In 2025, SEESAC further supported authorities across South East and East Europe in advancing SALW and civil use of explosives control legislation in line with EU Acquis and international obligations, combining expert assistance, targeted gap assessments, and dedicated workshops.

Held as part of an established annual process, and organized jointly with the DG Home and EEAS, the Regional Workshop on the Harmonization of SALW Legislation with the EU Acquis was convened in November 2025 in Brussels, providing a stable platform for the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to exchange updates on legislative alignment, discuss implementation challenges, and gain insights into recent EU regulatory developments on firearms, explosives and pyrotechnics, and emerging issues such as 3D-printed firearms.

Targeted expert assistance was provided to support the harmonization of firearms, ammunition and explosives legislation with EU standards in several jurisdictions. Specifically,  a dedicated workshop on harmonization of firearms and ammunition-related legislation with EU standards was organized in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Technical and expert support was extended to Montenegro for the development of the Law on Weapons and Ammunition,  including assistance during the public debate on the draft Law in Podgorica. Expert input was provided for drafting the Law on Explosives in North Macedonia.

SEESAC's support contributed to tangible progress made by several jurisdictions in developing a strategic approach to SALW Control and in aligning the strategic frameworks with the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap 2030. Bosnia and Herzegovina, adopted a new SALW Control Strategy 2025–2030 and Action Plan 2025–2027 while the Republic of Moldova adopted a SALW Control Programme for 2026–2030 for the first time. In Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania, the SALW Control strategies and accompanying Action Plans were drafted and were pending adoption by the end of the year. A comprehensive evaluation of the SALW Control Strategy and Action Plan was completed in Montenegro.

Throughout 2025, SEESAC, along with other partners, supported the Government of Ukraine in drafting Ukraine's first strategy and action plan to prevent and combat illicit SALW, helping to shape strategic priorities, strengthen inter-agency coordination, and align the framework with international best practices.

Physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) was also part of SEESAC's work in 2025, with efforts directed at improving SALW storage security, supporting weapon destruction, and enhancing regional stockpile management capacities.

In 2025, SEESAC supported authorities of the Republic of Moldova in the disposal of 2,177 pieces of small arms and light weapons, and Kosovo in the destruction of 381 SALW pieces.

Similarly, with SEESAC's support, law enforcement authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina destroyed 842 pieces of SALW.

Furthermore, activities aimed at security upgrades of the six evidence rooms' locations of the General Police Inspectorate in the Republic of Moldova were initiated.

In 2025, significant progress was made in integrating a gender perspective into SALW control across the Western Balkans, in particular to strengthen institutional capacities in implementing strategic commitments on mainstreaming gender in SALW control at the operational level.

Jurisdiction trainings on the Guidelines for Gender-Responsive Firearms Licensing and Risk Assessment in Cases of Domestic Violence were delivered by police officers who completed SEESAC's Training of Trainers (ToT) in 2024, following dedicated online and in-person preparatory meetings with expert support. The trainings were attended by 133 police officers working on domestic violence cases and professionals handling firearm license approvals in Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Continued support at the policymaking level included a Gender Coach Programme tailored to and organized for the Head of Montenegro's SALW Commission, enabling a better understanding of the links between arms control and gender considerations. Additionally, a workshop on gender mainstreaming in SALW control was conducted for the Gender Equality Coordination Board in Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the members of the SALW Commission in Montenegro.

Regional cooperation and information sharing among civil society organizations was strengthened in 2025 through a dedicated Regional Workshop for Women's CSOs with specific focus on Gender and SALW. The workshop held in Tirana gathered 18 organisations from across the Western Balkans. The women's CSOs from the region were further connected with the global Gender Equality Network for SALW Control (GENSAC) enabling complementing ongoing work on strengthening the inclusion of women's CSOs.

Two regional studies, conducted in cooperation with the institutions of the Western Balkans and finalized this year, provided comprehensive insights into the impact of firearms in domestic violence highlighting its gender-based nature (Regional Analysis on Institutional Response to Firearms Misuse in Domestic Violence), as well as insights into women's role in SALW control field, their contributions, and challenges to a gender-balanced participation in this field (Regional Analysis on Women in SALW Control). A Paper on Sustainable Gender Mainstreaming, recently developed, shares experiences from the region based on SEESAC's extensive efforts to practically mainstream gender in SALW control

In 2025, SEESAC strengthened regional awareness-raising efforts by continuing regional cooperation and exchange efforts, further strengthening local-level capacities, expanding a set of knowledge tools available, and supporting campaigns where needed.

A key driver behind these activities was the Regional Awareness-Raising Task Force (RAR Task Force), which convened its 7^th meeting in Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Task Force brought together representatives of Ministries of Interior and police services from across the Western Balkans, and the Republic of Moldova to present and discuss their recent work, analyze emerging trends, and undergo a joint capacity building exercise –a training on the use of data for creating effective awareness campaigns.  

