UNIDIR Weapons and Ammunition Management (WAM) Baseline Assessment in the Central African Republic

26/09/2017
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29/09/2017
Activity description

On 26-29 September 2017, the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR), through the National Commission for the Fight against the Illicit Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (COMNAT-ALPC), in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), and in cooperation with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) held a series of consultative meetings and workshops on national frameworks for WAM in Bangui, as part of a process to design and develop a technical roadmap for a comprehensive national WAM framework governing weapons and ammunition in CAR. The activity provided a valuable opportunity to review the existing national framework that covers the lifecycle management of weapons and ammunition, and to engage with a large number of national experts and practitioners. The consultative process brought together a range of representatives, experts and practitioners from various Central African institutions and security agencies. These included experts from the national demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR)/SSR/national reconciliation (reconciliation nationale, RN) coordination entity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the Armed Forces of Central African Republic (FACA), the Police, Gendarmerie, Water and Forestry Services, Customs, members of the National Assembly (from the Defence and Security Committee), as well as members of Central African civil society. Further, representatives and technical advisors from UNIDIR, UNMAS, MINUSCA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) participated in the consultative process, as well as representatives from international and regional organizations, including the African Union (AU), the European Union Military Advise Mission (EUMAM-RCA), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), and the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA). 

Project description

This activity is part of UNIDIR's research project on strengthening policies and frameworks for weapons and ammunition management on the national, regional and multilateral levels and seeks to promote knowledge among States, regional organizations and the United Nations system on ways to strengthen policy and practice governing the full lifecycle of weapon and ammunition to prevent their diversion and misuse. The baseline assessments are conducted upon request by the host government and are organized under the ownership and lead of the host Governments. They take the form of a national consultative process that facilitate dialogue and decision-making among all relevant national security stakeholders on WAM and related security issues.

Type of Activity
Institutional capacity-building
Sensitization and outreach
Focus of Activity
Ammunition
Destruction
Diversion
Import controls
International instruments
Inventory and stockpile management
Marking
Regional instruments
Small arms and light weapons (SALW) controls
Tracing
Transfer controls
Transit and trans-shipment controls
Partners
Central African Republic
Implementers
The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
Donors
Germany
Japan
Switzerland
Contact Details

UNIDIR

Palais des Nations, 1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

Tel.: +41 22 917 11 41
E-mail: unidir@un.org
Point of Contact: Himayu Shiotani, Head, Conventional Arms Programme 
Phone: +41 22 917 2181
E-mail: himayu.shiotani@un.org