CONTENT

Editorial Notes

COVID-19 1

News and Features 2

Tools and Resources 13

Upcoming Event 15

Coun

terin

g Ill

icit

Fire

arm

s Tra

ffick

ing

and

Rela

ted

Crim

es

FIREARMS NEWSLETTER Volume I/January-June 2020

The Global Firearms Programme is grateful for the support of the following recent donors:

EDITORIAL NOTESA global problem: illicit trafficking and misuse of firearms as a threat to global security

Illicit firearms trafficking and misuse continues to represent a major threat to national and global security, and a serious obstacle for sustainable development. Illicit firearms form a central element of the core business of many organized crime groups as well as terrorist organizations and are used to gain leverage in various forms of criminality, for intimidation, coercion and in gang violence.

Furthermore, terrorist groups gain access to weapons and explosives through organised crime networks and the black market. In some countries firearms are the main tool for both criminal and armed violence. The rate of firearms-related homicides in post conflict societies often outnumbers battlefield deaths. More human rights abuses are committed with firearms / small arms than with any other weapon. Moreover, where the use of armed violence becomes a means for resolving grievances and conflicts, legal and peaceful dispute resolution suffer, and the rule of law is threatened. There is a clear link between armed violence and limited progress on development.

The current COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented global challenge to all of society. In this context, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), through its Global Firearms Programme (GFP), continues to offer assistance to strengthen States’ capacities to prevent and combat illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition.

GFP stands ready to address the new and emerging challenges related to this phenomenon to keep advancing effectively States’ efforts to counter the illicit trafficking and related crimes.

COVID-19 AND OUR WORK

NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND INNOVATIVE INITIATIVES

Some ways of strengthening the arms control regimes are:

• Assisting countries to move from predominantly paper-based to centralised and digitalised firearms control regimes;• Providing virtual training and capacity building workshops to firearms and export control authorities, customs officials, law enforcement, prosecutors and judges on prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of firearms trafficking;• Develop guidelines strengthen the capacity of document control of arms transfers, as well as secure online systems to facilitate the linking import export and transit countries.

To respond to the challenges caused by the COVID-19, the Global Firearms Programme proposes a variety of new ways of continuing its mandate and assisting the Member States in countering the illicit firearms traffikcing.

1

NEWS AND FEATURESJANUARY

The GFP supported the call for increased criminal justice response to counter firearms trafficking in the Western Balkans at the High-Level Meeting on the implementation of the regional Roadmap in Berlin.

“As guardian of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementary Protocol on Firearms, UNODC is committed to this holistic approach, and to support countries in their efforts to ratify and fully implement these important instruments, and that also the Western Balkan countries have acceded to”, Mr. Aryee, Chief of the Organized Crime Branch, said in her remarks during the conference.

As part of the international cooperation, the Programme participated in the EMPACT Firearms Kick-Off meeting and assured of its committment to participate actively in the upcoming initiatives.

The GFP underlined the particular relevance of the UNODC in several goals including activities on increasing the colection, gathering of information and production of intelligence; prevention and capacity building through specialized trainings as well as financial investigations and online trade in illicit good and services.

2

At the panel discussion on „Alliance for Multilateralism“ the role of UNODC in combating illicit arms trafficking was highlighted. The promotion of peaceful societies remains one of our main goals!

With the support of the UNODC’s Independent Evaluation Unit, external evaluators started conducting an independent in-depth mid-term evaluation of the Global Firearms Programme’s work. We thank all stakeholders and core learning partners involved in the evaluation exercise for taking the time to discuss our Programme with the evaluators and are convinced that the resulting recommendations will support us in further improving our work and its impact.

3

NEWS AND FEATURES

The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly launched a project to address the connection between terrorism, organized crime and the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Central Asia.

“The terrorism-arms-crime nexus is a global challenge and any regional gaps in addressing these threats have far-reaching consequences for all of us,” stated Ms. Ghada Waly, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in a video message. Click HERE to read more.

FEBRUARY

Informal briefing to the Permanent Missions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in Vienna.

4

We are happy that again France has trusted in the UNODC’s experience and brought its exceptional contribution to support the implementation of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition (Firearms Protocol), and its parent United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). The contribution will support a series of specific activities and initiatives both at global and regional levels that will enhance the participation and improve the capacities of institutions and national authorities in the countries of these two regions

In the UNOWAS lastest magazin, UNODC was appreciated for its active role in addressing security challenges in the Sahel region. Click HERE to read more.

