ECOWAS study trip on arms marking
Between 2nd and 6th June 2011, RECSA hosted a delegation from the ECOWAS region comprising of representatives from the ECOWAS Secretariat and National Commissions on Small Arms of Togo and Ghana. The team was keen to learn from the regions experiences in arms marking in recognition of RECSA's pioneering work in this area. The group visited centres in Kenya where marking of state owned arms is taking place. The study trip was in preparation for the commencement of arms marking in the West African region with support from RECSA.
RECSA will support arms marking in four West African countries under the three-year EU-funded continent wide project. This follows a request made to RECSA through ECOWAS from Mali, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast for this support.
RECSA has held a regional seminar in Togo to introduce West African countries to arms marking. Representatives from law enforcement agencies from Uganda and Kenya shared their experiences in undertaking the exercise in their countries.
ECOWAS convened a regional meeting to agree on, among other things, the deadline for the marking process in the individual West African countries, the standards and unique 'marks' to be used during the marking exercise and the modules for the customised software. RECSA attended the meeting to share its experiences based on its Best Practice Guidelines on the Implementation of the Nairobi Declaration and the Nairobi Protocol.
Africa Regional Police Chiefs' Organizations Meeting
The first Africa Regional Police Chiefs' Organizations Meeting on the project "The Fight against the Illicit Accumulation and Trafficking of Firearms and explosive materials in Africa" was held in Kigali Rwanda from 26th to 27th May 2011.
The meeting brought together delegates representing Police Chiefs from EAPCCO, CAPCCO, SARPCCO, WAPCCO and ECOWAS including the host country, Rwanda. In attendance were also representatives from the AU, EU, Interpol and RECSA....Read More
2011 Executive Visits to Member States
The Executive Secretary and the Deputy Executive Secretary are undertaking a series of visits to the Member States to brief Ministers in charge of security on the progress of the implementation of the Nairobi Protocol in the region. Also on the agenda are discussions on the outcome of the 7th TAC meeting and the upcoming 6th Council of ministers meeting scheduled to take place in Djibouti.
Burundi's 1st Vice President, Monsieur Therence SINUNGURUZA (right), in talks with RECSA's Dr Francis Sang during a visit to Burundi
Bilateral Discussions on MANPADS and Brokering
RECSA is running a number of national discussions on Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) and brokering of small arms in a number of its Member States.
MANPADS, commonly described as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, are short-range surface-to-air weapons designed to be fired by an operator on the ground. The failed attack on an Israeli airliner in Mombasa, Kenya in 2002, and successful attacks on international aviation elsewhere over the years illustrate the danger posed by the proliferation of illegal MANPADS and the need to control these weapons.
Read
More >>
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Mathew Iteere, shares a word with participants at the Kenya meeting on MANPADS and Brokering
Small arms project regional meet
RECSA, in collaboration with SADC, hosted a regional seminar for the Southern Africa region under the three-year RECSA EU-funded small arms project. The meeting held on 14th and 15th March in Windhoek, Namibia brought together representatives from SADC, SARPCCO, members of parliament, civil society, police, Interpol, among others. Participants reviewed the activities under the project and prioritized areas of intervention for security services, parliamentarians and civil society in the SADC region. This was the fourth regional seminar to be held under the EU-funded small arms project. Similar seminars were held in the RECSA, ECOWAS and ECCAS regions.
RECSA TAC Holds its 7th Ordinary
Sitting
The RECSA Technical Advisory Committee
(TAC) held its 7th Ordinary meeting
in Djibouti on 13th and 14th February.
The meeting considered reports from
the Planning and Operations, Human Resource,
and Finance and Audit sub-committees
that met prior to the TAC meeting. The
sub-committees considered issues arising
from key documents presented by RECSA
before submitting reports to the TAC
meeting. The documents will be forwarded
to the Council of Ministers (COM) by
TAC for approval. COM is expected to
sit in May in Djibouti.
Read More >>
EU
Project Consolidation Seminar
The RECSA managed trans-regional project
entered its second year of implementation
with the holding of a regional meeting
at the African Union Complex in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia. The aim of the meeting
was to consolidate priorities identified
by Regional Economic Commissions (ECOWAS
and ECCAS) and RECSA partners in regional
seminars held in the first year.
Read More
>>
RECSA
signs Funding Agreement for Small arms
Work with European Union
The European Union is providing a grant of
EUR 500,000 to the Regional Centre on
Small Arms (RECSA) to coordinate a project
aimed at enhancing the role of civil
society and national efforts in the
prevention, control and reduction of
illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons
(SALW). This grant is in addition to the
EUR 3.3 million provided to RECSA in March
2010 for the 1st Pan-African
Project on SALW funded by the European
Union, aimed at supporting the Africa-EU
strategic partnership in the fight against
illicit accumulation and trafficking of
firearms and explosive materials.
Read
More >>
Ethiopia Arms Destruction
A
team comprising Federal Police of Ethiopia
and two RECSA officials undertook an
small arms assessment mission to three
sites, namely Federal Police armoury
in Addis; Kolfe (Crime Prevention Department);
and Akaki main Prison between 23rd and
28th August, 2010. The main objective
of the mission was to determine the
stockpile destruction requirements and
options and the general infrastructure
required for the exercise.
