On 19 November UNODC made a presentation on the UNODC's global state of art and future steps in the implementation of its mandate with regard to the Firearms Protocol at the high level conference "Fight against illicit trafficking in firearms. Where do we stand?". The conference was organized by DG Home Affairs and attended by Ms. Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs.
The conference provided an overall picture of where the European Union stood in terms of existing legislation and policies on illicit firearms trafficking. It helped to identify future steps to improve the European legal framework and effectively address this phenomenon.
The conference gathered experts from the Law Enforcement Agencies, representatives from the industry and the civil society, as well as policy makers of all EU Member States to discuss political guidance and possible Commission initiatives in this field. Commissioner Malmström called for the full support and engagement from actors at all levels - international, national, regional and local - to develop a stronger EU policy in this area.
UNODC contributed to the overall goal of the conference by presenting its mandate, strategy and priorities of the organization in combating trafficking in firearms. Further UNODC outlined the main achievements and the challenges encountered in the process of implementation of the Firearms Protocol.