On 25-27 February 2014, in Dakar, Senegal, UNODC organised a regional seminar on the legislative and operational response against trafficking in firearms. This event was the first regional initiative within the firearms component of UNODC's Sahel strategy. The main goal of the regional seminar was to further strengthen the cooperation between countries in the Sahel and West African regions in combatting the illicit firearms trafficking.
The seminar aimed at outlining the problem of firearms trafficking in the region, sharing the progress achieved as well as the remaining challenges in adopting legislation that would provide law enforcement services with the relevant legal instruments. A review was also undertaken to assess the available operational mechanisms, best practice and lessons learned in the fight against firearms trafficking. Information about presentations and group discussions is accessible in the seminar report, which can be downloaded here.
The participants were composed of government, law enforcement and judiciary experts. The countries represented from the West African and Sahel region were Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.
The organization of the seminar was supported by the Government of Japan.