Stability Pact: Small Arms and Light Weapons

TASK FORCE STATUS: Since May 2002 - still active

The availability, accumulation and uncontrolled flow of small arms and light weapons (SALW) pose serious threats to peace, stability and reconciliation in the South Eastern European region. The Stability Pact pursues the objective of developing a co-ordinated regional approach to fight the excessive and uncontrolled circulation of small arms and light weapons in the region, building on the existing processes of, inter alia, the Wassenaar Agreement, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the European Commission, the OSCE and the United Nations.

The uncontrolled proliferation and circulation of SALW remains a priority item on the WT III agenda and constitutes an important element of the Stability Pact’s contribution towards improving Human Security. SALW trafficking and organized crime may increase the risk of terrorism, set back economic development and social stability. Therefore, the Stability Pact’s SALW agenda is closely linked with some other SP’s security-related initiatives and Task Forces, such as the Initiative to Fight Organized Crime (SPOC) and the Police Forum for South Eastern Europe, the Regional Arms Control Verification and Implementation Assistance Centre (RACVIAC), and the Border Security and Management Issues Initiative (also called “Ohrid Border Process”). Cooperation is also being developed with the South East European Cooperation Initiative’s Regional Centre for Combating Transborder Crime in Bucarest.

SEESAC, the Belgrade-based South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) – a joint project of UNDP and the Stability Pact – is the leading actor in the field of combating the threat of uncontrolled and excess SALW in the SEE region. The Stability Pact will continue to support SEESAC as the main tool of implementation of the Stability Pact Regional Implementation Plan on SALW in ninecountries in South Eastern Europe (adopted in November 2001 and revised in May 2006) and as the main instrument for capacity-building in the area of SALW control, assisting the governments of the region to keep addressing this issue in the future.

The Revised Regional Implementation Plan seeks to enhance regional cooperation in this critical area, providing both information sharing and local standard setting, geared toward project implementation. The Plan envisions continued SEESAC support to South Eastern European SALW programmes, and recommends that SEE governments continue to cooperate with SEESAC through the Regional Steering Group (RSG) and the ‘national focal points’. To support these activities, donors will continue to consider the provision of appropriate resources. The revised plan continues the development of a comprehensive and coherent approach towards harmonization with the EU security policies in the field of SALW.. Developing capacity for the implementation of the EU SALW Strategy further supports the efforts of South East European countries to align themselves with the EU policies in preparation for membership negotiations. The Stability Pact’s efforts aimed at fighting the uncontrolled proliferation of excess SALW in SEE could hardly be successful without strong engagement of Civil Society and relevant NGOs (like the Szeged Small Arms Process/SSAP and Saferworld).

Useful links

The South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC)
http://www.seesac.org

SEESAC Weekly Media Summary
http://www.seesac.org/press/wms.htm

Documents

NEWS

The Members of Parliaments from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia who participated in a Regional SALW Parliamentary Seminar organised by SEESACon 01 November 2006, agreed upon commencing regional parliamentary co-operation in the area of SALW. The co-operation will result first in establishing a Regional Parliamentary Forum for SALW that will be responsible for preparing the agenda for parliamentary SALW Control engagement. The main goal of the Regional Parliamentary Forum on SALW may initially be to work towards achieving harmonization of SALW Control legislation in the Western Balkans. The Speakers/Presidents of the Western Balkans Parliaments will be informed about this initiative and asked to assist in the preparatory process. The parliamentarians agreed to convene the inaugural meeting of the Regional Parliamentary Forum on SALW in early spring 2007. This regional parliamentary initiative will co-ordinated its activities with the work conducted by the Swedish based NGO ‘Parliamentary Forum on SALW’. SEESAC will act as a Secretariat for the Regional Parliamentary Forum on SALW. [For further details see seminar conclusions]