Significant progress was also achieved through a set of local-level capacity-building activities aimed at advancing the institutional ability to design and deliver impactful awareness initiatives. Eight (8) local-level trainings were organized, four each in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, focusing on campaign planning and design, crisis communication during firearms-related incidents, public speaking, and effective use of social media.

Important advances were also made in improving regional knowledge and communication tools. Key findings and recommendations from the Analysis of Media Reporting on Firearms Misuse in Male Gender-Based Violence Against Women were presented to the public. The Analysis contributes to more informed, ethical, and victim-sensitive reporting by the media.

The Guidelines for Communication in Crisis Situations Linked to Firearms were finalized and published, together with the Guidelines for Effective Utilization of Social Media in Awareness-Raising Efforts. These knowledge products both respond to explicit requests for support from RAR Task Force participants and complement regional and local-level trainings.

SEESAC also continued the support of the social media aspect of a 'Celebrate with your heart, not your gun' campaign that has been ongoing in Kosovo throughout 2024 and 2025.

These interventions strengthened the region's ability to communicate effectively on SALW-related risks, promote safer behaviours, and support evidence-based violence prevention efforts.

Internationally acknowledged as a transformative regional framework for sustainable arms control, the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap, continued to be highlighted in major regional and global forums for steering progress toward compliance by the region with EU and international security standards.

In 2025, SEESAC continued to facilitate coordination, to monitor the progress, and foster regional cooperation to achieve the Roadmap's goals in close cooperation with the EU, Germany and France and a large number of partners.

The 13^th and 14^th  Regional Roadmap Coordination meetings were organized on 8-9 July and 9-10 December 2025. Preceding these gatherings, six local coordination meetings were organized in June and November-December  2025 by the SALW Commissions in each jurisdiction and support from SEESAC.

These meetings, coupled with the 13^th  and 14^th  biannual regional progress reports, allowed for a comprehensive review of progress, challenges, and future plans among government counterparts, donors, and international organizations.

As part of the Roadmap progress evaluation, the final review of the first phase of the Roadmap implementation was finalized with the preliminary findings and recommendations presented at the 14^th Regional Roadmap Coordination Meeting.

Following the adoption of the Western Balkans Roadmap, SEESAC has facilitated several interregional exchanges among authorities dealing with SALW Control, promoting the adaptation of effective SALW control practices across regions.

In 2025, SEESAC advanced interregional cooperation through a technical mission to the Republic of Honduras to facilitate peer learning, knowledge exchange, and the identification of adaptable practices based on the lessons learned and good practices established through the implementation of the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap.

Building on this engagement, representatives from the Republic of Honduras conducted a study visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they participated in the 13^th Regional Roadmap Coordination Meeting and the 21^st Regional Meeting of SALW Commissions and met with representatives of key institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The programme also included site visits to a ballistic laboratory and specific exchanges with two women police officers' associations on gender equality and leadership in policing.

Additionally, SEESAC continued supporting the development of a strategic approach to SALW control in the ASEAN region through expert support in two meetings organized in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh Cambodia in August and December 2025.

The regional approach of the Western Balkans has already inspired action in several other regions. Following the development of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap that was adopted in 2020 following the blueprint of the Western Balkans Roadmap, a similar approach was followed by the Central America and Dominican Republic by the adoption of the Roadmap in February 2025. Additionally, in October 2025, the development of the Andean Community Roadmap to Prevent, Combat Illicit Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives was approved.

Furthermore, the impact of the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap and its relevance for regional cooperation and the security of Europe was acknowledged at high-level meetings such as the Western Balkans Berlin Process Summit in London in October 2025.

Serving as the Secretariat for the  Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap Multi-Partner Trust Fund, SEESAC continued to effectively coordinate and monitor the Trust Fund's activities and support the decision-making of the Trust Fund's Steering Committee.

In 2025, SEESAC facilitated the Trust Fund's Steering Committee's decision-making on six occasions. The Trust Fund's SC convened to decide on the duration of the Trust Fund, review and approve revision of the governing documents and Terms of Reference in light of the Roadmap's extension until 2030, as well as to review progress of ongoing projects and decide on new priorities for funding allocations across the region in support of the Roadmap implementation.

In May 2025, the Secretariat consolidated the Trust Fund's annual report 2024, as well as presented the work of the Trust Fund governance bodies in 2024. The annual report was circulated on 31 May 2025 to all contributors and partners.

SEESAC continued to strengthen the capacities of institutions in the region for evidence-based policy making through research and in-depth analysis covering various aspects of arms control, including arms exports, new technologies and threats, firearms misuse in different contexts and their impact, and the factors fueling the demand for firearms.

Key knowledge products published in 2025 included:

The following knowledge products were completed:

Together, these tools strengthened institutional capacities for data-driven policymaking and trend analysis.