5

MARCH

Thanks to Germany’s support, the Programme will continue the implementation of its activities in the Sahel and Western Balkan region focusing on countering illicit trafficking of firearms. In addition, the contribution was expanded to cover Ukraine with the main objective to strengthen criminal justice response to firearms trafficking through assistance for harmonization of the national criminal law and criminal procedure law; support for capacity building activities for detection of firearms, including in postal shipments.

During the Regional Steering Group Meeting on SALW in Belgrade, Serbia, the GFP called for strong criminal justice response to counter firearms trafficking in the Wester Balkans.

6

APRIL

The Global Firearms Programme joined CEEAC and ECCAS in celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Kinshasa Convention adoption & continues providing its technical assistance in the region. The GFP plays an active role in the efforts to implement the instrument in the region. Already last year, UNODC and ECCAS have seized the opportunity to analyse the need for harmonization of national legislation of arms in the sub region, given that several countries are parties not only to the Kinshasa Convention and the Firearms Protocol, but also to other international instruments such as the Arms Trade Treaty, the UN Programme of Action on SALW and the Nairobi Protocol on SALW. Click HERE to read more.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the risk of illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms cannot be neglected. The GFP recongnizes the importance of immediate need to improve criminal justice response in Africa. It contributes actively to the implemetation of the Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by the year 2020 (adopted by African Union in 2017). In cooperation with ECOWAS, the UNODC is planning a regional meeting for ECOWAS Member States aimed at identifying specific technical support needs on the response capacity of criminal justice systems in West Africa to fight illicit firearms crime and its links to other serious organized crime.

7

MAY

Ensuring gender mainstreaming and women empowerment in the criminal justice system and civil society is one of the cross-cutting issues of the GFP’s activities. Through its participation in the assessment of the implementation of the UNODC/UNOV Strategy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, the Programme gained a great opportunity to identify areas to further advance the gender aspect. In addition, the GFP will soon hire a gender expert to further help the Programme in mainstreaming gender responsiveness and women empowerment into its work.

Despite the current limitations caused by the COVID-19, the Programme continues its support to Bolivia in strengthening the criminal justice system through specialized workshops for prosecutors and judges. During the meeting with Bolivian Prosecutor’s Office the aspect of international cooperation such as Trigger VI Operation and Community of Practitioners was discussed as well. Click HERE to read more on recent activities in Bolivia.

8

Adjusting to COVID-19, the first virtual meeting took place marking the operational start of “Halting Arms and Lawbreaking Trade” - HALT project within Roadmap 2024 for SALW Control in Western Balkans. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Regional Centers of the Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) in Banja Luka and Sarajevo and the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As a member of the Steering Committee of the ECOFIT project, the Global Firearms programme participated in the joint review of gap analysis questionnaire of five selected operational instruments in the area of firearms trafficking investigations in the EU and in the SELEC Member States. This included data collection, data sharing, national focal points, joint criminal investigations and controlled delivery.

The GFP joined the update meeting on Weapon and Ammunition Management in Africa organized by UNIDIR and Germany.

9

JUNE

As part of the joint UNODC – UNDP project on countering arms trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Globa Firearms Programme held a meeting with the Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) to identify the components of the need assessment for detection of firearms, their parts, components and ammunition in postal and courier shipments. Click HERE to read more.

The GFP intervened as speaker in the High-level opening session of the Small Arms Survey 2020 online forum on ‘Taking stock of action on the illicit small arms trade”, stressing the need for complementary approaches in the implementation of the Plan of Action, Firearms Protocol and Arms Trade Treaty.

In preparation of the logistics for the next Working Group on Firearms, the GFP conducted on 11 June a virtual meeting with the PM and MFA of Mexico. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemia, the Working Group will take a form of a hybrid meeting with online participation.

Within the framework of the regional project in Western Balkans, local coordination meetings were held in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia to discuss the progress of the implementation of the Roadmap Action Plan and its goals.

This year we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Firearms Protocol. A great occasion to highlight its importance in countering illicit firearms trafficking!

10

During the two days national meetings took place in Abidjan, Bamako, Niamey and Ouagadougou gathering more than 50 practitioners from various institutionss took place in Abidjan, Bamako, Niamey and Ouagadougou gathering more than 50 practitioners from various institutions. Click HERE to read more.

