Joint UNDP – UNODC Project: Halting Arms and Lawbreaking Trade – HALT (UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Duration

February 2020 – June 2023

Beneficiary/ies

Main beneficiaries: BiH Indirect Taxation Authority (Customs), BiH Border Police, BH Pošta, Pošte Srpske, and Hrvatska pošta Mostar, private courier companies.

Other beneficiaries: State Investigation and Protection Agency and relevant BiH ministries (Ministry of Security, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Ministry of Transport and Communication)

Donor/s

Multi Partner Trust Fund

Funding Amount

USD 2,200,000 – UNDP (USD 1,111,061), UNODC (USD 1,088,939)

Objective/s

The overall objective is to further increase safety and security within and beyond the Western Balkans through targeted actions aimed at improving BIH capacities to combat illicit SALW trafficking.

Furthermore, the project seeks to achieve the following:

• Enhance IBM capacity of BIH to better fight illicit SALW trafficking through targeted assistance to ITA, Border Police and three postal agencies, and strengthen cooperation and information exchange between BIH Customs and other institutions at national level and with three neighboring states.

Contributing to the Roadmap goal/s

Contributing to the Roadmap overall targets

Goal 2:

• Ensure standardization of procedures and practices in the area of arms control and FAE investigations.
• Increase national analytical capacities and institutionalize firearms data analysis.
• 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:

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

Goal 5:

• Substantially increase number of seized firearms, ammunition and explosives.

Goal 7:

• Strengthen the capacities of relevant state institutions (armed forces, law enforcement, forest guards, customs, correctional services) to establish inspection systems and implement Life Cycle Management of SALW and ammunition (where relevant).

Key activities implemented up to date

The project officially ended on 30 June 2023.

UNDP implemented activities:

