The illicit trafficking and misuse of firearms is intrinsically linked to organized crime groups and networks: as facilitators of violent crimes, as tools to perpetrate power, and as lucrative trafficking commodities, that fuels armed conflicts, crime and insecurity. No region in the world is exempt from the dramatic consequences of firearms violence. The problems associated with firearms violence cover the whole spectrum of human security ranging from high levels of individual physical insecurity with serious economic and social consequences for the society at large, to large scale armed conflicts in which these arms enable widespread violence and account for the majority of deaths.
The problems associated with criminality and firearms are of such a complex nature, that curtailing them requires tailored interventions involving corresponding criminal justice responses in terms prevention, investigation and prosecution of crimes.
To support the Member states in Central Asia in addressing this threat, UNODC organized a two-day study tour and meeting of the Communities of Criminal Justice Practitioners Fighting Illicit Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in Central Asia in Bucharest, Romania, on 25-26 March 2025. The event brought together criminal justice practitioners from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to strengthen regional and international cooperation in combating illicit firearms trafficking.
Held in collaboration with Romania’s General Inspectorate of Police and its National Firearms Focal Point (NFFP), the study tour provided participants with in-depth insights into institutional mechanisms for addressing SALW trafficking. Discussions covered key areas such as mutual legal assistance in cases related to organized crime and terrorism, forensic approaches to firearms investigations, and the role of Romania’s NFFP in countering firearms-related challenges and threats.
Mr. Bogdan Ungureanu, representing Romania’s NFFP at the General Inspectorate of Police, opened the discussion by emphasizing the need for swift intelligence-sharing among law enforcement agencies, stating, "Information about firearms should travel faster than firearms."
Over the two days, participants engaged in expert-led sessions and visited the Romanian National Forensics Institute, where they gained hands-on experience with advanced investigative techniques used in firearms-related cases. On the second day, participants visited the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC), located at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest. The visit provided participants with a comprehensive overview of SELEC’s mission, structure, operational mechanisms, and capabilities in combating transnational crime, including serious and organized crime in the region.
This initiative, funded by the Government of Germany, marks a key step in strengthening regional and international cooperation in enhancing the criminal justice response in tackling SALW trafficking in Central Asia.
