Disarmament in Review
A delegation of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) travelled to Banjul from 27 to 31 January. The main objective of their Mission was threefold: i) assess the institutional capacities of the recently established National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW); ii) support for the development of a national action plan on SALW; and iii) foster stronger collaboration among national stakeholders and with the United Nations Country Team. The mission took place in the context of the implementation of the EU funded project, entitled “United Nations Programme of Action”, pursuant to the Council decision (CFSP) 2022/1965 of 17 October 2022.
A key milestone achieved was the support provided towards the development of The Gambia’s first ever National Action Plan (NAP) to address the illicit proliferation of SALW in the country. During its Mission, UNREC facilitated a two-day workshop with over thirty participants. The workshop was well attended by government officials, civil society representatives and international and regional experts from Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The ECOWAS Force in The Gambia (ECOMIG) also participated. Participants stressed the importance of fostering national coordination among key stakeholders in order to adopt a holistic approach to curb threats posed by the illicit proliferation of SALW. The workshop also provided a unique platform to take stock of lessons learned and best practices from neighboring countries – their processes, systems and mechanisms in place – to effectively tackle the scourge of illicit SALW. Importantly, the gathering allowed key national stakeholders to identify national priorities to be captured in a national action plan. Among these priorities was the inclusion of gender considerations in arms control initiatives. To place this in context, women represent 51 per cent of the population in The Gambia.
The three-day mission assessed the institutional capacities of the National Commission against the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) standards. The assessment was conducted through focus group discussions with national experts as well as meetings with the National Commission. The assessment revealed the urgent need to reflect further on the institutional anchoring of the Commission and to strengthen collaboration with key government entities which also play a major role in arms control efforts. The findings will fit into the wider reflections of the country on ways to operationalize the National Commission.
The UNREC delegation met with the Minister of Interior to advocate for the allocation of greater resources and institutional capacities to the National Commission. The Mission also met with the ECOWAS Resident Representative and discussed regional peace and security dynamics and how they impact of the illicit circulation of SALW in West Africa and associated security risks for The Gambia. Furthermore, the alignment of national arms control efforts with broader global and regional frameworks, such as the ECOWAS Convention on SALW, formed part of the discussion. Also, the delegation held discussions with the UN Resident Coordinator and the UNDP Resident Representative with a view to fostering the integration of SALW related issues into the UN’s Common Country Analysis (CCA) and the Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). Strengthening the peace, security and development nexus was deemed pivotal by all concerned to consolidate peacebuilding efforts in The Gambia.
Furthermore, strengthened a national coordination mechanism, increased resources and enhanced institutional capacities, along with the completion of the national action plan, were the key priorities identified for 2025. Moreover, efforts to strengthen cooperation between the UN Country Team and the National Commission will be central to prevent the rapid and illicit proliferation of SALW in the country.
United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa’s support for the development of the national action plan constituted an important milestone in The Gambia’s efforts to tackle the illicit proliferation, circulation and use of SALW. The first milestone was the adoption of the National Commission Against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons Act adopted in 2009. The second milestone was the establishment of the National Commission in 2021. Now, with the launch of the development process of a NAP, the Commission will be equipped with a policy framework reflecting national priorities to curb the scourge of illicit SALW. The process is timely as the country faces an increase in the circulation of SALW as a result of a deteriorating security environment in West Africa which has been marked by the presence of violent extremist groups in the Sahel region and along the coastal countries of the region.