• Recruitment of the project team and relevant short-term consultants completed.
• Focal points with the ITA identified and appointed. Regular coordination meetings held throughout the reporting period.
• Needs Assessment Report completed. The process entailed 6 field visits to border crossings, approximately 25 in-person and online meetings with BIH Customs, border police, other government institutions and international partners.
• A brief analysis of the affirmation and career options for woman in the BiH ITA was conducted as part of the needs assessment analysis of the BiH ITA.
• Specialized equipment to be procured through the project identified through needs assessment and series of meetings between the project team and project beneficiary as well as subsequent written correspondence.
• Draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for ITA developed.
• One-day training concept on the use of SOPs and specialized detection equipment completed.
• Training concept developed under HALT project formally recognized by the Agency for Civil Service of BiH. As a result, each Customs Officer that had completed the training was granted 5 credits by the Agency.
• Train-the-trainer session for 14 ITA officers completed.
• One-day trainings on the use of SOPs and specialized detection equipment were conducted by ITA trainers for 770 Customs Officers (738 UNDP, 32 UNODC) covering all four ITA regional centers in 15 different cities.
• In addition, UNDP organized one training/meeting for ITA middle-level managers aimed at finalizing developed SOPs and emphasizing the importance of their formal adoption by senior ITA management as well as at raising management’s awareness on the proper use of donated specialized detection equipment.
• In February 2023, UNDP organized two meetings of ITA’s mini-WG in Sarajevo composed of representatives of relevant organizational units from ITA with an aim to finalize all details of developed SOP and prepare them for official endorsement by ITA management.
• SOPs officially adopted/endorsed by the ITA Director on 13 June 2023, while UNDP, upon the ITA request, printed 148 copies of SOPs and delivered them to the ITA. 
• As a follow-up to a brief analysis of the affirmation and career options for woman in BiH ITA, eight workshops aimed at the affirmation of women's role in ITA and awareness raising on identification and prevention of sexual and gender-based harassment were organized for ITA employees, of which three for managers. 204 ITA employees (131 women and 73 men) participated in the workshops, including 123 managers, from all four ITA regional centers as well as the HQ.  Workshops were organized with support of the UNDP SEESAC (first three workshops), Ministry of Security of BiH, Networks of Women Police Officers in BiH, Gender Equality Agency of BiH and ITA’s focal point-advisor on gender equality and prevention of sexual and gender-based harassment.
• Working Group at the strategic level between ITA and three ministries at the state level (Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Ministry of Security and Ministry of Transport and Communication) established and the initial meeting took place on 29 March 2021. Another meeting took place in Vienna in March 2022 gathering representatives of BiH SALW Coordination Board Chair (Ministry of Security Assistant Minister), ITA, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations along with UNDP and UNDOC representatives. Strategic as well as certain operational activities were discussed and conclusions adopted aimed at more efficient implementation of several activities within the project. 
• Working Group at the operational level between ITA and police agencies at the state level (Border Police and State Investigation and Protection Agency - SIPA) was established and the initial meeting took place on 30 March 2021, after which three more meetings were organized – one in Konjic in November 2021, and two in Sarajevo in February 2022. Scenario for joint exercises gathering all police agencies in BiH along with ITA, with active participation and observation by the BiH Prosecutor Office, was subsequently developed and agreed.   
• 1 pilot and 10 joint exercises involving police and customs officials from 15 police agencies in BiH (BP, SIPA, Federation Police Directorate, Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior, all 10 cantonal police bodies as well as Brčko District Police) and ITA in the presence of and active participation by the BiH Prosecutor Office were organized in 2022 in 10 different cities. 307 police and customs officers participated in the joint exercises with total of 19 lecturers from BP, Federation Police Directorate, Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior, ITA and BiH Prosecutor Office.   
• UNDP project team managed to liaise ITA with Customs of Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro to exchange information and best practices through organization of meetings across the WB region:
  • First working-level meeting between ITA and Montenegro’s Administration of Customs and Revenues took place in November 2021 in Podgorica. 
  • Following this meeting, first bilateral meeting at the working level between ITA and Serbia’s Customs Administration was held in March 2022 in Belgrade.
  • Following these two meetings, UNDP organized a regional meeting in Sarajevo in July 2022 gathering representatives of ITA and Customs Administrations of Serbia and Montenegro. 
  • Finally, UNDP organized a meeting between ITA and Croatia’s Customs Administration in Zagreb in March 2023.
• At these meetings, UNDP, together with the ITA as the main partner and beneficiary of the project, presented HALT project and its results.  Representatives of all four customs administrations duly noted achievements of HALT project with an emphasis of developed SOPs, training of ITA’s employees on these SOPs and on the use of equipment procured and donated through the project.  Representatives of all four customs administrations exchanged information on best practices of each institution and efforts to prevent and process illegal SALW trade within their jurisdictions, including presentations of their organizational structures with a focus on organizational units in charge of preventing flow of illegal goods, including SALW. These meetings created a network among customs professionals across four jurisdictions that would result in coordinated efforts to detect and better fight illegal SALW trade in the region in the period following the official closure of the project.
• UNDP Project Team procured and delivered to ITA the following specialized equipment: 22 endoscopes, 4 highly sophisticated mobile detectors for explosives and narcotics, 13 instead of originally planned 4 contraband detectors, 50 instead of originally planned 40 explosives and narcotics detection kits, 25 instead of originally planned 20 universal multitool kits, 24 instead of originally planned 20 vehicle inspection kits. Appropriate training was delivered for additional 17 ITA employees on the use of endoscopes, mobile detectors for explosives and narcotics, contraband detectors, and explosives and narcotics detection kits. 
• Furthermore, UNDP procured and delivered to BiH Border Police the following equipment: 6 contraband detectors, 13 digital cameras, 8 evidence packaging kits, 11 number evidence markers, 33 universal multitool kits and 25 metal trolleys with wheels for police officials working at border crossings.
• UNDP facilitated and participated in the meeting of cantonal police commissioners with the Director of Federation Police Directorate in Konjic in the period 23-24 March 2022.
• UNDP facilitated and participated in the meeting of SALW Coordination Board meetings, first in Banja Luka in the period 21-23 February 2022, and then at another in Tarčin near Sarajevo in the period 7-9 February 2023.  At the latter meeting, all participants presented their needs as a part of future efforts within the implementation of the Roadmap. UNDP compiled and incorporated these needs into a new project intervention submitted to the MPTF SC as a part of 3rd Call for Proposals.    
• UNDP Projects Board meetings for SALW Control Roadmap projects in BiH were held on-line on 18 January 2021 as well as in-person on 18 October 2022 in Sarajevo. Final project Board meeting was held on 30 June 2023 in Sarajevo with unanimous endorsement of presented project results and gratitude of participants for a successfully implemented project.     

UNODC implemented activities: 

