United Nations Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Control

The Indian Army is hosting Asia’s first United Nations Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Control for the Asia-Pacific region, marking a significant step in regional disarmament cooperation.

Programme Details

• The three-week fellowship is being conducted from February 16 to March 6, 2026, at the Military College of Materials Management in Jabalpur.
• It is organised under the aegis of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.
• The fellowship is conducted by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs through its regional arm, the UNRCPD.

Participation

Delegates from 13 Asia-Pacific countries are attending the programme, which aims to strengthen regional capacity to control illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons.

Objectives

The fellowship focuses on building technical and operational expertise for implementing key global disarmament frameworks:

• UN Programme of Action (PoA)
• International Tracing Instrument (ITI)

These frameworks are designed to prevent illegal trade, diversion, and misuse of small arms and light weapons.