee in the amount of $1.3 million. This brings the total number of projects funded thus far by the Trust Fund to 25. Out of these, 16 projects have been completed by 2024, while 9 remain currently active.
• On 21-23 June 2023, SEESAC co-organized a meeting on SALW violence prevention and reduction, together with the Swedish Parliamentary Forum on SALW, the Regional Cooperation Council and the Parliament of Albania. The meeting aimed to enhance parliamentary awareness understanding, and action on SALW control, regional and international frameworks, and the implementation of the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap.
• The Western Balkans Roadmap development and implementation were presented at the NATO SALW and Mine Action Course, organized in Oberammergau, Germany, from 12-16 June 2023, while the broader presentation on the Regional Approach to SALW Control in South East Europe was presented from 10-14 June 2024.
• Outreach on the Western Balkans Roadmap, its structure, best practices, and implementation process continued during the first quarter of 2024 through presentations delivered at a variety of events organized by partners such as UNIDIR, UNODA, NATO and EU.
• The relevance of the Western Balkans Roadmap and its impact on regional cooperation and the fight against organized crime was acknowledged at the EU Western Balkans summit on 18 December 2024 in Brussels. The Brussels Declaration highlights the importance of combatting the trafficking of small arms and light weapons and calls on the Western Balkans partners to pursue the implementation of the Roadmap. The strong local ownership and progress made in the implementation of the Roadmap was also recognized at the Summit Meeting of the Berlin Process in Berlin on 14 October 2024; in particular, its relevance for regional cooperation and contribution towards fulfilling the key security standards for EU membership.
• Promotion of the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap as a leading regional SALW control initiative in a UNDP blog (Silencing Guns to Focus on Development, 24 Oct 2024), highlighted its global relevance and replication in the Caribbean, Central America, and Kyrgyz Republic.

II. Contribute to strengthened interregional cooperation, knowledge exchange and information-sharing on arms control

• Good practices related to the coordination and monitoring mechanisms established with the Western Balkans Roadmap implementation, as well as the process of the development of the Roadmap, were presented by SEESAC in a meeting on Exchange of SALW Roadmaps/Regional Initiatives organized by UNLIREC on 27 January 2023.
• SEESAC presented relevant experiences in developing and implementing the Roadmap at the XXIII Meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and other Related Materials (CIFTA) on 5 April 2023.
• The development and implementation of the Western Balkans Roadmap as best practice of a regional sustainable approach was presented during the thematic workshop organized by UNIDIR and UNODA on Integrating SALW Control into Development Processes on 6 September 2023.
• The Roadmap’s Monitoring Framework was also presented during a thematic workshop organized by UNIDIR and UNODA on Regional Roadmaps and National Target Setting on 27 September 2023.
• SEESAC shared the experiences, model, and added value of the Western Balkans Roadmap at the meeting dedicated to developing the Central American Roadmap to Prevent the Illicit Proliferation and Trafficking of Firearms and Ammunition, held in Panama from 25-27 October 2023. The meeting was organized by UNLIREC and the Organization of American States (OEA).
• SEESAC took part in an assessment mission and shared detailed information on experiences from South East Europe at a workshop with consultative meetings dedicated to the development of the first SALW control project in Kyrgyzstan on 3-9 December 2023.
• As a follow-up to the joint assessment mission, SEESAC supported a study visit of the delegation from the Kyrgyz Republic to the Western Balkans from 12-16 July 2024.
• Besides attending the 19^th Regional Meeting of SALW Commissions, where best practices and experiences from the Western Balkans, as well as the advantages of the regional approach to SALW control, were shared, the representatives of Kyrgyz SALW Coordination Council met with Heads of SALW Commissions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro in a dedicated meeting, representatives of Border and Criminal Police, the Firearms Focal Points of Montenegro and Serbia and visit the Forensic Centre Ballistic Laboratory in Montenegro, as well as a weapons storage facility in Serbia. 
• SEESAC contributed to the dedicated workshop in Issyk Kul, Kyrgyzstan on 22-24 July 2024 on the development of a national strategy and action plan on SALW.
• SEESAC organized three side events on the margins of the Fourth Review Conference (RevCon4) on the UN Programme of Action (PoA) to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects and its International Tracing Instrument (ITI), which took place from 17 - 28 June 2024 in New York. The three side events were dedicated to 1) Sharing of good practices related to SALW Control Roadmaps in the Western Balkans, the Caribbean and Central America, organized jointly with UNODA 2) Mainstreaming of a gender perspective into SALW Control: From Policymaking to Operations organized jointly with UNODA and 3) Investigations of firearms-related crimes – good practices from Western Balkans. In addition, SEESAC supported the participation of the Head of the SALW Commission of Albania, the Head of the SALW Coordination Board of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a Senior Member of the SALW Coordination Council of Serbia in the side events to present the experiences from the Western Balkans in each side events.
• SEESAC participated in the 3^rd International Conference to mitigate the risk of weapons diversion in Ukraine, which was held in Brussels from 27 to 28 May. The conference discussed the joint efforts to support Ukraine, streamlining the different areas of mutual interest, and the way forward.
• SEESAC contributed to the EU Crime Fighting Week, which was held in Brussels on 10-14 June 2024.
• SEESAC participated in the Multinational Small Arms and Ammunition Group - MSAG Ammunition Course in Thun from 23-27 September 2024. The event provided the opportunity for an international exchange of knowledge and experience between various weapons and ammunition management practitioners.
• From 10 to 17 December 2024, a delegation from the Kingdom of Cambodia participated in a study visit to the Western Balkans, organized by UNDP SEESAC and UNRCPD. The visit included participation in 12th Regional SALW Roadmap Coordination Meeting and the 20th Regional Meeting of SALW Commissions in Skopje. The visit supported Cambodia’s efforts in developing a Regional Roadmap on arms control under ASEAN. The delegation held bilateral meetings with SALW Commissions and Ministries of Interior from North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, discussing SALW control practices such as action plans, weapons registries, licensing, inspections, and stockpile management, with visits to forensic labs and weapons storage sites.