• Recruitment of project staff and consultants in Q2-Q3 2020.
• UNODC and BiH Customs have developed a joint gap and needs analysis for preventing trafficking of firearms, their parts, components and ammunition through postal and fast parcels.
• Workshop on drafting standard operating procedures (SOP) on the detection of firearms in postal parcels organized with BiH Customs.
• Standard operating procedures (SOP) for BiH Customs on detection of firearms in postal parcels developed and endorsed.
• Workshop on drafting SOP for Public Postal Service Providers on detection of firearms in postal parcels organized with BH Pošta, Pošte Srpske, and Hrvatska pošta Mostar.
• SOP for Public Postal Service Providers in BiH on detection of firearms in postal parcels developed.
• Workshop on drafting SOP for private courier companies on detection of firearms in fast parcels organized.
• SOP for private courier companies on detection of firearms in fast parcels developed and endorsed.
• Equipment needs analysis on detection of firearms, their parts and components in postal shipments prepared and endorsed.
• Gap needs analysis on cooperation between private-public sector on detection of firearms in postal and fast parcels developed.
• IT equipment handed over to BiH Customs.
• Four trainings conducted for private courier companies on detection of firearms in fast parcels
• Train the trainers training conducted for BiH Customs on detection of firearms in fast and postal parcels.
• Workshop organized on cooperation between private-public sector on detection of firearms in postal and fast parcels.
• Support for four bilateral operations for detection of firearms provided, including the organization of 8 workshops.
• Gap needs analysis on detection of firearms, their parts and components in fast and postal parcels published as a joint document by BiH Customs and UNODC.
• One regional training conducted on the detection of firearms in fast and postal parcels within the framework of Operation Armstrong of the European Union.
• One training on detection of firearms in postal parcels for experts from three postal operators in Bosnia and Herzegovina (JP BH Posta, Hrvatska posta Mostar and Poste Srpske a.d. Banja Luka).
• Four training on firearms x-ray image analyses for representatives of Customs and the three postal operators.
• 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, delivery, installation and training on the use of 3 X-ray scanners.
• Detection of 40 postal parcels with firearms parts and support to the ongoing investigations
• Transfer of knowledge between BiH and Montenegrin counterparts on conducting a need assessment for preventing firearms trafficking in postal parcels, resulting in the development of a need assessment report for Montenegro.
• Three SOPs adopted by the three designated postal operators in BiH, one SOP adopted by ITA, and three SOPs adopted by Express Courier companies.

Main challenges encountered

• The main challenge encountered during the implementation of the project has been linked to the spread of the COVID 19 virus across the world given that the project commenced on 22 February 2020. Therefore, the pandemic significantly impacted the implementation of all project activities. In addition, the COVID 19 pandemic has also significantly impacted the work of all international organizations and national institutions in BiH as the work of our project beneficiaries also had to adjust to the increased health risks. The pandemic had been hitting country in waves, including entire 2021 and beginning of 2022, with the latest, and probably the most intense wave, taking place in first two months of 2022. UNDP BiH and UNODC have responded to this challenge by reviewing the working plan and prioritizing activities linked to project management and preparations for deliveries of written outputs.  In addition, project teams also reorganized their work and postponed other activities such as the assessments whose first part had been carried out remotely or in writing. However, during improvements of the situation regarding the pandemic, project teams managed to successfully conduct some of its activities in the field, including one-day trainings for BiH Customs officers, organization of gender consultative workshops, joint exercises among ITA and law enforcement agencies and international cooperation between BiH ITA and customs agencies of neighboring countries. UNDP Project Team was seriously affected by the COVID 19 pandemic on several occasions both in 2021 and Q1 of 2022 whereby all UNDP Project Team members were sick at one point.
• Project teams also encountered problems with procurement processes due to complex technical specification of equipment to be procured and poor response of potential bidders in terms of number of potential offerors and quality of offers. Difficulties included circumstances pertinent to COVID 19 pandemic as well as war in Ukraine, limited number of vendors distributing such specialized equipment resulting in a limited number of bids while some of the received bids have not been compliant with the requirements set forth in the tendering documentation, and serious disturbance in supply chains due to COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Some of the equipment to be procured for the needs of BiH Border Police had only been specified by BiH Border Police in late October 2022. As a result of BiH Border Police request, the project document was amended whereby one of the project activities was deleted (training of 35 Border Police officials) and the funds were inter alia reallocated for procurement of additional equipment for both Border Police and ITA as the ITA subsequently also expressed needs for additional equipment (contraband detectors).
• Due to political unrest in Montenegro and apprehensions of Montenegro’s Administration for Revenues and Customs top management in late 2022 with no new appointments of the management taking place during the remaining time of the project implementation, UNDP Project Team decided to abandon the planned activity of scheduling another meeting between ITA’s HALT focal points with the top management of Montenegro’s Administration for Revenues and Customs despite previous plans to do so.
• In addition, the migrant crisis in BiH coupled with the pandemic has seriously affected at least one of the beneficiaries – the Border Police – to actively participate in the project activities.  As the situation with pandemic has improved during the summer 2021, the project teams have been engaging with all project partners initiating and planning the activities in the upcoming period, with the exception of first two months of 2022 when the latest pandemic wave hit the country.
• Finally, political climate in Bosnia and Herzegovina has seriously deteriorated since July 2021 and it additionally worsened with general elections held in October 2022 resulting in certain turbulences in terms of organization and implementation of certain activities. The political crisis, with the exception of brief successful periods resulting in adoption of several laws required for faster EU accession, continued until the end of the project.  The war in Ukraine further affected internal political relations in BiH along with general elections in 2022.
• Moreover, UNDP project officer working on HALT project left the project in May 2021 while a new project officer was hired only in mid-August 2021 hence causing practical problems in the implementation of project activities.