UNOCT and UNODC conduct capacity consultations on the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons and their illicit supply to terrorists in Turkmenistan

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 11 - 14 October 2022 - The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT-UNCCT), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), and the United Nations Office on Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) conducted the Capacity Consultations with the competent authorities of Turkmenistan in the framework of joint UNOCT-UNODC Project "Addressing the terrorism-arms-crime nexus: Preventing and combatting the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons and their illicit supply to terrorists - Supporting the implementation of SCR.2370/2017 and the Madrid Guiding Principles, Phase II" at the premises of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia. 

The event brought together over 17 representatives from the General Prosecutor's Office, Supreme Court, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Security, Customs Service, State Border Service and State Migration Service of Turkmenistan, representing the key national institutions with attributes in preventing and countering firearms trafficking and the associated offenses. Experts from INTERPOL and World Customs Organization (WCO) also attended the consultations through leading on such topics as detection, customs and border controls, as well as investigations, prosecution and adjudication of firearms trafficking cases.

In preparation for the Capacity Consultations, the project implementation team reviewed the relevant national legislation on firearms and conducted the initial assessment of the national capacities. 

The Capacity Consultations allowed for an interactive dialogue between the national institutions and the project stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the current situation pertinent to illicit small arms and light weapons trafficking and its links to terrorism in Turkmenistan and Central Asia. National institutions had the opportunity to discuss in detail their current capacities to prevent and combat the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons and their illicit supply to terrorists and the status of implementation of relevant international instruments and Security Council resolutions adopted in this field. It also allowed Turkmenistan authorities to assess the existing legislative, institutional and operational framework and response capacity, as well as identify their priority technical assistance needs that can be addressed and supported through the current project.

As a result of these consultations, the project team will prepare a roadmap for Turkmenistan with conclusions, recommended guidelines, and an assessment of the current national capability to address the terrorism-arms-crime nexus by preventing and combatting the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons and their illicit supply to terrorists and progress in implementing the Security Council resolutions 2370 (2017), 2482 (2019) and the international instruments on preventing firearms trafficking and terrorism.

 

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The UNODC/UNOCT joint project "Addressing the terrorism-arms-crime nexus: Preventing and combatting the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons and their illicit supply to terrorists" was launched on 21 February 2020 at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA. The project aims to support the implementation of relevant international instruments on organized crime, terrorism and arms control, including the Firearms Protocol and its parent Convention on Organized Crime (UNTOC), the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. Overall, the project contributes to the elaboration and implementation of integrated action plans and strategies to address the trafficking of firearms in the context of terrorism and organized crime in target countries and the overall sub-region.

This initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.