Building on the success of joint initiatives during 2019 – including on cross-border operations–, UNODC, through its Global Firearms Programme, in cooperation with the INTERPOL Firearms Programme, as well as national authorities from Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Niger, organized a hybrid meeting in order to discuss ongoing cooperation and plan upcoming activities in 2020 and 2021 aimed at improving international cooperation in the fight against illicit firearms trafficking.

11

Terrorists and organized criminal groups take advantage of the COVID-19 crisis to get access to illegal weapons. UNODC continues its support to law enforcement, customs and criminal justice practitioners in increasing their response capacity to detect and combat illicit firearms flows.

A milestone in the global responses to transnational organized crime is the establishment of the review mechanism for the implementation of UNTOC and its three Protocols in October 2018. Over a period of two years, the GFP facilitated the negotiation of the questionnaire for the review of the implementation of the Firearms Protocol. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary end to intergovernmental in-person conferences, GFP helped to transfer the informal consultations to a virtual format, making the final spurt towards the finishing line.

12

University Modules on Firearms

As part of the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, The GFP continues developing the University Module Series on Firearms, recognizing the fundamental role of firearms in criminal and security contexts. The university modules on firearms can be included in teaching curricula at universities and academic institutions. They are intended to support lecturers teaching on firearms to provide students with the opportunity to better understand the scale of the illicit firearms phenomenon and its connections with crime, in particular with organized crime, terrorism and insurgency. Click HERE to learn more.

In June 2018, UNODC through its Global Firearms Programme initiated a process of data collection and analysis on firearms trafficking through the Illicit Arms Flow Questionnaire (IAFQ). It resulted in a compilation of a comprehensive statistical dataset on illicit firearms seizures now publicly available online. All interested users, including national authorities, researchers and experts are invited to make use of this dataset. Click HERE to see the data.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

13

Database on Firearms

Community of Practitioners

The Community of Practitioners is an informal transnational and interdisciplinary network that facilitates interaction and sharing of knowledge among practitioners countering illicit firearms trafficking, related crimes and terrorism. Set up by UNODC’s Global Firearms Programme, this pilot initiative provides opportunities for criminal justice and firearms control practitioners from all over the world to share experiences and good practices in dealing with cases of firearms trafficking through face-to-face meetings, capacity building activities and

The informal network aims at fostering multi-level practitioner dialogue, international cooperation and information exchange across disciplines and country borders to address illicit trafficking in firearms and their acquisition by organised criminals and terrorists through an enhanced implementation of the Firearms Protocol. This peer learning process will contribute to harnessing expertise on the design of harmonized and coherent legislative frameworks, regulatory and control measures and will provide assistance in building strong institutions to prevent, detect, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate

Go ahead, register in our roster and ask the expert: gfp@un.org

The GFP initiated developing a stand-alone information and research portal on the topic of firearms, which will be hosted on UNODC’s SHERLOC knowledge management platform. It will be a database containing cases related to the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition, firearms-related legislation and legislative guides, including in the French language.

Click HERE to go to Sherloc.

14

UPCOMING EVENTS

3 July 2020 - 15 years of entry into force of the Firearms Protocol

3 July 2020 - 3rd Regional Coordination Meeting of the Western Balkans Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition

9 July 2020 - International Gun Destruction Day

15 July 2020 - Launch event of the Global Firearms Study on Firearms Trafficking 2020

16-17 July 2020 - Working Group on Firearms (hybrid meeting with online participation)

21-25 September 2020 - Series of webinars on regional findings of the Global Study on Firearms Trafficking 2020

12-16 October 2020 - Tenth session of the UNTOC Conference of the Parties

15

The Global Firearms Programme (GFP) is the UNODC’s designated instrument created to promote and assist Member States in the implementation of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Am-munition (Firearms Protocol) supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The Programme also aims at supporting the States in building adequate criminal justice systems to effectively respond to the challenges posed by organized criminality specifically related to trafficking in illicit firearms.

CONTACT DETAILSMs. Simonetta GrassiHead of the Global Firearms ProgrammeImplementation Support SectionOrganized Crime and Illicit Trafficking BranchDivision for Treaty AffairsUnited Nations Office on Drugs and CrimeWebsite: www.unodc.org/unodc/en/firearms-protocol/ Email: simonetta.grassi@un.org; gfp@un.orgTwitter: @UNODC_Firearms