Division 2 Selection of implementing agency and coordination with other relevant funding initiatives

SEESAC is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the RCC, and as such is the focal point for SALW‐related activities in SEE. As the executive arm of the Regional Implementation Plan, it has been working since 2002 with stakeholders in SEE on implementing a holistic approach to SALW control through the execution of a wide spectrum of activities including: the facilitation of strategic and operational regional cooperation; supporting policy development and capacity enhancement for institutions; awareness‐raising and SALW collection campaigns; stockpile management, surplus reduction, improved marking and tracing capabilities; and improved arms export control. Consequently, SEESAC has acquired a unique capacity and experience implementing multi‐stakeholder regional interventions against the shared political and economic background of the partners in the SEE region, ensuring national and regional ownership and the long‐term sustainability of its actions and establishing itself as the primary regional authority in the field of SALW control.

SEESAC maintains bilateral and multilateral channels of communication with all relevant actors and organisations. In that regard, it continues to serve as the Secretariat of the Regional Steering Group for SALW (RSG). In addition, SEESAC holds the Secretariat of the Regional Approach to Stockpile Reduction (RASR) initiative and has also been appointed as the Secretariat of the MPTF. SEESAC is also part of the SALW/MA Coordination Meetings, an informal coordination mechanism on SALW control activities that operates between NATO, the Union, OSCE, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and SEESAC. SEESAC regularly contributes to relevant regional fora such as the EU‐Western Balkans meetings of ministers of Justice and Home Affairs, the NATO structural information exchange process on SALW and the South‐Eastern Europe defence ministerial (‘SEDM’) process. In addition, SEESAC continues to maintain a wide network of formal and informal partnerships with organisations such as RACVIAC (Regional Arms Control Verification and Implementation Assistance Centre) ‐ Centre for Security Cooperation and the OSCE’s Forum for Security Cooperation. Regular coordination meetings as well as information exchange take place with other UN agencies, such as UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) and UNODA, through the UN Coordinating Action on Small Arms (CASA) as well as other formats. SEESAC therefore serves as a regional hub and focal point for a wide spectrum of issues related to security sector reform, with a particular focus on SALW control and stockpile management. SEESAC maintains close contact with and provides support to relevant Union actors, primarily DG NEAR, DG HOME, Europol, Interpol and Frontex, as well as EU‐led initiatives such as EMPACT Firearms, and the European Firearm Experts (EFE) Group. This enables a more effective outreach to the SEE counterparts.

Based in Belgrade, SEESAC currently operates throughout SEE, with activities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Kosovo^f1, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia and Serbia as well as limited support to Belarus and Ukraine. In the past, it also operated in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania. Regional ownership is ensured through the RCC as well as through the RSG, where representatives of all countries in SEE provide strategic guidance, initiatives and requests for support.

SEESAC has pioneered an approach based on tackling shared problems through regional initiatives, which has wielded impressive results in SEE, not only because of the crucial information‐sharing and promotion of healthy regional competition which it sparks, but also because it helps achieve consistent and easily measurable results at national and regional level through a holistic implementation modality.

SEESAC implemented its previous Union‐funded projects with a very high delivery rate of the envisaged activities, delivering sustainable project results by developing and fostering national ownership of its projects and activities, and promoting regional coordination, experience and the sharing of best practices, as well as regional research. Its SALW expertise and in‐depth knowledge of regional affairs and relevant stakeholders make SEESAC the most suitable implementing partner for this particular action.