United Nations Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control
As mandated by General Assembly resolution A/RES/77/71, the SALW Fellowship Training Programme is a key means of support for States to enhance their capacities to implement the Programme of Action (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI), and a conduit through which the UN continues to provide international assistance.
Fellowship Architecture: Three Pillars
The Fellowship is structured around three mutually reinforcing pillars, combining technical knowledge transfer, peer exchange and applied action to support sustainable national implementation of the PoA and ITI.
Pillar 1: Technical Knowledge Transfer
Training is delivered through a blended approach: a self-paced online course, guided virtual sessions and a four-week in-person component1, combining expert-led instruction, simulations, and field visits to armouries, customs facilities, forensic laboratories and destruction sites in collaboration with UNODA’s Regional Centers and UNITAR. Core areas include:
- Global and regional normative frameworks (PoA, ITI, ATT, Firearms Protocol, MOSAIC, IATG).
- National legislative and regulatory frameworks.
- Identification and documentation of SALW
- Marking, record-keeping and tracing.
- Weapons and ammunition management, including physical security and stockpile management (PSSM), and destruction.
- International transfers, border control and interdiction.
- Monitoring, reporting and implementation support.
- Inclusive, context-sensitive and gender-responsive approaches.
- Emerging technologies affecting SALW control, including illicit and additive manufacturing.
Pillar 2: Community of Practice
The Fellowship sustains a cross-regional network connecting fellows, institutions and technical partners beyond the training itself, supporting continued peer exchange, dialogue on emerging trafficking trends, and ongoing technical cooperation among practitioners responsible for PoA/ITI implementation.
Pillar 3: Individual Projects
Each fellow develops an Individual Project addressing a concrete SALW control challenge in their national or institutional context, refined throughout the in-person phase through expert mentoring and peer feedback, and designed for implementation after the training ends. Projects have addressed areas such as legislative reform, digitalization of record-keeping systems, stockpile management and community-based approaches to reducing armed violence.
Participation and Selection
Each year, the Fellowship will train at least sixty government officials who are directly responsible for the implementation of the PoA/ITI, nominated by Member States and selected through a competitive evaluation process by UNODA. A total of fifteen fellows are drawn from each of the following regions:
- Africa
- Asia and the Pacific
- Europe and other countries
- Latin America and the Caribbean
Each Member State may nominate up to two participants per country, one female and one male, of whom only one will be selected through UNODA's competitive evaluation process. UNODA strongly encourages the nomination of qualified women to promote gender equality and diversity.
Selected participants benefit from covered airfare, accommodation, meals, and local transportation during the in-person training.
Hear from our Fellows and Trainers
Past Iterations
Since its first iteration in 2025, the Fellowship has trained government officials across all four regions, with each edition shaped by regional priorities and operational realities.
