In focus: cooperating to enhance small arms control / Im Fokus: Zusammenarbeit für eine verbesserte Kleinwaffenkontrolle / En images: coopérer pour améliorer le contrôle des armes légères

"This training has been a real eye-opener for those of us in charge of arms depots", writes one participant at our PSSM training. Training courses on the physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) of small arms and ammunition are just one aspect of the multi-faceted activities that we undertake in the area of small arms control. Globally, small arms and light weapons (SALW) are one of the biggest sources of danger to social coexistence. They are not only used in civil wars, but in many countries around the world, inadequate SALW control also constitutes a major threat to civilian life. Poorly managed SALW depots pose a significant risk to the surrounding neighbourhoods. Time and again, there are explosions at ammunition stockpiles with many casualties. Moreover, weapons and ammunition can be stolen from insufficiently secured depots or misappropriated by corrupt security forces and then illegally circulated. The underlying causes of armed conflicts are often structural. However, their violent escalation is frequently driven by the availability of weapons and ammunition. Even after conflicts have been settled, it is not uncommon for stocks of small arms to be retained by all parties or - far too often illegally - sold on, bringing them back into circulation. There must be a significant reduction of all the negative effects of SALW on human security. To contribute to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, national governments and international organisations are working on improved SALW control around the world. This is where BICC comes in. Financially supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, we advise regional and international organisations in Africa and their member states on how to achieve this goal. Together we further develop technical and institutional capacities in this area. At the heart of all these efforts lies the desire to improve the protection of civilians in the long run. ... With this publication, we would like to promote interest in the all-important field of small arms control and offer a glimpse into our work. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our partners whose long-standing trust has made excellent cooperation possible in recent years and which we would like to continue in the future. Our special thanks go to the German Federal Foreign Office for its trust and generous financial support, without which this cooperation would not have been possible. All photographs in this publication are the work of Nikhil Acharya, Senior Regional Advisor, Arms/Ammunition Control based in Nairobi, Kenya