The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, in collaboration with the United Nations System Staff College, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), is launching the European edition of the UN Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control, established by the United Nations General Assembly under resolution 77/71, adopted on 7 December 2022.
Small arms and light weapons continue to fuel armed violence, organized crime, and insecurity across regions, including in Europe. To strengthen national capacities and promote sustainable solutions, the General Assembly mandated the establishment of a dedicated fellowship programme to build technical and practical expertise among Government officials directly responsible for implementing the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the International Tracing Instrument.
Implemented by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, the fellowship provides a structured platform for peer learning, regional cooperation, and the development of a community of practice among practitioners and policymakers engaged in small arms control. It combines a preparatory online phase with a three-week in-person training programme that blends technical instruction, policy dialogue, and practical exercises.
This European iteration will take place from 20 April to 8 May 2026 in Turin, Italy, hosted by the United Nations System Staff College, and in Lyon, France, in collaboration with INTERPOL. It brings together 16 fellows from countries of the Western European and Other Group and the Eastern European Group, representing ministries of foreign affairs, defence and interior, law enforcement agencies, armed forces, and customs authorities.
The programme features sessions on marking, record-keeping, tracing and stockpile management, as well as discussions on diversion prevention, emerging technologies and international cooperation. Participants will also engage in practical exercises and develop action-oriented projects tailored to their national or institutional contexts.
Through interactive learning and shared experience, the fellowship aims to strengthen a network of national experts who exchange knowledge, identify common challenges and promote coordinated approaches to arms control across the region and beyond.
For additional information, please contact Cristina Mukhtashova at cristina.mukhtashova@un.org or Donato Guido Loforese at donato.loforese@un.org.
