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SARAJEVO, December 23 (FENA) - In 2019, 3.600 weapons and accessories were destroyed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the past four years, more than 20.000 small arms and light weapons have been destroyed.
At the same time, when it comes to surplus weapons in the possession of the Armed Forces of BiH (AFBiH), approximately 1.255.24 tons of unstable ammunition were destroyed during 2019 (period January 1 – November 11, 2019).
Small Arms and Light Weapons Coordination Board of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SALW) presented today these data at the press conference in Sarajevo.
National Coordinator and Assistant Minister of Security of BiH for General and Border Security Ermin Pešto pointed out that this year SALW Coordination Board, in cooperation with police agencies in BiH, implemented two small arms and light weapons destruction actions (in September, November).
All these and other activities of the Coordination Board have been carried out with the support of the European Union, the United Nations Development Program in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNDP BiH) and the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), as well as the OSCE.
He also reminded of the importance of the project Countering Illicit Arms Trafficking (CIAT) of the BiH Border Police, worth 800.000 euros, for which the funds were donated by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, stating that the second phase of the project began earlier this year within which 2.000 police officers at all levels will be educated by 2021.
In the past, SALW Coordination Board has also been engaged in aligning legislation on weapons and the use of civilian explosives with EU directives, and has achieved a significant level of cooperation at the regional and global levels, as well as with international partners, i.e. at the bilateral level.
One of the significant events in this context is the 2018 London Summit, when the "Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Western Balkans" was adeopted, a document defining seven strategic objectives and 14 key success indicators.
Otherwise, gun control and the suppression of all forms of gun crime are high on the EU's security agenda.
BiH Council of Ministers adopted the decision on the appointment of the Coordination Board for Small Arms and Light Weapons Control in Bosnia and Herzegovina in November 2013.
The scope of tasks of SALW Coordination Board is to plan, coordinate, direct and supervise activities for the implementation of the SALW Control Strategy in BiH.
Its adoption was preceded by holding of several workshops, where representatives of SALW Coordination Board agreed with the representatives of international organizations (UNDP, OSCE, SEESAC) jointly on the text of the strategy and action plan.
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