Arms Management and Disarmament Committee of the United Republic of Tanzania

The Tanzanian National Action Plan to Combat and Eradicate the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons: A Summary

Public Information
For release during the African Conference on the Implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms: Needs and Partnerships; Pretoria, 18-21 March 2002

Introduction
The Tanzanian National Action Plan for Arms Management and Disarmament is a five-year implementation project involving all sectors of Tanzanian society that seeks to prevent, control and eradicate the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in Tanzania. The first initiative of its kind anywhere in the world the Tanzanian National Action Plan has been developed through a thorough and comprehensive process of planning and research, active engagement with regional and international arms control initiatives and close consultation and collaboration with civil society. This comprehensive approach to the development and subsequent implementation of the Tanzanian National Action Plan has ensured that this initiative will be both effective and sustainable. Implementation has commenced on February 1, 2002.

Why Tanzania
The Great Lakes Region of Africa has been at the hub of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons throughout Central, Southern and Eastern Africa. For the past fifty years the fallout from decolonisation and the struggle for liberation of African peoples have destabilised the region. Compounding this instability have been the proxy wars and political machinations of the Cold War that have been played out, as the region was used as a battleground and logistical base for these conflicts. The legacies of the Cold War and decolonisation eras have included arsenals of arms and armies of trained and partly trained soldiers, with few skills other than military, which were left over from these conflicts. The long shelf life of small arms and the abundance of ammunition have created a destabilising dynamic all of their own.
The sources of illicit small arms in the region are both old and new. Similarly, not all illicit weapons in circulation started their life as such. Given the complexity of the sources of illicit arms both in the region and in the United Republic of Tanzania a thorough plan of action to reduce and eradicate this proliferation was deemed necessary. Moreover, the pressing need for comprehensive action is heightened by the strategic location and role of Tanzania, placing a particular onus on the Tanzanian government to take a leading role in the struggle against crime, terror and illicit arms in Southern, Eastern and Central Africa.
A number of factors contribute to the central strategic importance of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzania stands at the cross-roads between Southern and Eastern Africa; and between the Indian Ocean and the Central African region;
Tanzania shares its borders with some of the most porous and politically unstable countries in Southern and Central Africa;
The territory of Tanzania has been utilized as a transit point by illicit networks and has also suffered directly from terrorism and increased crime;
Tanzania possesses political mandates and responsibilities that are unique, as a member of: the Southern African Development Community; the East African Community; the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Committee; and the Eastern African Regional Police Chiefs Committee. In addition, Tanzania has a strong humanitarian and social record as a provider of asylum and refuge.

The United Republic of Tanzania has been actively participating and engaged in all sub-regional, continental and international policy formulation initiatives that aim to tackle the proliferation of and illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Through their active engagement in these processes Tanzania has been able to not only make valuable contributions to these initiatives but has also ensured that the finalized agreements are reflective of their experiences and needs. Within the UN Programme of Action and Vienna Firearms Protocol, OAU Bamako Declaration, SADC Protocol on Firearms and Ammunition, Nairobi Declaration and draft East African Firearms Protocol clear guidelines for national, regional and international action are set forth. These agreements have put in place the political framework within which to tackle the proliferation of small arms and provided an important guide in the formulation of Tanzania's National Action Plan.

National Decision
While these regional, continental and international agreements provide a vital political framework, it is the national level that must be the main locus of implementation of practical action. Aware of the pressing need to begin the process of national implementation the government of Tanzania created governmental structures through which implementation could effectively be carried out. Three principal bodies were established during 2001 and include:

A National Focal Point on small arms and light weapons;
A National Committee for Arms Management and Disarmament; and
Provincial Task Forces for Arms Management and Disarmament

In the establishment of these bodies the government of Tanzania took particular care to ensure that all key stakeholders were included. Consequently, all provincial and local authorities, all relevant governmental agencies and Tanzanian civil society are key elements of the three bodies.
Once the governmental structures were established the next stage in developing the National Action Plan was to assess the small arms situation in Tanzania. The National Committee thus commenced a comprehensive governmental assessment of the real extent of the problem in Tanzania. The object of the exercise was to identify the nature and extent of small arms proliferation in Tanzania in terms of supply and demand factors; the existing capacity and resources available to address the issue; and the attitudes to and experiences of small arms proliferation of the Tanzanian people. In some cases, the information was obtained through interviews, workshops, observation, and impact surveys conducted in consultation and with the support of many different national and international non-governmental organizations. In other cases, the government conducted its own assessment of law enforcement capacity and penetration of illicit arms through key entry points. Collaboration and consultation with all sectors of society, governmental and non-governmental, were key elements of the exercise.
The results of this national exercise provided the government of Tanzania with vital information from which they could review and modify the structures for the implementation of the National Action Plan, and where necessary, establish new structures. The implementation architecture for the National Plan of Action that emerged by November 2001 is as follows:

