What unites a police chief, a military officer, a firearms regulator, and a transnational crime investigator? The shared objective of ensuring that weapons don't fall into the wrong hands.
With that goal in mind, eighteen practitioners from thirteen countries across the Asia-Pacific successfully completed the Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Control, strengthening regional capacities to prevent the illicit proliferation, misuse, and diversion of such weapons.
Held from the 16th of February to the 6th of March 2026 in Jabalpur, India, the three-week in-person training was delivered in close collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), and the Government of India. The programme forms part of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affair’s (UNODA) global fellowship initiative, established to support Member States in implementing the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the International Tracing Instrument.
The program began with a three-day virtual orientation. Alongside, participants were also encouraged to take a self-paced online course, which helped familiarize them with key introductory concepts regarding disarmament, international legal frameworks, and SALW control mechanisms.
Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, delivers the opening address.
From Global Commitments to National Implementation:
With these preparations in order, the first week of the Fellowship kicked off with an overview of regional priorities and the varying security dynamics across the Asia-Pacific. The UNODA, UNITAR, and UNRCPD conducted sessions to introduce global and regional frameworks including the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the International Tracing Instrument, while participants examined the commitments of States, reporting obligations, and assistance mechanisms. The MOSAIC guidance and assessment tool, while exploring how national legislation, coordination frameworks, and transfer controls operate in practice, was also used.
Participants collaborating during the first week of the Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)
Fellows didn't just study disarmament — they got to practice it. Group work, scenario-based discussions, and peer exchanges pushed participants to move beyond theory and confront real-world institutional challenges. An ammunition manufacturing facility visit connected the dots between production, oversight, marking, and traceability. A weapons display put practical identification skills to the test. The learning rang clear: knowing the norms is only half the job; knowing how to apply them is the other.
Technical Systems translating into Operational Enforcement:
The momentum from week one carried straight into week two, where the programme shifted gears into the technical and operational aspects of SALW control. From illicit manufacturing to judicial responses, no agenda was left unaddressed. Fellows worked through the full spectrum of small arms challenges — marking and tracing systems, recordkeeping, emerging technologies, cross-border enforcement, and regional collaboration frameworks. Procedures for collecting, documenting, and disposing of illicit and surplus weapons rounded out a programme designed to equip participants with the complete toolkit.
Demonstration of various weapons to participants
To apply textbook knowledge outside the walls of the classroom, visits to weapons and ammunition storage facilities were organized. Participants observed the standard operating procedures that direct the receipt, inspection, categorization, and secure storage of materials.
They examined multi-layered verification processes, inventory management systems, and lifecycle controls—often described as “womb-to-tomb” management—ensuring accountability: from acquisition to disposal. Specialized infrastructure, including bunker-type ammunition storage, demonstrated how safety standards, environmental controls, and blast containment measures are applied to minimize risks and prevent accidental detonation or diversion.
Field visit to the Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur
Participants also visited a heavy weapons manufacturing facility, where they observed the assembly of large-caliber systems and explored the distinctions between small arms and heavy weapons from a control and regulatory perspective. These engagements provided insight into defense production processes, technological evolution, and oversight challenges across different categories of weapon systems.
The third week expanded the discussion to broader dimensions of SALW control, including the role of youth, gender considerations, forensic investigation, and the application of SALW controls in peacekeeping contexts. Together, these components provided a comprehensive and integrated learning experience—linking global norms, regional dynamics, technical expertise, and practical field exposure to strengthen participants’ capacity to address SALW challenges in their respective national contexts.
Destruction in Control:
The final week also focused on weapons and ammunition destruction and demilitarization. Participants were introduced to a range of techniques, including mechanical destruction methods such as cutting, crushing, and smelting, as well as open burning and controlled explosive demolition for ammunition.
To bring theory inside controlled walls, they also observed and took part in supervised destruction activities — experiencing firsthand the safety protocols, environmental standards, and documentation processes that turn policy into verifiable action. Demonstrations drove the point home, showing how weapons are rendered permanently inoperable — some converted into training tools or display items, stripped of danger but not of purpose.
Field visit to witness the controlled burning of Small Arms and Light Weapons
Regional Communities building skills for National Impact:
The programme did not end in the room — it was designed to travel. Throughout the fellowship, participants developed individual project proposals targeting priority SALW challenges in their own countries, supported by dedicated mentors across four focus areas: policy and governance, technical control and lifecycle management, systems and traceability, and operational enforcement and capacity building. A Training-of-Trainers component ensured the learning would not stop with them, equipping fellows with the facilitation and instructional skills to replicate and adapt the training within their own institutions, multiplying the programme's impact long after the last session closed.
Participants of the Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)
As the Fellowship concluded, participants returned to their home countries equipped with enhanced technical knowledge, practical skills, and a network of peers across the Asia-Pacific region. This emerging community of practice is expected to support continued collaboration, knowledge exchange, and coordinated action in addressing SALW challenges.
UNODA, together with its partners, remains committed to supporting Member States through sustained capacity-building, technical assistance, and regional cooperation initiatives, ensuring that the momentum generated by the Fellowship translates into tangible improvements in national and regional SALW control systems.
For more information, contact unrcpd-info@un.org.
