OSCE supports Ukraine’s efforts to counter illicit trafficking in firearms

On 2 and 3 October 2024, the OSCE and the European Union Advisory Mission to Ukraine (EUAM) organized a seminar in support of Ukraine’s National Co-ordination Centre on combating the illicit trafficking of firearms, their components and ammunition. The seminar, held in Kyiv, brought together 20 representatives from across Ukrainian law enforcement agencies who are members of the Co-ordination Centre, established in June 2024, or will support its work.

During the seminar, participants from Ukraine’s Ministry of Interior, National Police, Prosecutor General’s Office, Security Service, State Border Guard and State Customs Services familiarized themselves with international standards and best practices in implementing control of small arms and light weapons. Participants also discussed current and forecasted threats and challenges posed by illicit trafficking in firearms, specifically in the context of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, and defined the next steps in the further institutional development of the Co-ordination Centre.

“The creation of the Co-ordination Centre on combating illicit trafficking of firearms is an important decision of the Ukrainian government, which proves that Ukraine is committed to its international obligations in this area. Thanks to support from international partners, in particular through organizing events such as this, the Centre will implement its functions more effectively and contribute to safety and security of people in Ukraine and so to post-war recovery and development of the country,” noted Mykola Hrintsov, Director of the Department for Interaction with the National Police of Ukraine of the Ministry of Interior.

The seminar was also supported by the representatives of the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNDP SEESAC), the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT Firearms) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC Global Firearms Programme).

This event was part of the extra-budgetary project “In Support of Strengthening Capacities of Ukrainian Authorities in Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking in Weapons, Ammunition and Explosives in All Its Aspects”, funded by the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Slovakia.