The National Defence and Security Committee - the highest decision making body pertaining to issues of national security and which has had its area of responsibility extended to cover issues relating to small arms control;
The National Focal Point on Firearms and Ammunition - an interdepartmental committee comprising of all government stakeholders who have some role in addressing the small arms issue and which functions as the link between regional (for instance SADC and the EAC) and district-level institutions;
Provincial Focal Point Agencies - regional bodies under the direction of the National Focal Point (NFP) that ensure the operationalisation of NFP decisions;
National Committee on Arms Management and Disarmament (AMAD Committee) - operating in parallel with the National Focal Point, the AMAD Committee is the sole planning, co-ordinating, fundraising and monitoring body of the National Action Plan. Members of the Committee include senior police officials, representatives of key government agencies, the project manager and representatives of national, regional and international NGOs.

In addition to these bodies a National Fundraising Committee has also been established to ensure the sustainability of the project by adapting existing resources and carrying out fundraising, with the aim of developing, within five years, a sustainable and fully self-financed project.

The Tanzanian National Plan of Action
These structures outlined above are the bodies through which practical projects - the true substance of the National Action Plan - will be implemented. The National Action Plan consists of a series of components or projects that are to be undertaken jointly by government and civil society agencies. The project schedule has been designed to ensure that action will be taken in a logical and phased manner over the next five years.
The formulation of projects within the National Action Plan was carried out through an all-inclusive process of consultation between, and assessment by, all sectors of Tanzanian society at the end of 2001. This bottom-up approach has ensured that a sense of ownership of the National Action Plan – a vital factor in ensuring its long-term sustainability and success - has been imbued across Tanzanian society.
Each component or project has a lead agency and/or Tanzanian NGO as the responsible contact point with the supporting actors i.e. members of the National Committee, other government agencies and civil society bodies. Each of the projects will evolve through a series of logical stages, which have been designed to coincide with the various phases of funding support.
Over one hundred micro-projects have been identified for implementation at different stages of the Plan: every aspect that can influence the small arms dynamic in the country is considered. Thus, there are projects that focus on controlling licit stocks and improving border controls, and there are those that focus on reducing dependency through public awareness, education and the creation of economic alternatives. Similarly, not all projects are exclusively national in character and scope. Many projects focus on improving trans-border cooperation between Tanzania and its neighbors whereas others exist to strengthen the resolve and capacity of regional secretariats in Southern and Eastern Africa in jointly combating the illicit trade in arms.
Thus, the Tanzanian National Plan constitutes a coordination mechanism that ensures the efficient management of micro-projects. The micro-projects are clustered around a set of elements. The six main elements of the plan can be summarized as those leading to:

Establishment/sensitization of existing national bodies and agencies;
Review of national legislation, administrative procedures and regulations followed by implementation of the new provisions;
Training and capacity building;
Developing international and regional cooperation and information exchange;
Cooperation and interaction with civil society in order to build support for the National Action Plan and secure civil society involvement in its implementation; and,
Identification and action on critical areas of control such as cross-border entry points.

All micro-projects feed into a central long-term plan of action, whose main components are the establishment of capacity to deal with the small arms problem; the establishment of infrastructures that will expedite action in resolving the problem; and the implementation of arms management and disarmament actions nationally and across borders. With these components in place, Tanzanian people can themselves undertake the action required to prevent, combat and eradicate the problem in a sustainable manner.
One of the central tenets of the National Action Plan is to work within a realistic, practical framework. As a result, a two-stage assessment of costs was undertaken. The first project budget was carried out based on the existing resources that could be modified to sustain the project, without having to rely on external assistance. Subsequently, in the second stage, an assessment of costs was undertaken to identify those items and activities for which extra funds would be required. However, in almost all cases, the personnel costs of the projects have been covered through national resources. For external resources, the Tanzanian Government approached the United Kingdom and the EU Commission. The United Kingdom granted the additional start-up funds required to commence the implementation process on February 1, 2002.

Conclusion - Progress through Collaboration
The Tanzanian National Action Plan represents a unique undertaking to prevent, control and eradicate the proliferation of small arms, which has been founded upon a collaborative and inclusive approach that recognises the vital role that civil society can and must play, if sustainable peace, security and development are to be secured. While the National Action Plan focuses on arms management and disarmament because of the inclusive nature of its development and implementation it will not only impact positively on weapons and security, but also on governance, democracy, trust and development because at is roots lies the essence of ownership and sustainability: it is designed and implemented by Tanzanians and it will benefit Tanzanians.

For more information contact:
C.O. Arms Management and Disarmament Division,
Criminal Investigation Department, PO Box 9093
Dar Es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
Tel: +255 22 213 2252
Mr. Jakkie Potgieter, Director, SaferAfrica
AMAD appointed Manager
173 Beckett Street, Arcadia
Pretoria 0083, South Africa
Tel: +27-12-344-6700
Fax:+27-12-344-6708
www.saferafrica.org

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