The training programme, which began on Monday at the Military College of Materials Management (MCMM) Jabalpur, will culminate on March 6.
Delegates from 13 countries in the Asia-Pacific region are participating in the programme held under the aegis of the Ministries of External Affairs and Defence, a defence release said.
The prestigious three-week fellowship is being organised 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 commenced with UNRCPD (Asia Pacific) director Deepayan Basu Ray giving a review of the UN disarmament programme.
Lieutenant General Sanjay Sethi, in his keynote address, emphasised the strategic importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing emerging security challenges posed by illicit arms flows, reaffirming India’s commitment to global peace, responsible arms governance and capacity-building partnership 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.With illicit SALW proliferation being a major driver of conflict, terrorism and organised 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.
