The authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina destroyed 2,315 pieces of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and 3,344 of their parts and components on 29 April 2017, at Jelsingrad smelter in Banja Luka. More precisely, this activity funded by the European Union and supported by UNDP SEESAC and UNDP BiH, enabled the destruction of 996 long and 1,319 short barrels.

The destroyed firearms and their components have been confiscated by police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as part of their law enforcement activities. The destruction was organized by four police agencies in cooperation with SALW Coordination Board of BiH.

In a form of “Art for Peace”, BiH destroyed 1,008 pieces of SALW on 9 July 2016, which is the International Gun Destruction Day.

With funding from the European Union, SEESAC will implement a series of region-wide activities contributing to non-proliferation and control of SALW in the period 2017 – 2019 through EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2016/2356. One of the ways to diminish the risk of SALW proliferation is by reducing the significant stockpiles of weapons and their ammunition throughout South East Europe (SEE). With this in mind, supporting the authorities in SEE to dispose of their surplus, confiscated SALW and their ammunition is a key component of the SEESAC project.

Since 2002, SEESAC assisted SEE to rid itself of over 300,000 pieces of small arms.

Photo credit: UNDP BiH