On 29-30 September 2015, UNODC, through its Global Firearms Programme (GFP) and in collaboration with the Ivorian Government, organised a Regional Meeting  for West and Central African states on "Synergies between international instruments on arms control - Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), Protocol on Firearms and Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA)", in the city of Abidjan. This meeting was part of a UNODC project aimed at promoting a better understanding of these instruments and their implementation.

Based on the draft of a study in which UNODC was previously working, participants  formulated concrete recommendations on the legislative options and public policies for State Parties in order to strengthen arms controls in accordance with the various international instruments, with emphasis on the synergies identified. Member States exchanged views and experiences on the challenges encountered so far in the implementation of these instruments in order to promote harmonized approaches and to promote cooperation, as well as to identify specific needs for technical assistance.

The recommendations and ideas gathered in the meeting were subsequently integrated into the study "Synergies between international instruments on arms control - Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), Protocol on Firearms and Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA)", published in 2016. Both the activity and the publication were funded by the UN Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR).

The workshop gathered 40 delegates from nine Member States from West and Central Africa, as well as representatives and Economic Community of the States of West Africa (ECOWAS), the United Nations Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), UNDP, the United Nations Mine Action Service, Interpol, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and civil society.