On 23 and 24 September 2021, for the third consecutive year, the UNODC Global Firearms Programme (GFP) organised a regional meeting to exchange best practices in the conduction of operations against firearms trafficking in the region, in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Since 2011 the GFP has been working with countries in West Africa and in the Sahel to improve skills on the ground and contribute to preventing firearms trafficking. The regional meeting focused on the sharing of best practices and discussion of practical ways to improve international cooperation in the region to fight illicit firearms trafficking and related crime, including terrorism.

The initiative was supported by the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) of Cote d’Ivoire and by the G5 Sahel, and counted with over 50 participants from seven countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal).