Croatia
About Justice & Security Programme
Judicial Reform and the Empowerment of Victims
Zagreb, 28-29 Nov. 2012
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From 09/07-08/12 citizens surrendered:
7,018 small arms and large weapons,
61,462 explosive weapons and devices,
3,016,113 rounds of ammunition and
2,389 kg of explosives
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UN supports safer communities and arms collection in Osijek
The inauguration which took place at the site of one of the parks at the Elementary school Tin Ujevic was attended by UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Croatia, Louisa Vinton, Mayor of Osijek, Krešimir Bubalo, and Head of the Osijek-Baranja County Police Administration, Stipo Rimac.
"We are confident that this recreational facility will live up to its name, "Prevention through sports," by giving Osijek citizens, especially its young people, a secure space to engage in healthy recreational activities. We see this as a small but concrete contribution to improving people's lives" said Louisa Vinton, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Croatia.
Mayor of Osijek, Krešimir Bubalo said the lack of safe and quality sites for recreation and sports of youth in two locations in Osijek - city borough JUG2 and Tenja, a suburb of Osijek in the Areas of Special State Concern - prompted the City to consider building new facilities and asking the Crime Prevention Council which brought together the police, local government, and citizens to develop the project.
Photo: UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Croatia Louisa Vinton and Mayor of Osijek Krešimir Bubalo
The parks were realized through the joint efforts of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the City of Osijek as part of the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDG-F), a programme funded by the Spanish Governement and implemented by UN agencies worldwide.
The ceremony was followed by a Ministry of Interior's presentation of the arms collection campaign 'Less Arms Less Tragedies', a joint preventive campaign of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Croatia (MUP RH) and the UN Development Programme in Croatia (UNDP) aimed at encouraging the voluntary handover of weapons, ammunition and mines still in the hands of citizens.
Head of the Police administration Osijek-Baranja, Stipo Rimac, called upon all citizens in Croatia to voluntarily surrender all illegal weapons in their possession by informing the police to collect the reported weapons. He recalled that citizens would remain anonymous and unsanctioned.
Photo(left):Ministry of Interior's presentation of the arms collection campaign 'Less Arms Less Tragedies'
Photo(right): Louisa Vinton emphasized that the campaign had helped removing nearly 50,000 small arms and light weapons
UN Resident Coordinator, Louisa Vinton, emphasized that the campaign had helped removing nearly 50,000 small arms and light weapons, and large amounts of ammunitions and explosives from circulation over the past three years.
As part of the programme, 128 Osijek children wearing T-shirts with the 'Less Weapons Less Tragedies' campaign slogan wrote their messages for disarmament on white and blue ballons in both UN and City of Osijek colors and sent them to the sky with a wish for a life in a weapons-free environment. The event was intended as support to UN resolution 60/68 which is addressing the negative humanitarian and development impact of the illicit manufacturing, transfer and circulation of small arms and light weapons and their excessive accumulation.
Photo: Outdoor fitness park at the Elementary school Tin Ujević, Osijek
The campaign "Less Arms Less Tragedies" is supported by the Regional Project SEESAC (The South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons) with the financial support of the European Union.
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