Dear Deputy Minister ZEKA,

Director of the Department for Operations Mr. AHMETI,

Colleagues and participants, media representatives;

This is my first public event since assuming the post as Resident Representative of UNDP Kosovo last week. Allow me to say how happy I am to be here and I look forward to continuing the successful work that this office has done over the past 20 years. When my appointment was confirmed, I started familiarizing myself with not only the work of UNDP in Kosovo but also with the overall situation.

It is evident that Kosovo has made progress in many areas of life in recent years. Safety and security in Kosovo have improved considerably thanks to international support, strengthened capacity, and continuous development of law enforcement institutions.

Ideally, we would all want to live in a society that is free of illegal weapons, in a society where everyone feels safe. But the fact is that guns, crime and violence are threats in the even the most peaceful of societies.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, affirms that sustainable development cannot be achieved without lasting peace and security. It recognizes that flows of illicit arms are amongst the factors which give rise to violence, insecurity and injustice. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.4 explicitly calls for the reduction of illicit arms flows and target 16.1 calls for the reduction of all forms of violence and related deaths everywhere.

Safety and security are one of the fundamental conditions for social and economic development. We can all witness that in today’s world, acts of crime and violence can happen extremely quickly and unexpectedly. Crime has evolved, and often, it appears in forms that we are not used to.

Based on surveys and research conducted in Kosovo, it is estimated that there are approximately 260,000 illegal weapons in the hands of the people of Kosovo. Illegal possession of weapons poses permanent threat for its citizens, bearing in mind that all criminal offenses that are being carried out - including killings and robberies - are by persons who possess illegal weapons.

All too often, cases of domestic violence - where mostly women fall victims – are fatal due to the use of illegal firearms. The availability of illegal weapons in the society is particularly visible during celebratory fires, when people are celebrating the new year and weddings. Easy access to firearms can turn happy celebrations to human tragedies.

UNDP is honored to have been partnering with you for more than 10 years now, in working together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kosovo Police and other security actors and institutions - in building and securing a safe environment for the people of Kosovo. We will continue this path with you through the Kosovo Safety and Security Project in the field of small arms control - where legalization is part of it.

In this regard, we highly appreciate the decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to extend the second phase of the firearms legalization campaign until 17 September 2019. This decision was made due to the very successful results achieved during the first phase where in total 1,428 legalization requests were received in 6 months. We hope and believe that the residents and people from diaspora who will be visiting Kosovo during these summer months will use this opportunity offered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Legalizing and controlling small arms and light weapons is one of the preconditions for ensuring sustainable safety and security which - will contribute to improved quality of life for all people in Kosovo.

UNDP Office in Kosovo will continue supporting and working closely together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and law enforcement agencies to effectively implement the strategy on Small Arms and Light Weapons, as well as the regional roadmap for a comprehensive approach to the arms control in the Western Balkans by 2024.  

I congratulate you all on the work well done and I look forward to hearing about the results at the end of these three months.