Disarming Conflict – Strengthening national arms control measures in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Lead Entity/ies
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Collaborating Partners
Entities within the United Nations System: United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA); United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA); United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) ; United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

Other partners: International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL); Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States (RECSA); Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); specialized NGOs such as the Small Arms Survey and/or Conflict Armament Research
Duration
1 September 2025 - 31 August 2027
Location
Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo
Approved Budget
$ 1,268,656
Description/outline
The project, aligned with UNODC’s Global Firearms Programme, focuses on the provision of legislative advice through workshops; support to Small Arms National Commissions on firearms marking, recordkeeping, and Standard Operating Procedures development, and on rehabilitation and construction of stockpiles for seized arms in the Central African Republic; the deployment and maintenance of UNODC’s goIFAR system; conduct of a pilot tracing operation; delivery of trainings on firearms trafficking investigations and prosecutions; and support to the establishment of centralized firearms investigation and tracing hubs.
Status
Starting in September 2025

Synopsis

Objectives

The project aims to strengthen National Commissions on Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, enabling them to more effectively counter illicit firearms manufacturing and trafficking, and their links to conflict, organized crime, and terrorism.

Components

Main components of the project, aligned with the strategic outcomes of the UNODC Global Firearms Programme include the provision of legislative development advice through the organization of workshops in both countries; technical support to Small Arms National Commissions on marking and recordkeeping of firearms and on developing Standard Operating Procedures for the management of surrendered, seized, and confiscated weapons, and on the rehabilitation and construction of stockpiling facilities for seized arms in the Central African Republic adaptation, deployment, and maintenance of UNODC’s Integrated Firearms Registry (goIFAR) in the Central African Republic; implementation of a pilot tracing operation; delivery of a series of national trainings on the detection, investigation, and prosecution of firearms trafficking and related crimes; and institutional and technical support for the establishment or strengthening of centralized firearms investigation and tracing hubs.