SALW Control Roadmap 2030
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Project Justitia: Support to the Criminal Justice Response to Counter Arms Trafficking in the Western Balkans (UNODC)

Duration

November 2023 - October 2025

Beneficiary/ies

Western Balkan jurisdictions

Donor/s

Multi-Partner Trust Fund

Funding Amount

USD 2,390,815

Funding gaps (if any)

N/A

Objective/s

  • Project Justitia directly builds upon the previous project on “Criminal Justice Response against Arms Trafficking in the Western Balkans”, implemented by UNODC in 2020-2023, and represents a comprehensive effort to strengthen the criminal justice system's response to organized crime and illicit firearms trafficking in the Western Balkans. By addressing gaps in legislation, enhancing the abilities of criminal justice practitioners, and harmonizing criminal legislation approaches across the region for better operational exchange, the project aims to create a more effective and unified approach to combat these pressing issues and support the implementation of the Roadmap for SALW Control in the Western Balkans.

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 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:

  • Fully harmonize arms control legislation with EU legal framework and in line with international agreements/standards.

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 general population, both women and men, on the danger of misuse, illicit possession and trafficking of FAE.

Key activities implemented up to date

  • Inception meeting for Project Justicia;
  • One regional conference on legislative harmonization with the criminalization provisions of UN Firearms Protocol was organized;
  • Two workshops on legislative harmonization between BiH Criminal Code with the criminalization provisions of UN Firearms Protocol were organized;
  • One regional conference on harmonization of judicial practices in the adjudication of firearms cases was held;
  • One regional conference on the application of special investigative measures to firearms offences was organized;
  • One study visit to the European Court on Human Rights and the French judicial institutions for all WB jurisdictions was organized;
  • One regional conference on development of training materials for investigation and prosecution of firearms offences was held;
  • Training materials for the judiciary were developed and one training for judiciary in was delivered Pristina;
  • Training materials for the judiciary in Belgrade were developed;
  • 2nd edition of the firearms case collection was developed in Pristina, Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje;
  • Guide on the application of Special Investigative Measures in firearms investigations was developed in Tirana, Belgrade, Skopje, Podgorica and Sarajevo;
  • Training materials for investigation and prosecution of firearms offences were developed in Skopje,
  • Development and launch of the Commentary on the North Macedonian Criminal Code.
  • Regional meeting on harmonization of criminal legislation was organized.
  • Firearms case law workshops in Pristina, Sarajevo and Skopje were organized.
  • Criminal legislation workshop in Sarajevo was organized.
  • Training for judiciary in Belgrade was delivered.
  • Training materials for investigation and prosecution of firearms offences developed in Belgrade were finalized.

Main challenges encountered

N/A