Operation MITIGATE

International Operation Name: OSCE Multinational Small Arms and Ammunition Group

International Operation Dates: 2010/05/26 - ongoing

Mandating Organization: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Region Name: N/A

Location: N/A

Canadian Operation Name: Operation MITIGATE

Canadian Operation Dates: 2011/03/21 – ongoing

Mission Mandate:

to assist nations, both OSCE members and partners, by providing training in the physical security and stockpile management of small arms and light weapons.

Mission Notes:

With the proliferation of small arms and the increasing number of minor and greater conflicts, the ability of governments to control the spread of small arms and light weapons (SALW) has become increasingly important. With over 875 million small arms in circulation, and up to 500,000 people being killed each year by these weapons, they posed a threat not only to regions but globally. On 24 November 2000, the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) in Europe adopted the Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons, which set standards for the control of such weapons and thereby reduce the destabilizing accumulation and uncontrolled spread. This was one of a series of documents implemented by various organizations, including the UN’s 2004 Firearms Protocol.

Over time the standards set out in the original document became outdated plus there were demands for additional standards and action. A Plan of Action was adopted on SALW in May 2010, with the 56 participating members of the OSCE and 12 Partners for Co-operation agreeing on control for exports and brokering of such weapons, stockpile management and security, marking and tracing of SALW and their destruction. The Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons was also re-issued on 20 June 2012 in a process that had begun in September 2009.

One of the aspects of that had been implemented and was to become part of the Plan of Action was that nations could call upon the OSCE to conduct inspections and provide training so that the SALW in the requesting country could be more properly controlled. Requests could be sent to the OSCE’s Multinational Small Arms and Ammunition Group, of which Canada is a member. An OSCE-member state would put together and lead a team that would, over the course of a week provide instructions and training on improving security and management.

In December 2010, Canada was asked to participate in the first inspection, a United States–led inspection in Paraguay. From 21 to 25 March 2011, a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) officer participated in this mission. This Canadian participation was named Operation MITIGATE. One further assistance visit of this type was conducted in 2011, this time to Moldova in November 2011 and led by a Swiss-team.

In 2012, there were five such missions, to El Salvador, Turkmenistan, Kenya, Burkina Faso and Kenya again. In 2013, there were two with three having occurred by mid-2014. One CAF officer deployed on each of these missions.