Current Research Weapon and Ammunition and Management (WAM) in the Federal Republic of Somalia – Phase III Promoting cooperation and transparency in WAM in Somalia: A national consultative meeting series to strengthen security institutions, governance and management of arms and ammunition
Weapon and Ammunition and Management (WAM) in the Federal Republic of Somalia – Phase III Promoting cooperation and transparency in WAM in Somalia: A national consultative meeting series to strengthen security institutions, governance and management of arms and ammunition
01/01/2018
Fragile and conflict-affected States are often heavily burdened by the illicit flow and availability of arms and ammunition which impedes their efforts to provide security to their population, respond to humanitarian needs and to create an environment conducive to sustainable development. As one of several African countries emerging from conflict, Somalia continues to be affected by the detrimental consequences of the uncontrolled proliferation and misuse of arms. The 2013 UN Security Council decision (see S/RES/2093 and subsequent resolutions) to partially lift the two decade-long arms embargo in Somalia supports the Federal Government of Somalia’s (FGS) efforts to protect its territory. At the same time, the decision has highlighted several challenges in the FGS’s efforts to safely and securely manage the licit and illicit flow of arms and ammunition.
Since the partial lifting of the arms embargo in 2013, the FGS has made notable advancements in its efforts to establish a national framework governing arms and ammunition, including in the areas of national coordination, import processing, marking, recordkeeping, distribution and verification, and storage of arms and ammunition. The previously-held UNIDIR-led series of national technical meetings (WAM in Somalia Phase II) has played a crucial role in supporting these advancements by the FGS and international partners. Notably, the second phase of the UNIDIR project supported the development by the FGS of a national roadmap for WAM, which helped lay a foundation for arms and ammunition governance and management planning in the 2014—2016 period.
The objective of this project (Phase III) is to enhance the capacity of national policymakers and relevant security authorities in the FGS, in particular the Office of the National Security Adviser, whom are tasked with leading or supporting the design, and strengthening of a national framework related to weapons and ammunition governance and management. More specifically, this phase of the project endeavours to support the FGS, and where appropriate, the Federal Member States and UN partners in their efforts to establish accountable and transparent WAM policies and plans, and to help monitor and assess progress in WAM for the 2018-2020 period.