Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap MPTF 

Objectives

Fund scope and theory of change

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted on 25 September 2015, affirmed that sustainable development cannot be realized without peace and security and that illicit arms flows are amongst the factors which give rise to violence, insecurity and injustice. The Western Balkans region has made significant progress in recent years to address the illicit possession, misuse, and trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW). However, the scale of accumulation of SALW and ammunition, inadequate storage conditions, widespread illicit possession, and gaps in policy implementation continue to limit the effectiveness of firearms and SALW control efforts in parts of this region.

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To address these challenges, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo [UNSCR 1244], Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia jointly developed the most comprehensive arms control mechanism in the region: the Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse, and trafficking of SALW, and their ammunition in the Western Balkans by 2024. The Roadmap was adopted on 10 July 2018 at the 5th Western Balkans Summit in London, covering the period 2018-2024. It represents a testimony of the consensus reached among all stakeholders in the region about the current challenges, the overall targets to be reached, and timeline of actions to be taken. It provides an overall platform for commonly agreed levels of performance, and outlines the commitment required at the strategic, policy and operational level amongst the beneficiaries, building on the political commitment to the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects as well as legal obligation stemming from the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition. Following the six-year period of pursuing the Roadmap vision and goals, relevant authorities acknowledged the overall impact of the Roadmap at the Berlin Process Summit on 14 October 2024. Subsequently, the second phase of the Roadmap was endorsed at the European Union-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs on 28-29 October 2024, thereby extending the Roadmap implementation until 2030.

The Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of SALW, their ammunition and explosives in the Western Balkan by 2030 thus continues to serve as a guiding and consensual document developed and owned by the regional authorities in achieving a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of arms, ammunition and explosives. The implementation of the Roadmap directly contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 on ‘Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions’, with a specific focus on Target 16.4 that aims to significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows by 2030, and to the SDG 5 on ‘Gender Equality’.

The Trust Fund was established in March 2019 with a primary objective to contribute to a donor coordinated approach in the implementation of the Roadmap. It enables a platform to strengthen coordination, planning and communication among the donors, implementing partners and national authorities, and develop synergies among different players involved in this programmatic area. It also strengthens results and reduces risks to governments and financial contributors through a comprehensive risk and results-based management system that is ensured by the Trust Fund.

Under the auspices of Germany and France, in coordination with the European Union, and with support from the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), Trust Fund stakeholders contribute to the implementation of the Roadmap to make the Western Balkans a safer region and exporter of security. By 2024, the vision was set to be achieved through seven Roadmap goals. For the period 2025-2030, while maintaining the vision and the strategy, the Roadmap goals are streamlined into 5 categories:

• Goal 1: By 2030, ensure that arms control legislation is in place, harmonized with the EU regulatory framework and other related international obligations and standardized across the region.
• Goal 2: By 2030, ensure that arms control policies and practices in the Western Balkans are in place, evidence-based and intelligence-led.
• Goal 3: By 2030, significantly reduce misuse, illicit manufacturing, illicit possession, and illicit flows of weapons, ammunition and explosives.
• Goal 4: By 2030, significantly reduce the supply, demand, illicit possession and misuse of arms, ammunition and explosives through the means of prevention.
• Goal 5: By 2030, substantially decrease the risk of proliferation and diversion through improved safety and security of the stockpiles and disposal of weapons, ammunition and explosives.

Through Roadmap support, the Trust Fund contributes to the achievement of SDG 16 to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies as illicit arms flows are amongst the factors that give rise to violence, insecurity, and injustice, SDG 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, and SDG 17 to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

Governance

Governance arrangements

Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is chaired by UNDP and is made up by the Representatives of the Participating Organizations, Germany, France and the EU (as ex-officio members) and other top 3 donors to the Trust Fund.  All other donors are granted the observer status (with no voting right), for increased transparency, access to information and provision of inputs.
The Steering Committee provides general oversight and exercises overall accountability of the Trust Fund, approves the strategic direction of the Trust Fund and its overall results framework, decides on the allocation of funds, and oversees the implementation of the funded projects and overall progress towards the planned results.

Secretariat
The South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), a joint initiative of the Regional Cooperation Council and UNDP, functions as the Secretariat of the Trust Fund. The Secretariat is responsible for the programmatic coordination and monitoring of the Trust Fund, and provides technical and management support to the Steering Committee and Participating Organizations.  The Secretariat takes part in the Steering Committee decision-making without voting rights.

Participating Organizations
The Participating Organizations are UNDP and UNODC. Programme implementation is the responsibility of Participating Organizations. Each organization is programmatically and financially responsible for the resources received.

Administrative Agent
Participating Organizations receive funds through the Administrative Agent, Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) Office. The Administrative Agent is responsible for the receipt, administration and management of contributions from donors, disbursement of funds to Participating Organizations, and consolidation and dissemination of progress reports to donors.

Projects

Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap MPTF

Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap MPTF is currently supporting count_projects ongoing projectscount_globalInterregional and count_countries country-specific. This table shows the most recently approved ongoing projects.

All project financial information can be found in the Financials section, including delivery analysis by organization, theme and project; project financial status by country and by theme.

Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap MPTF

Contacts

Points of contact

Contacts

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