Read
More >>
Police
officers sort out ammunition earmarked
for destruction in Ethiopia
ECOWAS
Regional Seminar on AU-EU Small Arms
Project
RECSA,
in collaboration with ECOWAS, hosted
a regional seminar for the West African
sub-region under the Africa Union-EU
small arms project. The meeting held
on 6th and 7th September in Accra, Ghana
brought together representatives from
the African Union, the UN, ECOWAS Parliament,
Security Services, and Ghana National
Commission on Small Arms and the West
African Action Network on Small Arms
(WAANSA). Participants reviewed the
activities under the project and prioritized
areas of intervention for security services,
parliamentarians and civil society in
the ECOWAS region. This was the second
regional seminar to be held under the
AU-EU small arms project that is to
run for three years. Similar seminars
are to be held in the Southern and Central
regions to enable these regions to prioritize
interventions in the area of small arms
to be funded under the project.
Group
photo of workshop participants at the
opening of the ECOWAS regional seminar
on the AU-EU Small Arms Project
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Sensitisation of Burundi Youth
With financial support of the European Union (Tanzania office) through RECSA, the Burundi National Focal Point organized an essay writing competition targeting the youth between 15 and 20 years. The competition whose theme was The Problem of SALW and the Youth in Burundi ran from March to July in the 17 districts in the country.
The exercise served to sensitise the youth on issues of small arms and light weapons and to support the East African Community integration process by promoting the use of English in Burundi. Five overall students were chosen as winners of the competition; various gifts were awarded to the individual students and to their schools.
Capacity Building of National Commissions
RECSA has conducted capacity building trainings for the National Commissions in the Republic of Congo and Central African Republic on their duties and responsibilities in implementing regional instruments on small arms and light weapons. Members of the Commissions were also sensitised on the Nairobi Protocol on the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
African Member States Deliberations
RECSA was represented at an Experts Meeting convened by the Africa Union in Lomé, Togo to consider the draft AU Strategy on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives and Related Materials and its implementation plan. The meeting further deliberated and agreed on an African Common Position on the Arms Trade Treaty.
Majority of RECSA Member States were in attendance and contributed to the deliberations. The revised AU SALW Strategy and its implementation plan, and the African Common Position on the Arms Trade Treaty will be presented to the African Union Executive Council of Ministers for consideration.
RECSA Member States Increase to 15
The RECSA Council of Ministers (COM) held its 6th Ordinary meeting in Djibouti on 17th and 18th October.
At the start of its sitting, the Council admitted into membership, Central African Republic and the Republic of South Sudan.
Several policy documents produced by the Secretariat in the last two years (COM meets biennially) were approved by the Council, including audit reports for the last two financial years.
At the close of the meeting, Djibouti handed over Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers and the Technical Advisory Committee to Rwanda; the Vice-Chair for both organs is the United Republic of Tanzania. The COM meeting was preceded by a preparatory meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee on 15th October.
Sensitisation of Member States on the Practical Disarmament Guidelines
RECSA has raised awareness in 15 countries on its Best Practice Guidelines on Practical Disarmament. Sensitisation meetings brought together representatives from Government ministries, civil society, researchers, the media, among other stakeholders. The aim of the forums was to create an understanding of the role of various key stakeholders in the practical disarmament process of civilians holding illegal SALW. RECSA developed the guidelines under a one year disarmament project funded by the Japan Government. The Guidelines are expected to harmonise disarmament practices in the member states to enhance cross border collaboration in disarmament drives.
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RECSA
SECRETARIAT MANAGEMENT TEAM
RECSA
Represented in the Fourth Biennial
Meeting of States (BMS)
The
Regional Centre on Small Arms was
represented at BMS4 held in New York
from 14th to 18th June 2010.
On
Wednesday 16th June, RECSA made a
statement outlining progress in the
Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa
and Bordering States in the implementation
of the United Nations Plan of Action
on Small Arms.The statement touched
on arms marking, record keeping, regional
and international cooperation, public
awareness, among other key areas of
implementation of the Plan of Action.
For the full statement Read
More >>
In
addition, the Secretariat gave input
at a number of side events on the
status of implementation of the UN
Programme of Action on Small Arms
in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn
of Africa and Bordering States.
Among
other commitments, BMS4 promised better
cooperation in international assistance
to regions and countries affected
by the proliferation and misuse of
small arms and recognised the need
for a comprehensive approach to border
controls to reduce the illegal flow
of arms between countries.
RECSA
Technical Advisory Committee Meeting
The
RECSA Technical Advisory Committee
(TAC) had its 6th meeting
in Djibouti on March 14th
at the Kempinski Palace hotel. The
meeting considered and approved the
draft Gender Policy completed in December
2009. The Policy will be forwarded
to the Council of Ministers in their
next sitting.
Read Full
Text >>
Inter-Regional
Disarmament Project Launched
RECSA has received funding from the
Japan Government through UDNP to implement
a one-year regional disarmament project.
The project
Enhancing human security in the Great
Lakes Region and Horn of Africa by
preventing proliferation of illicit
small arms through practical disarmament
is expected to produce best practices
in disarmament to enhance cross-border
cooperation between countries in disarming
illegally armed groups.
A baseline survey will be conducted
in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia
to inform the development of the guidelines.
Under the project, RECSA will develop
a small arms and light weapons information
management software for its member
states
Read
More >>
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