Jabalpur, February 16 In an effort to enhance India's global contribution to peace and disarmament efforts, the Army is hosting the inaugural United Nations Fellowship Training Programme on the control of small arms and light weapons (SALW) for the Asia-Pacific region in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Monday.
The training programme, which began on Monday at the Military College of Materials Management (MCMM) in Jabalpur, will conclude on March 6.
Delegates from 13 countries in the Asia-Pacific region are participating in the programme, which is being held under the aegis of the Ministries of External Affairs and Defence, according to a defence release.
The prestigious three-week fellowship is being organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD).
The fellowship began with Deepayan Basu Ray, director of UNRCPD (Asia Pacific), giving an overview of the UN disarmament programme.
Lieutenant General Sanjay Sethi, in his keynote address, emphasized the strategic importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing emerging security challenges posed by the illicit flow of arms, reaffirming India's commitment to global peace, responsible arms governance, and capacity-building partnerships under the United Nations framework.
The fellowship is designed to build the technical and operational capacity of government officials responsible for implementing the UN Programme of Action (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) — key global frameworks aimed at preventing the illicit trade, diversion, and misuse of SALW.
Given that the proliferation of illicit SALW is a major driver of conflict, terrorism, and organized crime worldwide, this initiative marks a crucial step toward enhancing regional cooperation, improving tracing systems, and strengthening responsible stockpile management practices, the release stated.
The programme not only strengthens global disarmament efforts but also showcases India's growing contribution to multilateral peace and security initiatives, it said.