SAS, INTERPOL and WCO, in collaboration with the LAS Secretariat, convene the inception conference at LAS headquarters in Cairo for the project “In Support of Combating the Illicit Trade in and Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Member States of the League of Arab States” (phase I)
From 23 to 27 June 2019, the Small Arms Survey, INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization, with funding from the European Union and in collaboration with the LAS Secretariat, convened an inception conference, at LAS headquarters in Cairo, for the project “In Support of Combating the Illicit Trade in and Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Member States of the League of Arab States”, gathering experts and officials from across the Arab Region. The Conference was held as part of a joint EU-LAS project coordinated by the Small Arms Survey and implemented by the Survey, INTERPOL, and WCO. The project provided training and technical support to member states of the League of Arab States. Delegates saw presentations and discussion from the World Customs Organization, INTERPOL and the Small Arms Survey highlighting the technical support and training on offer within the framework of the project.
The EU-LAS project In Support of Combating the Illicit Trade in and Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Member States of the League of Arab States was launched in 2019 with the aim of supporting the Member States of the League of Arab States (LAS) in sustainably building their national capacities to combat the illicit trade in, and proliferation of, small arms and light weapons in their region. The European Union (EU) funds the project and entrusts its implementation to the Small Arms Survey (project coordinator), INTERPOL, and the World Customs Organization (WCO), working in collaboration with the LAS Department of Arms Control and Disarmament (focal point for LAS Member States). The project responds to the needs and priorities identified by LAS Member States within the framework of the EU-LAS Strategic Dialogue, specifically its Working Group on Weapons of Mass Destruction, Small Arms and Light Weapons, and Arms Control. The project covers the following priority areas in arms control: combating illicit arms flows; capacity-building for law enforcement agencies; stockpile management and security; disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR); and the provision of information relevant to illicit SALW and enhanced SALW control. The first phase of the project was implemented for a two-year period from 2019 to 2021, and is now followed by a second phase lasting until September 2024.
