2006 Annual Report

Tackling small arms in FYR Macedonia

The existence of small arms and light weapons not only represents a threat to countries that are emerging from conflict; it can also continue to blight the lives of people long after the crisis has subsided. Four years after the end of a conflict that brought it close to civil war in 2001, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is struggling with armed crime, a depressed economy, and ethnic tensions between Albanians and Macedonians. Approximately 170,000 illegal small arms are thought to remain within FYR Macedonia’s borders. UNDP has been supporting national and local authorities in reducing the supply of illegal small arms, improving security and fostering national reconciliation. More than 13,000 weapons have been collected and destroyed by authorities, thanks in part to a UNDP-supported awareness-raising campaign. Security has improved considerably in Macedonian cities. In Tearce and Vratnica, there have been no murders since the initiative began and no armed incidents in 2005. Moreover, the government adopted a new weapons law and national action strategy to further advance the disarmament process.