OSCE helps to combat proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in Kyrgyzstan

A programme aimed to strengthen Kyrgyzstan’ capabilities to manage and control small arms and light weapons (SALW) and stockpiles of conventional ammunition (SCA) was launched on 2 August 2013 following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the OSCE in Bishkek.

Small arms and light weapons cause the majority of injuries and deaths in both combat and non-combat situations during low-intensity conflicts around the globe. In the countries of the former Soviet bloc such as Kyrgyzstan, SALW and SCA are often widely available and pose risks of misuse and destabilizing proliferation.

Excess stocks of ammunition were left behind in Kyrgyzstan after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the condition of the storage sites has deteriorated over the past decades due to a lack of expert and financial resources.

The new project will intensify the activities of Kyrgyzstan’s Defence Ministry to destroy surplus and unserviceable SALW, assist in improving stockpile management and enhancing the security of storage sites, update the legal framework that governs the security of arms and ammunition, provide training for Defence Ministry personnel, and support the creation of a national record keeping and weapons-tracing database.

The project was developed by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek on the initiative of the Kyrgyz Republic and is jointly financed by the European Union, Finland, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.