III. Strengthened capacities of law enforcement services of Moldova and Ukraine for preventing/ countering illicit trafficking and possession of firearms.

• SEESAC finalized the Needs Assessment of capacities of Moldovan Criminal Police to counter illicit possession, misuse and trafficking of firearms at the beginning of 2023. The Needs Assessment Report was endorsed by the authorities and represented a baseline for ther support, development of SOPs, targeted trainings and procurement of equipment.
• SEESAC supported the workshop on combating the illicit trafficking of firearms, their components and ammunition organized by OSCE in cooperation with the Ukrainian Coordination Centre and EUAM on 2-3 October 2024 in Kiev.
• The part of procured equipment for the Criminal Police in Moldova, consisting of six video scopes, a ground metal detector, and a ground-penetrating radar, was successfully delivered. The part of procured equipment, including long-sighted day/night binoculars, head-mounted night vision binoculars, Thermal Imaging Binoculars and a GPS tracker with software, is expected to be delivered in 2025.
• SOPs for the General Police Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova on detection, risk analysis, investigation, and emergency situations were finalized,  translated, and shared with the relevant authorities for their endorsement.
• Based on developed SOPs, one-week training on the detection of firearms and practical implementation of the risk analysis methodology were organized for the Criminal Police of Moldova from 4-7 April 2023.
• General Police Inspectorate representatives were supported to participate in the Regional Criminal Police Meeting organized by SEESAC on 23-24 April 2024 in Sarajevo.
• Representatives of the National Police of Ukraine and the General Police Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova took part in the Regional Meeting on Firearms Trafficking Investigation Identification held in Belgrade on 26 and 27 March 2024.
• Two representatives of the Moldovan General Police Inspectorate participated in the SEPCA Women Police Officers Network Workshop “The Power of Effective Communication” on 15 and 19 April 2024, in Vršac, Serbia.
• On 1-3 July 2024, SEESAC delivered an Open-Source Intelligence Training (OSINT), for the representatives of the General Police Inspectorate in Chisinau, further strengthening their analytical and investigation capacities.
• In further efforts to reduce the risk of proliferation, SEESAC initiated preparations for the destruction of the surplus of approximately 1,500 pieces of SALW in the Republic of Moldova at the request of the Ministry of Interior.

IV. Capacity development of law enforcement services including ballistic laboratories and customs services of the Western Balkans for countering illicit trafficking and possession of firearms

• On 23 February 2023, as part of the ISO 17025 accreditation process for the MoI North Macedonia-Forensic Lab, SEESAC conducted an assessment visit to the indoor shooting range-Forensic Lab. The resulting report, outlining the status of the shooting range in the Forensic Lab and recommendations, was shared with the MoI. On 29 May 2023 in Skopje, the design for upgrades at the shooting range was presented, ensuring alignment with relevant national construction and legislation.
• A needs assessment of the capacities of Customs Authorities in the Western Balkans to counter firearms trafficking was completed. Assessments were conducted in Serbia (27–31 May 2024), Bosnia and Herzegovina (16–19 July 2024), Montenegro (22–26 July 2024), Albania (16–20 September 2024), Kosovo (30 September–4 October 2024), and North Macedonia (14–18 October 2024). SEESAC is preparing detailed reports based on these assessments, which will form the basis for future support in areas such as training, equipment provision, and the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Guidelines on the minimum standards for constructing indoor and outdoor shooting ranges and guidelines on ammunition reloading were developed. These guidelines were developed based on the recommendations of the needs assessments of Criminal Police services in the Western Balkans conducted under the framework of the EU Decision (CFSP) 2018/1778 and are part of the ongoing support to ballistic laboratories, specifically in standardizing practices across the region.

Main challenges encountered

N/A